Set in 1960, The Rum Diary takes us back to a time when Dr. Hunter S. Thompson wasn’t the man we know of today. This was when he was young and naive. Before he knew what he wanted to say and how he was going to say it. The movie is based on Thompson’s first novel that is autobiographical. It’s no secret that the character of Paul Kemp is Thompson all the way.
Director Bruce Robinson sets the stage beautifully for Johnny Depp to step back in to the gonzo journalist’s shoes after trying them on in 1998’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. For the most part, it is because of Depp that The Rum Diary comes out looking sweet, humorous, and is unquestionably made out of love for Thompson and his dedication to the written word. It is during this journey that Kemp/Thompson discover the evils of capitalism and begin to get an idea of who these “bastards” are that he will be writing about for the rest of his life.
Kemp (Depp) leaves New York for San Juan, Puerto Rico to write for a newspaper that is barely hanging on. While there, he cannot help but get caught up and entangled in the culture and the drinking that goes along with it. He is recruited by Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), a wealthy businessman who wants to replace Puerto Rico’s paradise with resorts, and needs Kemp’s writing skills in order to make it go as smooth as possible. But Kemp’s focus is solely on Sanderson’s’ fiancée, Chenault (Amber Heard), and she is almost guaranteed to get him in to trouble.
Kemp meets and teams up with quite a few interesting people including Sala (Michael Rispoli), the newspaper’s photographer who Kemp ends up living with, and they do their share of drinking and drugs as well. But, if you want to know what happens to a person’s brain if they do too much of that just take a look at Moburg (Giovanni Ribisi), a former reporter who is on the edge of a complete physical and mental meltdown. These are the guys who will try to bring down their newspaper boss Lotterman (Richard Jenkins) and that slimy prick Sanderson and get their revenge! Good luck with that.
The story of The Rum Diary may be a tough one to sit through. It likes to wander and ramble (a lot like Kemp himself), and it wouldn’t have hurt to cut about 20 minutes out of the movie because it does linger. Even so, the performances are terrific to watch no matter how crazy, odd, or wild they may get.
Eckhart has become such a presence on-screen and even when he shares scenes with Depp, he not only holds his own but makes it look effortless. Heard seems to play just a beautiful tease at first, but her character ends up having some depth and a heart. Rispoli and Ribisi are the energy this movie needs, and Jenkins can do no wrong no matter what kind of character he is portraying.
Depp was very close to Thompson and this film is definitely a passion project for him. Just to get it from page to screen is an accomplishment within itself. And maybe it is because Depp is a great actor or simply because he knew Thompson personally or maybe both, but it allows him to capture the spirit and passion that Thompson carried with him and Depp took great notice of that. Kemp represents an undefined Thompson, but Depp slowly shows you signs that give you a glimpse in to the future.
The Rum Diary finds itself lost every now and then, but it finds its way back. The film is a nice dedication to Thompson that is full of affection and is a lot more fun that I thought it would be. Besides, it is a hell of a lot better than that other movie that is based on a Thompson book. Now I realize that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas has become a cult hit, but if you are even half-way sober, you will hate it. Or at least you should. All I know is I could understand what every person said in The Rum Diary. Well, almost every word and that is a major plus.
“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter@SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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