Film Review: "The Rum Diary"

"The Rum Diary" is the latest Hunter S. Thompson adaptation, with Johnny Depp once again playing an incarnation of the famous writer / journalist as he did in the excellent cult classic "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." It's just about impossible not to compare the two, and while "The Rum Diary" is fun enough, it ultimately fails to be much of a memorable picture.

Depp plays Paul Kemp, a New York Times journalist who has just taken a job for a small newspaper in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1960. The paper is clearly not well-run and the editor, Lotterman (Richard Jenkins), is more worried about doing as little as possible to keep it in circulation than printing any sort of real news. As a clear alcoholic, Kemp fits right into the rum culture in San Juan, particularly with two of his new co-workers, Sala (Michael Rispoli), and Moburg (Giovanni Ribisi), a drug-and-alcohol-addicted Hitler idolizer. While trying to find a real story to complement the horoscopes he's instructed to write, Kemp meets Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), a clearly crooked but wealthy businessman, and his beautiful girlfriend, Chenault (Amber Heard). As the rum-induced madness ensues, Kemp becomes by what he sees as completely unfettered exploitative capitalism at the expense of the people who live in this paradise. 

As I said, it's impossible not to compare this film to "Fear and Loathing." But that's not just because both are Hunter S. Thompson adaptations starring Depp. Both films have a relatively simple story, though "The Rum Diary" lacks the cultural epiphany that Raul Duke finds at the end of "Fear and Loathing." This film also lacks the sheer extreme debauchery that made "Fear and Loathing" so memorable; in fact, compared to the former film, this one is positively tame. "Fear and Loathing" also carries the unmistakeable fingerprints of director Terry Gilliam, one of the most unique minds in filmmaking. There is truly no director working today, and probably ever, who is comparable to Gilliam, so it's totally unfair to accept the same of writer / director Bruce Robinson here. But aside from capturing the sweat and the grime of the setting, there's really nothing to set this film apart. Ultimately, when Kemp and Sala aren't on a booze-induced rampage, very little happens, and Kemp's realizations of how exploitative the economic situation in Puerto Rico is only come gradually. Maybe it's because the issues covered in this film (rampant, unfettered, exploitative capitalism and environmental destruction) are so endlessly debated in today's society that the film's message fails to pack much of a punch, especially when compared with the more abstract "search for the American Dream" in "Fear and Loathing." Conversely, the film's themes do show what a forward thinker Thompson was as the book on which it's based is now more than fifty years old.

The films certainly has its share of hilarious moments, and sometimes briefly reaches the level of sheer lunacy that "Fear and Loathing" maintained for two hours. Depp is absolutely perfect to play this alternate version of Thompson, and while it's no "Finding Neverland" or "Sweeney Todd," it is a reminder of what a talented actor Depp is when he's not playing Jack Sparrow for the fourth time or another bizarre Tim Burton character (the aforementioned Sweeney excepted). Rispoli and Ribisi are both great, but the two of them together don't add up to the manic lunacy that Benicio Del Toro brought to Dr. Gonzo in "Fear and Loathing." Heard is ravishing and can play the young, blonde bombshell about as well as anyone nowadays; unfortunately I've still never seen anything from her that shows any depth to her skills as an actress. Eckhart plays the smooth talker perfectly fine, but when emotion is called for he tends to seep into overacting, and he does that again here.

"The Rum Diary" isn't a bad film by any means, it's just a pretty ordinary film. I guess I expected more after really enjoying "Fear and Loathing" and seeing the trailer for this film; one of the funniest trailers of the year. It didn't quite live up to what I hoped it would, but it's still worth seeing.

"The Rum Diary" is rated R for language, some drug use, and sexuality.
Running time: 120 minutes.
Released domestically on October 28, 2011, by Film District.
2.5 stars out of 4.