Just a Regular Guy

There was a time, not all that long ago, when writers could become cultural icons in this society — endangered emissaries who, like canaries in a coal mine, sniff out the poison seeping from the rank spigots of our popular culture. The late, great David Foster Wallace was such an author. Wallace’s prose, a kind of rococo thicket that belied deep veins of compassion and understanding, acted as a funhouse mirror reflecting back our malaise in a discursive, catch-all style that was frustrating, assaultive, revelatory and liberating, often all at once.

Wallace is the subject of director James Ponsoldt’s wonderfully observed new film, The End of the Tour. Based on David Lipsky’s memoir Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself, the movie is little more than a chamber piece for two: Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) is sent by Rolling Stone during the winter of 1996 to join Wallace (Jason Segel) at the tail end of a book tour for his epic novel Infinite Jest, which has become a huge (figuratively and, at 1,000-plus pages, literally) hit with the literati.

Despite the narrowness of the film’s focus and the seeming singleness of its intent -— i.e., reporter profiles famous writer — what ensues between Wallace and Lipsky is intricately fascinating and oddly moving. As Lipsky doggedly, and a bit enviously, peppers Wallace with question after question about writing and fame, the two engage in a complicated jujitsu of understanding, part baffled discovery, part struggling self-definition.

Lipsky, who just published his first novel to little acclaim, wants to unearth the intimate secrets of Wallace’s genius; Wallace, uncomfortable with his newfound celebrity, insists he’s nothing special, just a regular guy with a knack for portraying the confusions of his own mind. “There’s nothing more grotesque than somebody going around saying, ‘I’m a writer, I’m a writer, I’m a writer,’” Wallace says at one point, revealing his discomfort with the sudden attention he’s getting.

And, over the course of a handful of frustrating, assaultive, revelatory and liberating days, a tentative yet tender friendship develops.

The End of the Tour is the unlikeliest of cinematic endeavors: a film about a pair of very interesting guys sitting around — at home, in cars, in hotel rooms — talking about art, fame, the wages of creativity, the pitfalls of success and the delights of Die Hard, junk food and Alanis Morrisette.

And it’s riveting. Ponsoldt, whose 2013 film The Spectacular Now was one of the sleeper hits of the year, has the perfect touch for this stuff; he treats the evolution of the two writers’ relationship as a really smart buddy film. The dialogue, culled from Lipsky’s memoir, is both sharp and full of unreconstructed vernacular. When Wallace teasingly calls Lipsky a “dick brain,” the combination of deprecation and warmth is just right.

Wallace killed himself in 2008 at the age of 46. The End of the Tour captures the bittersweet sadness of this loss, but the movie never mucks about in the easy tragedy of yet another suicided artist.

Rather, the film celebrates Wallace’s humanity: his playfulness, his fears, his eccentricity, his ordinariness and, yes, his brilliance. It neither dismantles nor construes a myth. And by staying so close to the ground, and thanks to strong performances by Eisenberg and especially Segel, it triumphs as a work of art.

The End of the Tour opens Friday, Aug. 21, at Bijou Art Cinemas.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!