(Reviewed by Matt C.)

What makes someone a “genius”? What is it inside their head that’s so different from the average person, if anything?

The End of the Tour is a 2015 movie based on the acclaimed memoir Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself by David Lipsky. It follows Lipsky as he tags along for the end of author David Foster Wallace’s book tour and signing after for his recently published novel Infinite Jest. Time magazine cited Infinite Jest as one of the greatest 100 English language novels of the past century, and Wallace is widely known as one of the most influential and innovative authors of the last 20 years. In September of 2008, at age 46, Wallace committed suicide.

The movie is not really about that though. It presents the viewer with this information as more of a backdrop than a central element. Instead, this is a stunning portrait of two artists, an author and a journalist, both immensely talented and intelligent, having an extended conversation at turning points in their respective lives. I found the movie to be exhilarating from start to finish. It’s certainly an emotional roller coaster but one that I actually didn’t want to get off of. The acting of Jason Segal (as Wallace) and Jessie Eisenberg (Lipsky) is impeccable and for a movie based solely on the their interactions for five days, it’s their chemistry that holds the film together. It’s certainly not a “light” movie, but as cliche as it sounds, it’s the type of movie that can make you laugh, cry, wonder, and imagine.

(Reviewed by Matt C.)

If you’re looking for likable characters that you can relate to, this is definitely not the movie for you. Every major character and most of the non-major characters are unlikable at best, and downright creepy and evil at worst. That being said, The Gift is a movie that excels at creating a web of tension and suspense between its cast of flawed characters. Although predictable in parts, this movie kept me guessing right up until the end. There’s no sudden twists or surprises here, instead The Gift opts for a more unnerving approach. The viewer is allowed to slowly put together the pieces of the puzzle, seeing the picture more and more clearly as each additional piece is added.

It’s not a perfect film by far, but definitely one that deserves a bit more recognition than it has received. If you’re a fan of genuinely creepy psychological suspense, this is a hidden gem you won’t want to miss.