One of the great things about movies is that a subject
matter can be sought out by an inventive writer or director and finally get the
green light to have that movie made. When that happens, the writer or director
can bring to the attention of the world a topic that they may never have heard
of before. In the case of THE END OF THE TOUR director James Ponsoldt and
writer Donald Margulies bring to our attention author David Foster Wallace.
Some may be familiar with Wallace and his works. I am not
one of those people. But in watching this film I was provided with a look at
the author as interpreted by this team as well as David Lipsky upon whose book
the film was made. The author and Lipsky are both brought to life by actors
Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg in a way that makes them both interesting. When
the film ends you may find yourself as I did, searching for information about
both men and perhaps seeking out their books.
The movie opens with word that author David Foster Wallace
(Jason Segel) has just died of an apparent suicide. This causes writer David
Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) to be contacted to discuss Wallace and to reflect on
the time the two spent together. Going back 12 years, Lipsky is an author whose
latest book is well received but not doing as well as he had hoped. At a party
among friends Lipsky talks about taking on a job at Rolling Stone as a writer
and then hears about an author everyone is talking about, David Foster Wallace
(Jason Segel), whose new book Infinite
Jest is being hailed as the greatest thing currently in print. To see what
the talk is all about Lipsky reads the book. Aware of how great the book is, he
convinces his editor at Rolling Stone to send him out to interview Wallace.
Thus begins a road trip that develops into a friendship
between two authors both seeking something completely different and yet
identical at the same time. Lipsky arrives in Wallace’s Midwest home in the
middle of a snow covered winter, a far cry from the city streets of New York he
is familiar with. Wallace is a nice sort who greets him and welcomes him into
his home, an unassuming ranch house that’s more everyday guy than talked about
literary celebrity. Wallace is a quiet man who lives with his two dogs, wears a
bandana around his head and is wary at first of being interviewed.
As the two men spend time together their comfort level
increases and Wallace ends up opening his world, his life and his mind to
Lipsky. Their discussions are fascinating to listen to and you soon discover
that behind this sought after author is a man who fears losing himself and his
sanity to celebrity. He loves his life the way it is. While Lipsky can’t
understand this feeling as he desires notoriety, he comes to realize what it is
that Wallace means in his search to retain his own identity.
Along the way the pair share stories of their lives and
backgrounds as they drive from one location to the next while Wallace completes
the last stop on his travels to promote his book. The two bond as they travel
until a jealousy seems to take over Lipsky and he begins flirting with an ex of
Wallace’s that meets with them in Minneapolis. The rift between the two offers
an insight into both with each jealous of the other. This up and down
rollercoaster ride of adulation and envy that fills becomes apparent to Lipsky
before the end of the film just as the acceptance of him and envy of his
lifestyle is shown in the character of Wallace. What they each take back from
their road trip makes for a wonderful movie.
Both actors bring to life the two men that they story is
based on. I’ve never been a huge fan of Eisenberg but when he’s on point he
does a tremendous job and that’s what he does here. While his performance is
that good it is Segel who surprised me here. Having watched his career for some
time in almost always comedic roles, he takes on Wallace with apparent ease and
takes what could have been nothing more than a quirky individual and turns him
into something more. That he can do so in such a subdued manner makes the
performance even more memorable.
While watching the film I was reminded of the movie MY
DINNER WITH ANDRE, a film that was nothing more than a dinner conversation
between two intellectuals filled with a back and forth dialogue. While this
movie moves around more than that, it feels the same. It is a film filled with
conversations between two characters that holds your attention with every word
they speak. In the wrong hands that could lead to boredom but here it grabs
your attention from start to finish.
Most films these days seem to include little more than
explosions and car chases, super heroes or paranormal demons. This movie is
about nothing more than two men who start as acquaintances and then become
friends, contemporaries who find a common bond in their love of the written
word. It’s the type of movie that rarely makes a huge splash at the box office.
The nice thing is that with it coming out on DVD perhaps more people will
discover the fun they can have while watching it at home.
Click here to order.
No comments:
Post a Comment