Visually engaging with a lush '50s take on Puerto Rico, and graced with seasoned talent headlined by Johnny Depp, "The Rum Diary" suffers from a weak script and disjointed direction. The elements from Hunter Thompson's early novel are there: aspiring novelist working for a sorry excuse for a paper targeted to middle-aged overweight tourists, the irascible editor who may be a thief, the other alcoholic staffers, shady schemes involving government land and a handsome guy with a cleft chin, a gorgeous dangerous girlfriend of someone powerful, cock fighting in the afternoon. But the script, like our hero, seems to be wandering around in a drugged-out haze. Nothing gels, and the attempts at mad-cap humor fall flat. I have not read the book, but it's easy to detect Thompson's later gonzo style aborning. Too bad writer/director Bruce Robinson wasn't able to pull it all together.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
The Rum Diary **
Visually engaging with a lush '50s take on Puerto Rico, and graced with seasoned talent headlined by Johnny Depp, "The Rum Diary" suffers from a weak script and disjointed direction. The elements from Hunter Thompson's early novel are there: aspiring novelist working for a sorry excuse for a paper targeted to middle-aged overweight tourists, the irascible editor who may be a thief, the other alcoholic staffers, shady schemes involving government land and a handsome guy with a cleft chin, a gorgeous dangerous girlfriend of someone powerful, cock fighting in the afternoon. But the script, like our hero, seems to be wandering around in a drugged-out haze. Nothing gels, and the attempts at mad-cap humor fall flat. I have not read the book, but it's easy to detect Thompson's later gonzo style aborning. Too bad writer/director Bruce Robinson wasn't able to pull it all together.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment