The Rum Diary

It’s no secret that Hunter S. Thompson was a bit of a mad hatter; indeed, it’s practically the only way to describe the man. Known for his regular consumption of drink and drugs, the American author and gonzo journalist would frequently write of the substance-fuelled exploits and helplessly whacky adventures (possibly tall tales) he experienced right up until his suicide in 2005. Of all his work, Thompson's most celebrated is probably “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” published in 1971 and turned into a wonderfully weird film in 1998 by ex-Monty Python member Terry Gilliam.

The film starred Johnny “coolest man in the world” Depp, an inspired choice, who would become a good friend and admirer of Thompson. And now Depp is starring in and executive producing the filmic adaptation of Thompson’s “The Rum Diary,” which was written in 1961 and finally published in 1998. While it’s no “Fear and Loathing,” it’s an enjoyable and perfectly decent film about a not-so-decent man.

Like he did in “Fear and Loathing,” Depp is playing a role that was supposedly based on Thompson himself. The character is Paul Kemp, an American journalist and aspiring author who drinks “on the upper end of social.” He has moved from New York to the blisteringly hot island of Puerto Rico to write for the San Juan Star, a local newspaper that may or may not be about to be shut down.

While there, Kemp encounters quite a few colourful characters. His editor and boss is Edward J. Lotterman (Richard Jenkins, “Let Me In”), who is grumpy, troubled by Kemp’s drinking habits and wears an obvious grey wig. Kemp’s roommate and eventual friend is Bob Sala (Michael Rispoli, “Kick-Ass”), a bespectacled, beer-bellied photographer who knows his way around the area and the inside of a beer bottle. There’s also Moberg (Giovanni Ribisi, “Avatar”), a fellow reporter who, judging by his demeanour, seems to survive entirely on alcohol. In his spare time, Moberg also enjoys wearing a Nazi uniform while listening to recordings of Adolf Hitler’s speeches; whether or not he understands German, I don’t know.

Kemp is approached by Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart, “The Dark Knight”), a shady property developer who owns a luxurious house, a private beach, an expensive-looking boat and a jewel-incrusted tortoise. Sanderson wants Kemp to give favourable reviews of his dodgy property schemes in the newspaper, which Kemp is taken aback by but agrees to do once given a Corvette. Kemp also soon becomes infatuated with Sanderson’s fiancée, the beautiful Chenault (Amber Heard, “Drive Angry”), but is it love or is it lust?

The film’s narrative is rather loose, essentially a series of incidents as Kemp experiences, witnesses and reports on Puerto Rican life. It is a story that features, among other things, cock fights, angry waiters, disco dancing, overlong tongues, hermaphrodite witch doctors and fire-breathing drunks. Yes, it’s quite nutty on occasion, but “The Rum Diary” does not capture the sense of sheer and utter madness displayed in “Fear and Loathing,” nor do I believe it ever intended to.

I suppose you could call “The Rum Diary” a comedy, but then again I suppose you could call it a drama. It’s a hodgepodge of both, really; the humour isn’t frequent enough for it to be classified as a comedy, and to call it an all-out drama would be to ignore the outright-bizarre moments that pop up every now and then. It finds a reasonable point between the two genres, resulting in a sometimes quirky and sometimes serious tone that sort of works in the film’s favour and sort of doesn’t.

Depp once again makes for an excellent Thompson character, playing Kemp with that appealing and likable eccentric charm Depp is now famous for and has perfected over the years. Then again, I suppose Depp has an advantage at playing Thompson characters based on Thompson himself; while researching for his role in “Fear and Loathing,” the actor did in fact spend four months living in Thompson’s basement.

Kemp is a writer trying to find his “voice” while at the same time chugging back rum bottles and spraying LSD into his peepers. He’s a drunkard who we like; he’s cool, but not overtly so; he’s peculiar, but again not overtly so. He spends much of the film wearing sunglasses; his constant hangovers render him unable to deal with the bright and shining rays of the Puerto Rican sun. He’s an entertaining protagonist played by an actor who just oozes charisma with every word he utters and every expression he exhibits; they're a perfect match, you could say.

“The Rum Diary” is writer-director Bruce Robinson’s first film in nineteen years, his last effort being 1992’s straight-to-video thriller “Jennifer Eight.” Robinson’s first, and most well-known, movie is “Withnail and I,” another film about drink and drugs. That film was more successful both in terms of quality and the way it explored the problems of substance abuse in a comedic manner, but “The Rum Diary” is a mild and respectable success nonetheless.

6/10