"The Rum Diary"

The Rum Diary

Directed by: Bruce Robinson

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michael Rispoli, Giovanni Ribisi, Richard Jenkins, Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard

Rated: R

There have been literary movements aplenty over the past few centuries, from the Metaphysical Poets in the 17^th century through the Augustans in the 18^th, Romanticism and the Gothic Novelists in the 19^th to the Lost Generation, the Surrealists and the Beat Poets in the 20^th. (There have, of course, been many more.)

All of these movements featured a group of writers that defined and championed the style. Rarely does a movement of the written word come along that can be defined by just one writer.

In an article in the The Boston Globe in 1970, editor Bill Cardoso referred to a Scanlan's Monthly article entitled “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved” as “pure Gonzo journalism.”

That article was written by Dr. Hunter S Thompson, the man who single-handedly invented the form and remains just about the only writer who could ever legitimately pull it off. If you grew up in the counter culture of the 1960s and '70s, you no doubt read Rolling Stone. The good doctor's work for that magazine and his books, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 and The Gonzo Papers are the stuff of legend and revered in many circles.

In the 1970s, Richard Nixon was Thompson's nemesis but in later years, after the 2000 election, he focused on another politician, George W. Bush. In the book Kingdom of Fear, Thompson opined: “To say that this goofy child president is looking more and more like Richard Nixon in the summer of 1974 would be a flagrant insult to Nixon.”

Sadly, Thompson committed suicide in 2005. The world of journalism (and the world in general) lost a unique and fearless voice.

While preparing for his role in the film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, actor Johnny Depp lived with Thompson for a while and the two became fast friends. It was Depp who paid for Thompson's funeral and saw to it that his wishes were carried out: HST was cremated and his ashes were incorporated into state of the art fireworks. The Doctor truly flew to the heavens in a blaze of glory.

With The Rum Diary, Depp once again plays Thompson in a tale that takes place in Puerto Rico, 1960. We see the seeds of Gonzo journalism sprouting in Thompson and get a sense of what led him to the style. For those who are not full blown Thompson fans, the film may not mean all that much, but for the true believers -myself included- it's a fun and exciting ride.

Thompson began writing the novel in the 1960s but it wasn't published until 1998. It was Depp who encouraged Thompson to get the thing published. Depp is also one of the film's producers.

Paul Kemp (a character that is based on Thompson) takes a job at a run down newspaper in Puerto Rico where one of his duties is writing the daily horoscopes. He also covers other subjects and does a piece on a phenomenon that was rampant in Puerto Rico at the time: There were bowling alleys everywhere.

As Kemp travels around the island with his alcoholic photographer, Sala (Michael Rispoli) and the nearly incoherent Moburg (Giovanni Ribisi), he begins to get a sense of the disparity between the have and the have-nots of the country. He is also aware that large American development companies are buying up large parcels of the beautiful land, razing them and constructing hotels, resorts and casinos for the rich tourists from the States. While he wants to publish articles in the paper decrying this practice, it's a no go. The paper is beholden to its advertisers and obviously all of them are in the “have” class.

One assignment entails writing a puff piece about developer Hal Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart). In the course of doing so, Sanderson finds Kemp to be not only interesting but maybe useful. He tries to bribe Kemp to write favorable articles about him and his development plans; essentially pro-Sanderson propaganda. Kemp is tempted to throw his scruples away not only for the money but because he's fallen in love with Sanderson's young, sexy fiancée, Chenault (Amber Heard). Chenault seems interested in him as well, although she may just be the bait Sanderson needs to land the writer.

Director Sanderson, no stranger to these types of characters (see Withnail and I) also wrote the screenplay and wisely lifts a lot of Thompson's words verbatim. As Kemp sits pondering in a bowling alley looking at all of the overweight tourists, his inner dialog refers to them as “beasts of obesity.” Quite an elegant and poetic way of delivering an insult.

In the end Kemp/Thompson has an epiphany and we last see him sailing into the sunset

on his way to unleash Gonzo writing upon an unsuspecting world.

We remember what Kemp said earlier, “I put the bastards of the world on notice that I do not have their best interests at heart,” and we believe him. Thompson did just that, and a lot more.

A note about Giovanni Ribisi's Moburg: Ribisi obviously studied the vocal nuances of singer/songwriter Tom Waits. If they ever make a biopic about Waits, Ribisi is the man.

“The Rum Diary” is getting lukewarm reviews but I enjoyed it, especially when Kemp uttered words you know were written by the Doctor.

Thompson stomped on the terra and now is drifting in the skies.

Remember this motto: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”