Review of The Rum Diary (2011) by Tim S — 30 Mar 2012
The Rum Diary, being another adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson material with Johnny Depp in the lead, is stylistically the opposite of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. That film needed an over-the-top craziness to it, but this one doesn't.
The material is pretty straightfoward, even if it's uneven. Character and performances are what shine in this, especially Giovannia Ribisi who practically steals every scene that he's in. The story itself doesn't go in one direction, but meanders.
When the plot involving Sanderson is severed, there's still at least twenty minutes of movie left with add-on plot. It doesn't work unfortunately, but at this point, if you're engaged in the characters (and you should be that point), then the plot doesn't really matter all that much.
It still feels fractured, and probably could have been fixable, but the filmmakers decided to let it fall to the actors to carry the rest of the film, and they do. It's not perfect, and it'll probably bore people with no attention span or anyone expecting a Fear and Loathing Part 2, but it's good anyway.
This review of The Rum Diary (2011) was written by Tim S on 30 Mar 2012.
The Rum Diary has generally received mixed reviews.
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