The Rum Diary (2011)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Brilliant and touching

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

As others have observed, it is not useful to review this movie on whether it follows or not the book that inspired it. We are reviewing a movie, and my opinion on any movie is shaped by these questions: "Is is engaging? Is it moving without pandering? Is it cinematographically driven? Do I learn something from the story? Do I feel smarter after watching it? Did I root for any character in the script? Is it entertaining in an intelligent way?" I must respond yes to all of that for Rum Diary. The script did suffer from too fast- or too flat- an ending, but it kept me engaged throughout and up to the last 3 minutes. There were comic moments, moments of beauty, and a very realistic thread. The atmosphere is superbly rendered: I could feel the sweat and the threats, and I could relate to the politics at stake. The plot lives by the Oscar Wilde line quoted by the Johnny Depp character at some point: "Some people know the price of everything and the value of nothing." I subscribe to that line, rooted for our lost journalist to find his way, and I enjoyed the escape for 90 min into a lush tropical 60s landscape.

Haven't seen this movie for a while but pulled out my DVD and watched it tonight. What a great film. It is what I like - a film based on story and character, not special effects. It's a crazy drunk fueled journey with a lot of crazy alcohol fueled people. What a story. It's got a protagonist, an sultry blond, crazy support characters, and a real plot and a story in a cool setting. Johnny Depp rules as a quasi alcoholic reporter who hangs out with another crazy alcoholic (Michael Rispoli) and the notorious Moberg. (Giovanni Ribisi). It's fun, it's crazy. You can't make this stuff up. The supporting cast is beautiful all around including Richard Jenkins as the over the top editor (Lotterman). Throw in a bunch of crazy Puerto Ricans and you've got a lot of great character. Some of the scenes are absolutely hilarious. "What are you doing? "I just realized how much I like you?" "What" "What am I doing? Are you kidding? There's something wrong with the axle.!" Great film. Laughed my head off for most of it. Johnny Depp really brings this character to life supported by a really class group of supporting actors. Five stars in my book!!!!!

(62%) A solidly made, funny (sometimes very), yet still somewhat rambling, and beneath the surface it's a little hollow. Johnny Depp is fairly well cast in the lead, and uses both his good acting ability and comic timing in equal measure, and with the strong support from the likes of Aaron Eckhart, Richard Jenkins, the greatly underrated Giovanni Ribisi, and an oddly too beautiful Amber Heard all helping to make this a stronger film than the quite limited material has to offer. Despite this being a good twenty minutes or so over-long, it never really fails to either entertain or amuse. Overall a worthy watch, but nothing that really needs to be seen.

It's this kind of movie to me that makes me feel in holiday, I feel so good watching it that's why I've already watched it 10 times at least, and still I'm not getting bored. It's the sense of humor in the movie, the jokes and the overall feeling, really out of this stressed life we have, characters are very relaxed and chill. If you haven't's watched it yet, I recommend. I'm not sure you'll see what I mean if I says it's kinda the same feeling I had for The two faces of January, it was great.. If you like those kind of ambiances, it's cool. For the story, it's this cool guy, a journalist arriving in Purto Rico, I wish I could go there, and I will. He arrives there and end up working with some rich guys on a project, but he has values.