Based off of a Hunter S. Thompson novel but basically attempting to stand with FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS as a "here's Johnny Depp playing Hunter S. Thompson" movie, THE RUM DIARY is so uneven a film its impossible to enjoy. Depp plays Paul Kemp, a journalist who flies into Puerto Rico to help write for a failing paper. There's a manager (Richard Jenkins) who's an idiot who thinks he's smart because he's surrounded by Puerto Ricans and drunks, there's a photographer Bob (Michael Risposi whose voice is a dead ringer for Michael Madsen's), and an extreme drunk named Moberg. Kemp begins to meander around in sexy cars, getting too drunk to make smart decisions: lighting a policeman on fire, running a car through a building, and becoming involved with a real estate scheme that doesn't really matter. He does acid in a really funny scene, is photographed beautifully in Puerto Rico, and becomes involved with Chenault (Amber Heard). The problem with THE RUM DIARY is it's so infrequently fun. Most of the time it's pretty boring, and even funny or interesting scenes don't lead up to anything, mean anything, or change anything. Simply put, the film's a bore.
The Rum Diary: ★★
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