Rum Diary

Theatrical Release Date: 2011 10 28 (USA)

UPC: 043396394919

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainmt

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Profanity, Sexual Situations, Drug Content]

Summary: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas star Johnny Depp returns to the wild world of Hunter S. Thompson in writer/director Bruce Robinson's adaptation of the Gonzo journalist's "lost" autobiographical novel of the same name. Dejected over life in New York City and at bitter odds with the Eisenhower-era conventions of the 1950s, nomadic journalist Paul Kemp (Depp) flees to Puerto Rico, where he quickly lands a job as a reporter for a San Juan newspaper. Drawing inspiration from author Ernest Hemingway's popular theory about "The Lost Generation," the newly liberated journalist develops a taste for rum as he becomes slowly entangled in the lives of American beauty Chenault (Amber Heard) and her shady husband, Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), a wealthy real-estate developer. Later, as Sanderson's underhanded business dealings begin to emerge, Kemp's principles come into focus, and his writing style begins to mature in ways he never dreamed possible. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Comedy Drama

Features: A voice made of ink and rage: Inside The Rum Diary
The Rum Diary back-story

Rum Diary

Format: DVD

Release Date: 02/14/2012

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 120 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- The Rum Diary
1. Chapter 1 [4:32]
2. Chapter 2 [7:53]
3. Chapter 3 [6:52]
4. Chapter 4 [5:14]
5. Chapter 5 [8:25]
6. Chapter 6 [7:36]
7. Chapter 7 [13:59]
8. Chapter 8 [5:24]
9. Chapter 9 [5:47]
10. Chapter 10 [8:42]
11. Chapter 11 [8:21]
12. Chapter 12 [5:27]
13. Chapter 13 [2:54]
14. Chapter 14 [2:29]
15. Chapter 15 [8:47]
16. Chapter 16 [7:56]

Cammila Collar

It's rare for a movie to have such great acting, writing, and visuals that it doesn't need a very good director to make it a solid film, but that's the case with The Rum Diary. Based on a semiautobiographical novel written by razor-sharp gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson in 1961, the film follows an oft-inebriated writer named Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) on an odyssey to 1950s Puerto Rico, where he's been hired by E.J. Lotterman (Richard Jenkins), the editor of a failing English-language newspaper, to write about casinos and bowling alleys for fat American tourists. Of course, Kemp is a stand-in for Thompson. He mumbles through hyper-articulate observations, stumbles drunkenly into and out of rooms with his awesome '50s hair falling in his face, and above all, he's too smart and too debauched for his own good. He parties like a maniac, soon teaming up in his antics with two of his newspaper cohorts, the straight-talking Bob Sala (Michael Rispoli) and the drug-addled Moburg (Giovanni Ribisi), the latter of whom is a burned-out, bleary-eyed intellectual who makes 470-proof liquor in his kitchen and collects Nazi paraphernalia -- not out of anti-Semitism, but out of nihilistic entertainment value, since he believes that all ethos are bullshit. And of course, golden-era Puerto Rico doesn't just have booze, it also has impossibly hot, sun-kissed women in Marilyn Monroe dresses, like the vivacious blonde vixen Chenault (Amber Heard), who lives just as fast and loose as Kemp does, but also happens to be the girlfriend of a real-estate magnate (a typically smarmy Aaron Eckhart) who's interested in recruiting Kemp for some illegal publicity to drum up support for his next hotel venture. Being tapped by the richest muckety-muck on the island to join the ranks of the haves draws Kemp's attention to the have-nots living in his tropical paradise -- locals whose grandfathers enjoyed the beaches as community property, until they were bought up by New York real-estate developers and made private. But this doesn't make Kemp sad; it makes him angry. Aside from a single moment in which he sees poor local kids picking through trash for food, there's really no tragic subtext to the class struggle portrayed in the film. On the contrary: Far from being a lofty, bleeding-heart liberal, Kemp becomes a mouthpiece for the no-holds-barred, uncensored, vitriolic commentary that Hunter S. Thompson was known for, referring to fat bankers in tailored linen suits as greasy, cheating bastards. And so, tangled up with forbidden women, nefarious businessmen, and clinically insane roommates, Kemp's island adventure plays out over the course of two hours. We already knew from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas that Johnny Depp is the best man on the planet to star in a Thompson adaptation, delivering the late author's trademark blend of cartoonish madness and incisive commentary in a distinctly offbeat voice. And thankfully, the rest of the cast are able to match his energy and commitment -- especially Ribisi, whose transformation into a nutball character actor is a blessing to us all. Sadly, director Bruce Robinson isn't able to match the actors or the material. Robinson seems completely unable to create any momentum with his staging, pacing, or editing, and whenever things get suspenseful or exciting, it's because Depp knows how to play the scene - often despite Robinson undermining any sense of drive or importance in the film with trite choices, weak editing, or bad musical selections. Additionally, the script, which Robinson himself adapted, is overly slack, often unnecessarily devoting precious minutes of screen time to sequences and dialog that slow down the film, while failing to add any connective tissue that would help the plot make sense (especially towards the climax) and give the audience an actual stake in the outcome. But even still, despite lamenting what the movie could have been, you can't help enjoying what it is: a high-style film with a refreshingly gritty take on the perks of drinking and class warfare. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Johnny Depp  Producer 
Christopher Young  Composer (Music Score) 
Patrick McCormick  Executive Producer 
Bruce Robinson  Director 
Bruce Robinson  Screenwriter 
Graham King  Producer 
Colin Vaines  Executive Producer 
Greg Shapiro  Executive Producer 
A.J. Dix  Executive Producer 
Anthony Rhulen  Producer 
Bill Shively  Executive Producer 
Robert Kravis  Executive Producer 
Robert Kravis  Producer 
Tim Headington  Producer 
Christi Dembrowski  Producer 
George Tobia  Executive Producer 
Johnny Depp  Actor 
Aaron Eckhart  Actor 
Michael Rispoli  Actor 
Amber Heard  Actor 
Richard Jenkins  Actor 
Giovanni Ribisi  Actor 
Amaury Nolasco  Actor 
Marshall Bell  Actor 
Bill Smitrovich  Actor 
Julian Holloway  Actor 
Bruno Irizarry  Actor 
Enzo Cilenti  Actor 
Aaron Lustig  Actor 
Tisuby González  Actor 
Natalia Rivera  Actor 
Karen Austin  Actor 
Julio Ramos  Actor 
Rafa Alvarez  Actor 
Sasha Merced  Actor 
Eduardo Cortés  Actor 
Karimah Westbrook  Actor 
Guillermo Valedón  Actor 
William Charlton  Actor 
Javier Grajeda  Actor 
Miguel Angel Reyes  Actor 
Terrance Harlness  Actor 
Andy Umberger  Actor 
Armando Pérez  Actor 
Bill Chott  Actor 
Gavin Houston  Actor 
Lisa Robins  Actor 
Noel Delgado  Actor 
Jaime "Jimmy" Navarro  Actor 
Carlos Alberto López  Actor 
Jimmy Ortega  Actor 
José Coriano  Actor 
Angel Nolasco  Actor 
Javier Ortiz-Cortés  Actor 
Jorge Antares  Actor 
Aurelio Lima  Actor 
Luis Gonzaga  Actor 
Randall Jacobs  Actor 
Edgar Lebrón Landrau  Actor 
Eric Colón  Actor 
Daniel Kalal  Actor 

Country: USA