The Rum Diary
Directed by Bruce Robinson
Distributed by Filmdistrict
In 1971, Hunter S. Thompson published the novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which later became a 1998 cult classic. The story followed the semi-autobiographical figure of Thompson named Raoul Duke, his belligerent attorney Dr. Gonzo and their drug-induced and not-so-steadfast plunge into the heart of the American Dream.
The Rum Diary follows in the same vein, telling Thompson’s story through the character Paul Kemp, played once more by Johnny Depp. Only this time around he’s a little younger, walks a little straighter, and talks a little clearer. Instead of diving into the American Dream, Kemp seems to opt for a drunken fist fight with it.
Kemp takes a job at a petering San Juan newspaper in Puerto Rico and quickly befriends a cast of loudmouthed drinkers. Sala (Michael Rispoli) is cartoonish photographer and Moberg (Giovonni Ribisi), a staggering drunk who likes to listen to Hitler recordings on his downtime.
The group hopscotch into a series of unfortunate and wildly clumsy adventures during their nightly escapades, which contrast the beautiful soaring long shots of Puerto Rico that scatter the hungover days as Kemp tries to find his feet as a writer.
On a particularly regretful night, Kemp and Sala drive to a secluded bar looking for a drink. One thing leads to another and the two leave the bar being chased by a group of local villains. Kemp tried to keep them at bay by spitting streams of fire using a bottle of rum and a lighter.
Needless to say, the next morning Kemp and Sala drove home, missing their front seat, and with Kemp on Sala’s lap to reach
the gas. As Kemp bounces on Sala’s lap as they drive along the streets of San Juan, a police car pulls up beside them to which Kemp hilariously prompted: “Try and look normal.”
Later, Kemp finds himself amidst a plot by a cunning and affluent American businessman named Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart) to transform the rapturous lands of Puerto Rico into a titanic resort for the wealthy. After falling into a romantic affair with Sanderson’s fiancée Chenault (Amber Heard), a void is created between Kemp and Sanderson.
For the rest of the film, Kemp expedites the effort to expose the manipulating and malevolent Sanderson and his monopoly.
The problem with The Rum Diary isn’t that it’s disjointed and meandering — that’s just classic Thompson. But for a movie in which its primary advertising campaign features a half-naked, red-eyed Depp standing in a dishevelled hotel room with a liquor cabinet propped on its side, the actual movie doesn’t quite hit hard enough.
The nightly escapades are maniacal, but not quite maniacal enough. The hangovers are addled and abashed, but not quite addled and abashed enough.
All in all, the film stays true to the Gonzo type of journalism made famous by Thompson. With a strong supporting cast and a spot-on performance by Depp, the film gives the experience of being along for the ride for this strangely peaceful sort of limbo that Kemp finds himself in.
With a slightly unsatisfying third act, the movie never really ties itself up properly, leaving the viewer with their head aslant. For those looking for the heavy rollercoaster ride that was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, look elsewhere, for The Rum Diary should be taken in akin to a light lunch, or for those who prefer their rum a little watered down.
