The Rum Diary

My eagerness to like this film might have overridden its actual worth. Since as a student I saw Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I’ve had a fondness for Hunter S. Thompson, particularly as he’s portrayed by Johnny Depp. Although The Rum Diary is ostensibly fictitious, it’s obvious that the main character is supposed to be, or was, Thompson. It goes without saying that this is a strange film, but perhaps not in the way you’re thinking. Ignoring the details, the basic plot is that of a romantic comedy. This is what is stressed by the storyline despite the actual underlying drive of the film being towards exposing corrupt capitalism, which is somewhat sidelined. It would’ve been a much better movie, perhaps, if this message was put to the fore, and the romantic element sublimated or even avoided. Nonetheless, the light-hearted story that we have is still enjoyable, quirky, and mildly funny. Depp is once again good at impersonating his late friend Thompson, although he does not go to such extremes as he did in the earlier movie. We never really get to like any of the characters, however, which leaves us without much interest in what happens to them. Giovanni Ribisi’s character in particular is very disturbing, and not in a good way. The main issue with the film is that people unfamiliar with Thompson would probably find it odd, and fans of his would be disappointed that it wasn’t odd enough. It sits unfortunately somewhere in-between, trying to please both sets of people, but doing neither. Fans of Thompson may enjoy it slightly more, however, but this mainly comes from the ending which gives us an interesting premonition, or even justification, of the man he is to become.