2012
Formats
DVD
Premise
Johnny Depp stars in the adaption of Hunter S. Thompson's novel about an American journalist who works at a newspaper in Puerto Rice during the 1960's.
Liked
Cast.
Disliked
Lack of flair.
Thoughts
Meh.
It was fun to see Depp re-channel the Thompson-like lead. Cast was good. Amber Heard oozed sexuality as the love interest, while Giovanni Ribisi and Richard Jenkins stole some scenes. As a giant While You Were Sleeping fan, it was trippy to see Michael Rispoli (aka Joe Jr.) in the Benicio Del Toro sidekick role.
There were some funny and weird moments, the best probably being the car chase when Depp does alcohol fire-breathing to fend off some angry locals, followed by attempting to drive a car with no front seats.
Obviously, it was impossible to avoid comparing it to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. While both were similar in some aspects, The Rum Diary lacked the manic energy, the charming characters, and lyrical dialog of the beloved 1998 flick.
