The Rum Diary
The story behind the film is that Johnny Depp (who starred in Fear and Loathing..., and stars once again here) discovered Thompson's unpublished manuscript for The Rum Diary while preparing for the earlier 1998 film. The actor convinced him to publish the book, and now, has played a large part in it reaching the big screen. He managed to coax director Bruce Robinson out of retirement to helm the film, and helped secure some strong acting talent to tell the story. But the movie failed to connect with me. The semi-autobiographical story that Thompson wrote inspired by his early days as a journalist is missing a fresh look at the material. Much like Depp's downplayed performance in the film itself, the movie seems to be downplaying itself, as well as the absurd aspects that might have made it stand out.
Depp plays Thompson's on screen persona, Paul Kemp, who arrives in Puerto Rico in 1960 to take a job at a struggling English-language newspaper. He arrives at the job drunk, but at least he seems to be in good company, as everyone else who works there seems to be drunk or high, much to the chagrin of his new boss (Richard Jenkins). His fellow employees include a photographer named Sala (Michael Rispoli), who has a passion for cockfighting, and the bizarre Moburg (Giovanni Ribisi), who delivers the most interesting performance in the film as a guy with an interest in Hitler and top secret illegal substances. Kemp arrives at his new job with little ambition other than to make some money. But he soon gets involved with a wealthy American entrepreneur named Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), who is trying to pull off a land development scheme on the island. Kemp's main interest in Sanderson stems from his beautiful young fiance, Chenault (Amber Heard), whom he harbors strong feelings for.
The movie forms a loose narrative, hopping from one subject to the next, or sometimes a funny sequence, such as when Paul and Sala are driving along the street in a hollowed out car. But there's no real emotional investment to anything happening on the screen. The intensity that Thompson was famous for in his writings is missing here. The movie drags, when it should be wild. Likewise, we have a very strong cast, giving some rather muted performances here, save for a few exceptions. Aside from the previously mentioned Ribisi, Amber Heard manages to give some personality and warmth to a character who easily could have come across simply as an object of desire. The most baseless character in the film is oddly enough Paul Kemp himself, who often comes across as a blank slate we know little to nothing about. We hear Thompson's words coming out of his mouth in both his dialogue and occasional narration, but we don't get any of his passion.
Since The Rum Diary ends up having very little to say, it does not take long for boredom to set in amongst the audience (the man sitting behind me fell asleep a couple times, only to be aroused by his companion), and for the two hour running time to feel a lot longer than it actually is. It's well known that the movie's been sitting on the shelf for a while before its release, and it certainly shows signs of an intriguing, but troubled production. Despite Depp's obvious passion in getting the book on the screen, none of it comes through in the movie itself. I'm sure he was thrilled to be taking on Thompson's material and character again, and there's a nice little tribute to the author at the end. But really, the movie feels like it's excluding anyone who does not share Depp's passion and interest for the man.
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