Why So Blu?

The End Of The Tour (Blu-ray Review)

The End of the Tour has come to Blu-ray and it still sits as one of the best films of the year. It’s a simple story, but a fine two-hander between stars Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segal. The story is about a rushed friendship of sorts and the film continually delivers on various realizations between the two characters and who they are and what they aspire to be. Of course, it’s difficult for either to really grasp a sense of what it means to be the person they have become, which is not exactly bad for either of them. That said, the film does begin on a dour note, but read on to learn more about this film and its Blu-ray presentation.

Film:

I enjoy a good road trip movie that achieves what it is going for. The End of the Tour is a based on a true story, but boils down to being a talky and very entertaining road trip. That is in no way a bad thing, as the familiar structure leads to a great two-hander between the two leads and they both deliver terrific performances.

The story is based around the last leg of a book tour for David Foster Wallace, the author of 1996’s ‘Infinite Jest’. The film actually begins in 2008, following the news of Wallace’s suicide. We then flash back to Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) and his attempts to get a story and interview from Wallace (Jason Segel). The two spend five days together and share thoughts about life. Things are both friendly and heated between the two.

Eisenberg and Segel shine in this film. Their dynamic together is easily what works best, but both are terrific in their roles individually. Eisenberg, channel’s his neurotic energy into a character that both admires and resents Wallace for the fame he has come into.

Playing against type, Segel delivers on playing both a tortured soul and an average guy who happens to have created something special. Watching him deal with being uncomfortable in this interview is what allows the star to shine the brightest between the two. This is not a knock to Eisenberg, but Segel brings a level of intensity that really adds to the film.

Another impressive aspect is how the film never runs out of steam. It accomplishes this while being a quiet time capsule featuring two guys talking, with minor period details to reflect the 90s. There is no need for much in the way of overt cinematic style, as ‘The End of the Tour’ is confident in its simple presentation.

Director James Ponsoldt (‘Smashed’, ‘The Spectacular Now’) continues to show how capable of a director he is by largely staying out of the actors’ way. It is more than just setting up the camera, as he has to be push these guys to a point in order to properly tap into these performances. The results are nuanced in the best of ways.

The dialogue is a big key to the film’s success as well. The film was adapted by Donald Margulies from Lipsky’s book, ‘Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself’. Given how there were actual audio recordings of most of Lipsky and Wallace’s trip together, it could have been daunting to take on a screenplay that features so much unfiltered dialogue, but Margulies has crafted a story that allows these characters to sound very natural.

‘The End of the Tour’ is a solid film that should remind many of some of director Richard Linklater’s simpler efforts. Both actors are great as individuals and sparring partners, with a story confident enough to keep them at the center.

Video:

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Clarity/Detail: The End of the Tour is not the splashiest looking film, but it has plenty of neat details fit for a Blu-ray release. The film has many snowy locations, which I am always impressed by when it comes to Blu-ray, in addition to nicely resembling the 90s era this film is supposed to be set in.

Depth: There is plenty here to provide a nice handle on the dimensionality of the film.

Black Levels: Black levels are solid, deep and inky.

Color Reproduction: There is a lot of good balance in the colors on display here. It’s a mix of bland locations and colorful clothing worn by the characters.

Flesh Tones: Facial textures are solid here. There is a lot of great detail to be found in each of the characters.

Noise/Artifacts: Nothing to be found.

Audio:

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Dynamics: For a minimal film, The End of the Tour has an impressive audio track.. The film is mostly dialogue-driven, but there is plenty to hear, with a soundtrack that does fine with all the various auditory sources.

Low Frequency Extension: There a few moments that do a good job of making use of the LFE channel.

Surround Sound Presentation: Plenty of good work has been done to bring a fine sense of balance to the lossless audio track. The dialogue is center channel-heavy, which is expected, but the ambient noise, score, and other elements all work to a great extent.

Dialogue Reproduction: Everyone comes through loud and clear.

Extras:

 

While it would have been great to hear more from Lipsky, the film has a decent collection of extras to help give people what they want as far as this film goes.

Features Include:

• Deleted Scenes (HD, 7:30)
• Audio Commentary with Director James Ponsoldt, Writer Donal Margulies and Actor Jason Segal ­– Plenty of detail about the development and making of the film. Worth checking out for the film’s true fans.
• A Conversation with Composer Danny Elfman (HD, 8:24) – Curious to see a feature like this for this film, but it’s nice to hear comments from Elfman in general.
• Behind The Tour (HD, 24:41) – While this is just a slice of what it was to make the film, this behind-the-scenes look is better than the average EPK and certainly worthwhile.
• UltraViolet Copy of the Film

Summary:

The End of the Tour is a fine indie drama that deserves more attention. It has two great performances and is highly entertaining. The Blu-ray features a fine presentation that does plenty to emphasize the feature’s greatest strengths from a technical standpoint. The extras are not bountiful, but come as expected and provide a good amount of detail regarding the film. It’s a fine package for those that would like to experience one of 2015’s better dramas.

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