The Rum Diary is absolute eye candy for those of us that believed we wanted more Johnny Depp and Hunter S. Thompson collaborations. Taking apart one of the authors lesser known works and adapting it for the big screen is surely a risky decision to make, right? Still, who cares, I went into The Rum Diary hoping for another fix of the lovably drunk, scarily drugged up writer. Seeing what he gets up to in the 1960s of Cuba should have been a lot of fun, but instead we’re left dragging ourselves through a truly redundant movie.
Shoehorning as many recognisable faces and acclaimed visionaries as possible is as good a chance as any at adapting one of Thompson’s lesser known books. Dragging Withnail and I director Bruce Robinson on board is a certainly good start, I’m a big fan of his work. Johnny Depp thriving in a leading role would also be great to see, especially after the great deal of fun he had with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Richard Jenkins, Andy Garcia, Amber Heard, Giovanni Ribisi and Aaron Eckhart are also lingering off in the sidelines, waiting to pounce on any scene thrown to them. Like a pack of very good looking and talented wolves, they wait for the leader of the pack to throw them a bone or a couple of scraps to make their inclusion look justified.
Eckhart in particular is a worrisome character. He’s a real talented guy, but doesn’t exactly pick the roles and films that highlight such a fact. His role as Sanderson doesn’t bring about anything of importance to the story apart from flash cars, fitted suits and a knack for steering the story in the right direction. There isn’t so much as a flicker of chemistry between him and Depp, and given the screen time they share, that does surprise me. Depp himself may be the problem also, for he tries to channel his performance from Fear and Loathing. Without the direction of Gilliam or the youthful spirit found in his drug-crazed, alcohol ridden performance, he slips into a rather bland series of romantic subplots and socio-political messages. It doesn’t have the scum and negativity of Thompson’s writing; it feels like a fluffy Hollywood adaptation and that’s because it is one.
We do have a chance to explore the many wonders and sights that Puerto Rico has to offer though. Cockfights, 470% proof alcohol and corruption around every corner seems rather the interesting topics to focus in on. We live in the dark underbelly of a beautiful city with no way of clawing out. The only way to survive is to adapt. That should have been the focus of the film, with Paul Kemp (Depp) showing not so much a glimmer of fright or fear to the surroundings he finds himself in. It’s an interesting aspect of the film that gets bogged down completely in a focus on Richard Nixon, the social divide in Cuba and shady figures that were operating behind the scenes at the time.
I suppose the drawback I have is that I’m not all that sure whether or not this is a faithful adaptation of the novel, The Rum Diary. Not just because I haven’t read it, but also because it wasn’t published until after the death of Thompson. Who knows what edits he might’ve made to this adaptation, or even his own initial manuscript. I’d hope many, because The Rum Diary looks rather good and stretches its budget quite well, but really struggles to provide anything of real interest. Everyone looks bored, the film feels flat and on the whole, I thought there’d be more appeal to a man falling to the scuppers of alcoholism whilst landing himself a cushy job writing horoscopes and bowling alley features. Every other line of dialogue tries to approach us with a wistful aura and heavy-handed message, none of which stick. It turns a forgettable movie into a grating one.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
