Review of The Rum Diary (2011) by Maoriii — 18 Mar 2012

"We're not like the others. We're your friends." Oscar Z. Acosta aka Dr. Gonzo.

If you are a Hunter S. Thompson fan, an aspiring writer or just a weirdo freak, then this is one more great movie that will make you feel at home, no matter where you happen to be. Of course, it makes much more sense to actually read nowadays, for all sorts of devious advantages, but, with the main vein strapped into the American Dream Machine, this is a sobering second place for lost souls and harmless maniacs alike. Be warned though fellow traveler in the land of the weird, Johnny Depp does not want to tell you what you want to hear in this movie. HST speaks from the grave through Depp to tell you exactly what you need to hear. As a result, it is little wonder this movie did not receive a wide release but, it is, however, an instant underground classic for swine who prefer to see the world as it is, sans the rose colored glasses of hypocritical greed, clinically depressed decadence and gross debauchery.

A word of caution lest you be of the meek and timid sort. This is a dose of reality seldom seen in a movie or work of literature.