There’s Oscar Buzz Around Jason Segel’s Performance in ‘The End of the Tour’

"The End of the Tour" premiered to great reviews at Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah in January.

Many reviews are calling Jason Segel's performance one of the highlights of the film and worthy of an Oscar.

In "The End of the Tour," Segel plays novelist-writer David Foster Wallace at the end of a 1996 book tour. Wallace is accompanied by Rolling Stone‘s David Lipsky, played by Jesse Eisenberg.

Segel talked about how he approached the role during a post-screening question/answer session at Sundance: “I think one of the things with David Foster Wallace, what’s so special about his writing is he touches on some very universal human feelings. So I tried to really pay attention to the parts of us that are the same.”

Reviews of Segel's performance have been very good.

• Vulture calls Segel "the first actor to be a 2016 Oscar contender."
• The Boston Herald reports: "Don't be surprised if 'The End of the Tour' manages to mount an awards season run with a fall release. The Academy loves to honor actors who play real people, and Segel manages to disappear onscreen and inhabit the celebrated author who was ambivalent about his own fame."
• The Huffington Post calls Segel "an actor who has grasped his character and wants you to as well. ... This is a rare movie that actually seems to capture more of its subject than the written word has, and that is chiefly thanks to Segel's performance."

Since we don't even know 2015's Oscar winners, it may be a bit early to speculate on next year's, but Segel is likely to be in the conversation as the time nears.

Some of “The End of the Tour” was shot in the radio studios and offices of Townsquare Media Grand Rapids, which is home to 100.5 The River, 97.9 WGRD, Channel 95.7, Greatest Hits 98.7 WFGR and 1410 AM The Touch.

"The End of the Tour" reportedly has a distribution deal with A24 Films, but no wider-release date has been announced.