In between his duties as Jack Sparrow and the lead in every Tim Burton movie, Johnny Depp has picked up this habit of making fringe sort-of comedies that are a bit strange. The Tourist was last year’s entry on the list and this year, The Rum Diary. Based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson, who Depp was famously friends with, the movie follows a journalist (Depp) and his move to Puerto Rico and a struggling newspaper. He subsequently becomes involved in a real estate scandal, fumbling through while drinking heavily. The most important part of the story is the last one, alcohol.
The story weaves in and out, leaving the audience anticipating a climactic end, which never comes. Facts are spewed about through heavy dialogue that proves inconsequential as time passes. While there is something to be said about the realism associated with not having a final showdown or reveal, it brings about a number of unnecessary scenes that could have helped pick up the pacing. The handful of full-fledged jokes prove to be successful, and even some of the dark humor gains some chuckles so The Rum Diary has that working for it.
Depp’s strange style makes him a likeable actor in most roles. Even though this character is highly flawed, he has a social conscious and comes across as fairly genuine. What isn’t believable is that people living in such squalor would choose to operate in a state of perpetually being hung-over. I can count the scenes where alcohol isn’t present and there aren’t that many. I guess the title makes sense then. The ultimate verdict on The Run Diary is that the film never stood a chance of being successful. Such an obscure storyline would have done just fine as an indie film in limited release. I know Depp was a fried of the late author, but there was certainly no need to bring in the other big names. (7. 0 out of 10)
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