Movielogr
The Rum Diary (2011)
Directed by Bruce Robinson
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Overview
Tired of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, itinerant journalist Paul Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local San Juan newspaper run by the downtrodden editor Lotterman. Adopting the rum-soaked lifestyle of the late ‘50s version of Hemingway’s ‘The Lost Generation’, Paul soon becomes entangled with a very attractive American woman and her fiancée, a businessman involved in shady property development deals. It is within this world that Kemp ultimately discovers his true voice as a writer and integrity as a man.
Rated R | Length 120 minutes
Actors
Johnny Depp | Amber Heard | Aaron Eckhart | Michael Rispoli | Giovanni Ribisi | Richard Jenkins | Amaury Nolasco | Marshall Bell | Bill Smitrovich | Julian Holloway | Enzo Cilenti | Karimah Westbrook | Aaron Lustig | Natalia Rivera | Jimmy Ortega | Guillermo Valedón
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/23/2012 | TV | Blu-ray | Rented | 6 stars |
| (Average) 6 stars |
Viewing Notes
I’ve read a lot of Hunter S. Thompson’s writing, but haven’t read The Rum Diary, so I can’t compare the movie to the book. I can say that it feels like a flawed adaptation. Not sure if that’s due to the source material or the director.
Johnny Depp seems lost in this, teetering between playing a slighter version of his Fear and Loathing character and his pirate persona from Pirates of the Caribbean. Or maybe he’s just playing himself again. I’m not sure I’d know the difference anymore.
There isn’t really a proper story arc here, so even as I neared the end of the movie, I found myself thinking “man, this movie is long and nowhere near ending.” And then it ended. Rather abruptly. Win some, lose some.
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