You have Johnny Depp in high quirkiness. A gorgeous woman in Amber Heard. A film devoted to the late journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who died in 2005. The story is set in the 1950s; Paul Kemp(Depp)is a New York journalist and yet successful novelist that is tired of the humdrum life he is living. Kemp decides to go to Puerto Rico, where he takes a job with a political, but unmotivated rag of a newspaper. The editor(Richard Jenkins), a booze-hound much like Kemp, assigns him the horoscope column and random tourist reports. Paul ends up rooming with an aging reporter, Sala(Michael Rispoli),who is definitely edging the end of his career. Paul sees both those that live in luxury and those that endure poverty and actually ends up making a business deal with a shifty businessman named Sanderson(Aaron Eckhart)and falls in love with his beautiful fiancé Chenault(Heard). It doesn't take long for the shaky business deal to spoil and the newspaper to hit the skids. Kemp leaves Puerto Rico a more experienced man. There is some awesome scenery, but a story line that won't appeal to all. Right before you start giving up on this movie...enters Miss Heard; a damn good reason to stick around. Also in the cast: Giovanni Ribisi, Julian Hollaway, Marshall Bell and Bill Smitrovich.
Review of The Rum Diary
