Not enough rum. Not enough diary.
Released: 2011
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama
The great and late author Hunter S. Thompson is easily one of American literature's most colorful characters of all time. His over-the-top exploits and scathing social commentaries have been documented in countless written works and even have served as the source material for a handful of movies. However, if you're looking for what you found in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" in "The Rum Diary," then you may find yourself somewhat disappointed. Based off of the novel of the same name, "The Rum Diary" at first seems to promise a journey full of comedy, intrigue, and wild, drunken debauchery. Unfortunately, what's served to us in the end is not premium-distilled rum, but cheap, watered-down, light American beer. Sure, the movie has Johnny Depp again embodying a variation of Thompson, complete with unique voice inflection and blatant disregard for the norm. However, the main issue of this film seems to stem not from Depp (or any of the supporting cast, for that matter), but from the execution of the movie itself: unfortunately, there's nothing substantial enough to capture our interests, nothing frenzied and frantic enough to make us sweat like someone trying not to be noticed, while on acid in the middle of church. The story has moments where it soars almost into the realm of hysterical brilliance, yet (much like Thompson's writing at the time) lacks that polished Gonzo voice that became so iconic within the world of the written word. Not a horrible movie - yes, things do manage to delve into the weird here - but this is a mere shadow of what Thompson eventually became. To quote the man himself, it's a film that's "One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high-powered super mutant, never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live and too rare to die."
Rating (out of 5): 3
No comments:
Post a Comment