If you have had the pleasure of reading the great book from Hunter S. Thompson, "The Rum Diary" this film is not for you. And even if you did not read the book, this film lacks drama, cinematic style, character arcs, a hooking intro, and satisfying end. I am not sure if the writer/director Bruce Robinson spent the time to really READ the book. It's a DARK comedy, not a lighthearted love story. Hunter S. Thompson (played by Johnny Depp) was very depressed at the time, getting wasting, working minimal amounts, and having sex with any Puerto Rican girl that was interested. None of this was portrayed accurately in the film.
One key factor that Bruce Robinson screwed up was eliminating the character of Yemon, which was crucial in the book. Instead this Robinson combined three characters into two, which isn't true to the book and does not work on screen. Another factor missed was the bar Al's which played a big role in the book. This was the local bar in which all the works at the newspaper went to everyday and got wasted at. Besides the two lead characters in the film, all the workers were alcoholics and Robinson failed at exposing the working environment of the newspaper.
The ending of the book was tremendous; the boss Lotterman has a heart attack and dies when he thinks one of the employees was going to beat him up. Instead of using this great ending handed to him, Bruce Robinson steered away from that and it fell flat at the end.
All in all, when adapting a book like "The Rum Diary," you have to stay true to the heart (balls) of the story. Bruce Robinson missed the dark tone of the book, did not develop the characters and the environment to its fullest extent. On top of that did a terrible job of exposing the beautiful landscape of Puerto Rico, shooting everything much too tight not allowing the viewer to get a true feel of the surroundings and native people. Instead of wasting your ten bucks at the cinema sit down relax and read an amazing book by Hunter S. Thompson, "The Rum Diary."
One key factor that Bruce Robinson screwed up was eliminating the character of Yemon, which was crucial in the book. Instead this Robinson combined three characters into two, which isn't true to the book and does not work on screen. Another factor missed was the bar Al's which played a big role in the book. This was the local bar in which all the works at the newspaper went to everyday and got wasted at. Besides the two lead characters in the film, all the workers were alcoholics and Robinson failed at exposing the working environment of the newspaper.
The ending of the book was tremendous; the boss Lotterman has a heart attack and dies when he thinks one of the employees was going to beat him up. Instead of using this great ending handed to him, Bruce Robinson steered away from that and it fell flat at the end.
All in all, when adapting a book like "The Rum Diary," you have to stay true to the heart (balls) of the story. Bruce Robinson missed the dark tone of the book, did not develop the characters and the environment to its fullest extent. On top of that did a terrible job of exposing the beautiful landscape of Puerto Rico, shooting everything much too tight not allowing the viewer to get a true feel of the surroundings and native people. Instead of wasting your ten bucks at the cinema sit down relax and read an amazing book by Hunter S. Thompson, "The Rum Diary."