Movie review: ‘End of the Tour’ a road trip with some sharp turns

If I told you "The End of the Tour" is an hour and a half of two intelligent guys talking, it would be entirely accurate — and yet wholly inadequate in conveying the rollicking ride that plays out in this true-life drama.

That's because the two intelligent guys are the acclaimed author David Foster Wallace and the reporter, David Lipsky, assigned to write a profile of him. And the conversation — as captured by director James Ponsoldt ("Smashed," "The Spectacular Now") and playwright Donald Margulies from Lipsky's book chronicling the experience — in which subject and journalist bounce questions and answers off each other is equal parts chess match, fencing duel and first date.

Ponsoldt frames the story with the tragedy that is at the heart of the story: Wallace's death by suicide in 2008. When Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) hears the news, he digs in his closet for the cassette tapes from when he interviewed Wallace for Rolling Stone magazine — five days spent with the author in the winter of 1996, just after his signature work, the 1,000-page novel "Infinite Jest," became a best-seller.

Lipsky tags along with Wallace, played by Jason Segel, for five days, at his home in Normal, Ill. (where he taught English at Illinois State), and on the final stop of his book tour in Minneapolis. Lipsky, who has written a novel (though a far less successful one), is nervous at meeting such a literary star. Wallace is friendly, but wary, because he knows Lipsky will "go back to your desk in New York and sit at your desk and shape this thing however you want."

Over the course of five days — in cars, in diners, even at the Mall of America — Wallace and Lipsky talk and talk. They talk about pop culture, from "Die Hard" and "Baywatch" to the accessible beauty of Alanis Morissette. They talk about fame and the disappointments being suddenly well-known can bring. They talk about the theoretical joys of using a book tour to bed female fans, a conversation that takes on a different meaning when they encounter one of Wallace's ex-girlfriends (Mickey Sumner).

When the two get argumentative, it's often about perceptions — Lipsky's perceptions of Wallace, and Wallace's fears of how he will be perceived in the article. There's a conversation about Wallace's trademark bandanna and whether it's an affectation or a "security blanket for me whenever I'm afraid my head is going to explode." Lipsky suggests Wallace's regular-guy persona is also an affectation, and Wallace bristles: "I treasure my regular-guyness." Lipsky counters: "You don't crack open a thousand-page book because you heard the author is a regular guy. You do it because he's brilliant."

Margulies' script — adapted from Lipsky's book "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself," in which he transcribed his tapes of the 1996 sessions — deftly distills Wallace's verbal dexterity and his arm's-length relationship with his public persona. In their smart, yet accessible, conversations, Wallace and Lipsky appear as two sides of the "famous author" coin: one wanting the acclaim the other has received, and one who has learned that receiving acclaim has its disadvantages.

All this would be dry and didactic, if not for the warmth of the performances. Eisenberg plays Lipsky as a wily inquisitor, his eyes darting to spot clues to unravel Wallace's central mystery. Segel is an inspired choice for Wallace, both in physical presence and in the hangdog, aw-shucks attitude.

Wallace's reticence about being profiled is so pronounced that it makes a viewer wonder how he would react to seeing one of the stars of "How I Met Your Mother" portraying him. Ponsoldt uses that reluctance to fuel "The End of the Tour," until it feels as if Wallace is slyly commenting not only on Lipsky's interview but the accidental mythmaking inherent in making movies.

spmeans@sltrib.com

Twitter: @moviecricket

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'The End of the Tour'

The wit and wary charms of author David Foster Wallace come alive in this sharp two-character drama.

Where • Broadway Centre Cinemas, Century 16 (South Salt Lake).

When • Opens Friday, Aug 21.

Rating • R for language including some sexual references.

Running time • 106 minutes.