What I love about James Ponsoldt’s film is the focus on big ideas presented through dialog and their inevitable courting of philosophy. Dramatizing an interview between Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky and David Foster Wallace, The End of the Tour follows the author as he promotes Infinite Jest. Wallace’s thoughts transcribed through Jason Segel’s superb acting shows the writer capable of cutting through the surface of things – society, culture, the life we think we lead - to notice instead what else might be happening.
My purpose in reading is often to discover perceptions I recognize as my own but can’t make on my own. I’m missing the language to articulate the perceptions. These discoveries don’t generally appear while watching a film, but with this film, many times I thought “I’ve been trying to think that!” I haven’t read any David Foster Wallace, but I will now. The film is an excellent introduction to the author.