So here’s where we stand. Johnny Depp is one of those actors that is just fun to watch no matter what; like Christopher Walken. Does he do some bad movies? Of course. Is The Rum Diary one of those bad movies? Not necessarily.
For one thing, who do we blame if the plot of the movie is bad? Hunter S. Thompson wrote the novel so the plot is his. The writer of the screenplay, Bruce Robinson, can hardly be expected to just write more to the ending. That said, the movie is not very good plot-wise. It isn’t going to keep Depp’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” fans riveted to the screen. It is slow and moody. It is lethargic.
But then the movie is drunk! Much like “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” the movie seems to be imbibed with the very consciousness altering drugs it shows. It is fun watching Depp and Michael Rispoli roam Puerto Rico in a drunken stupor. Maybe someone shouldn’t say that but it’s true. Better than almost anyone, Johnny Depp makes the daily activity of the drug influenced person seem enjoyable. Depp and Rispoli are such a great team I felt like I could watch them wander the island for the whole movie.
The movie, however, does offer another great performance and a stunning beauty in Amber Heard. Heard offers an Audrey Hepburn type beauty for the viewer as well as a great performance playing off of Depp and Rispoli. More than the others, who are all superb in their roles, these three offer characters we could spend time with. Being stuck in Peurto Rico with these three would be a great thing indeed.
So what of The Rum Diary? Don’t expect the action of the “Pirates” movies, nor the full plot of most all movies. Rather, if you want a brief intoxicated break from life, but don’t want the hangover, I recommend The Rum Diary as a movie in the “Fear and Loathing” category of movie experience. It’s worth a shot.