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“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (1998) took viewers on a frenzied hallucinogenic trip as Johnny Depp portrayed the wild-eyed, Hawaiian shirt wearing gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. “The Rum Diary” in comparison doesn’t quite keep up. The movie, based on Thompson’s novel written in the early 1960s and published in 1998, with help from Depp, exposes a much tamer and younger alter ego of the writer – if that’s even possible.
Paul Kemp (Depp) is an American journalist who moves from New York to Puerto Rico to write for the San Juan Star newspaper. He soon finds himself immersed in an alcoholic’s worst – or perhaps best – nightmare, as he buddies up with fellow drunkards, including the staff photographer Bob Sala (Michael Rispoli) and a “hygienically unacceptable” writer known as Moberg (Giovanni Ribisi). The three of them embark on all-night wild benders, spit fire at the machete-wielding locals and experiment with an unnamed hallucinogen, a scene that “Loathing” fans will appreciate.
Through all of these wild antics, Thompson’s future persona and style is born. At one point Kemp states, “I haven’t figured out how to write as me,” suggesting that these events gave him his outrageous and supercilious voice that he became known for. As the story progresses, Kemp faces off against the movie’s antagonist, Hal Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart) while cozying up to Sanderson’s blond bombshell fiancée, Chenault (Amber Heard).
The latter half of the movie sheds the comical incidents – of which there are a multitude to laugh out loud at – for a meaningful glance into the passion of Thompson as a writer and a person. The most poignant scenes are those when Depp’s voice narrates quotes from the actual book, discussing the “American Dream” and declaring “I put the bastards of the world on notice that I do not have their best interests at heart.”
Thompson had a profound effect on the counterculture movement in the 1960s. As the creator of “Gonzo journalism”, his novels blurred truth and fantasy and focused on the author as the main character. He worked with numerous publications including Rolling Stone and ran for the sheriff of Pitkin County, Colo., in 1970 using the “Freak Power” platform centered on the premise of drug liberalization. It was his journalistic skills and rowdy behavior evoked in this film that made him an icon.
“The Rum Diary” is a tribute to Thompson and leaves you with a sense of nostalgia. Although the plot line sometimes strays, Depp’s affection and appreciation for Thompson radiates through his facial expressions and his dialogue that digs deeper, making viewers ponder the dangers of addiction and the current state of American society.
