Susan Granger’s review of “The End of the Tour” (A24)
The final five days of David Foster Wallace’s 1996 book tour for his epic 1,079-page novel “Infinite Jest” are documented by ambitious Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky.
In what is, essentially, a two-hander, Jason Segel is Wallace and Jesse Eisenberg is Lipsky. They chat about a variety of subjects, the most interesting of which is how reclusive Wallace has tried to adjust to his sudden fame and celebrity.
Not so coincidentally, Lipsky had just had his own first novel, “The Art Fair.” published when he convinced his Rolling Stone editor (Ron Livingston) that he felt a genuine kinship with Wallace, although what comes across in his profile is a curiously intoxicating combination of envy and adulation.
Lipskey journeyed to wintry Bloomington, Indiana, to meet Wallace in his ranch-style home. They go to a bookstore and do a Minneapolis-based publicity jaunt, where Joan Cusack plays their no-nonsense driver.
There’s also a casual interlude with Julie (Mamie Gummer) and Betsy (Mickey Sumner), Wallace’s former girlfriend. And when Wallace observes Lipsky flirting with Betsy, he’s quite offended.
Ironically, the interview was never published and two men never met again. Lipsky’s audio tapes were stashed in a closet until after Wallace committed suicide in 2008 at age 46. They were subsequently printed as “Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace.”
Subtly adapted by Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist Donald Margulies as a tenuous yet intense relationship/character study, it’s deftly directed by James Ponsoldt (“Smashed,” “The Spectacular Now”), whose casting is spot-on.
Delving into Wallace’s complicated psyche, his reticence and insecurities, Jason Segel’s understated, yet nuanced performance is remarkable; best known for affable comedies (“Sex Tape,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”), this is a real break-out dramatic role.
In contrast, Jesse Eisenberg (“American Ultra”) reveals Lipsky as a sleazy, sycophantic journalist, determined to burrow beneath Wallace’s protective exterior.
There’s not much revealing insight, however, and the challenge for the audience is deciding which of these men is the more authentic – and honest.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10 “The End of the Tour” is a compassionate, conversational 7, reminiscent of “American Splendor” about underground comic-book writer Harvey Pekar.
