1/7/2024 0 Comments The rum diary![]() I won't spoil it, you gotta hear it for yourself. There's a psychedelic drug-induced line about a man's tongue that had me in stitches. "The Rum Diary" doesn't have quite as much surrealism & quirk, but it certainly has its fair share. Hardcore Gilliam fans might be offended by the mimicry, but I thought it was well played in the same way I enjoyed Peter Hyams' film "2010" which was a fan-doomed followup to Kubrick's untouchable "2001". Of course there will be comparisons to Terry Gilliam's "Fear & Loathing" which established the HST-Depp character and his surreal adventures. But really that was just a 30 second scene, and aside from that I thought the film was well presented. I didn't like it because it sorta injected a clichéd, Hallmark-channel-type scene when this film is certainly not Hallmark-channel material. I have to admit that the ending left me a little unsatisfied but not because it was weak. But it's still entertaining with a message: it's the story of a lone crusader who uses the power of journalism to battle the corrupt commercial powers invading Puerto Rico. The story itself? Well here's where I do know something about the book: many things were changed, and the ending itself was watered down. There are no big punchlines, pratfalls or sight gags, but there are some absolutely classic moments like that which make you feel like you're part of an inside joke. The whole movie is somewhat low-key like that. The room service guy stares in disbelief as Depp says, "I avoid alcohol" and then with that boyish smile "when I can." What can I say, that had me rolling right off the bat. The locked mini bar has been ravaged as if by a pack of crazed ferrets. The opening scene sets the character's tone for the entire film: he awakens in a hotel room looking like he had just spent the night drinking a small bathtub of booze. It's that innocent-yet-worldly approach that makes his performance such a treat to watch. But in that deer-eyed look that only Depp can do, we feel the comedy of the awkward situation without feeling the bitterness of, say, someone rolling their eyes or sighing in exasperation. For example he can sit and listen to his friend, a drunken Hitler fan, say some pretty racy and racist things, and he doesn't say a word. The character comes across as intelligent, always seeming to understand things 1 level deeper than everyone else however he never comes across as condescending, judgmental or cynical. Who knows if that's truly the case, but the Depp character is very likable and unique. Apparently Depp was HST's friend in life, so we can expect a respectful, if not accurate, portrayal. The appeal of this film is geared toward the cult following of HST, capitalizing on the quirky "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas" vibe that Johnny Depp created for the character. If that describes you, too, then read on. I'm one of the uncultured folks who never read a word of Hunter S. ![]() Even the end, without giving a thing away, is a bit deflating. It's not a horror, it's watchable, but you'll flag here and there. (See of course the Depp in the imperfect 1998 "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" for a sense of the famous freewheeling selfish addled sometimes brilliant Thompson.) The director here also adapted Thompson's book and if he gets the credit for the nice ambiance of the film he also gets the burden of how clunky, choppy, and sometimes slow it is, even with such exciting material. There are several secondary characters who do their best to be a bit insane, including Giovanni Ribisi as a drugged out waif of a reporter, something like what Thompson himself might have become later in life. You can in a way watch this for those surfaces, if you don't need too much more. It pushes the clichés too hard, and it's generally agreed (even by Thompson) that the material is weak and "rambling." The movie doesn't rearrange it enough to make it work. The depth you might expect and want here is slim, however, even though all the pieces are in play for a great drama-a charming troubled writer in a land filled with prejudice and violence and great natural beauty. There is a true surface here that's pretty amazing-the cars, the low down rot of the apartments, the racism between the rich white Americans and the indigenous Puerto Ricans. Johnny Depp stars and runs the show in his usual strong if uninspired way as a new, hard-drinking reporter with a failing English language newspaper in Puerto Rico. In a way this is a more cogent movie than say "Fear and Loathing " but it's also a bit prosaic beneath the wilder stuff that peppers the surface. Rum Diary (2011) If you're looking for the craziness of later Hunter S.
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