The Rum Diary

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  • Opened October 28, 2011 
  • 2 hr 0 min
  • R | language, sexuality and brief drug use

  • Parents: Common Sense Media says not for kids. More on child suitability

  • Tiring of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local newspaper, The San Juan Star, run by downtrodden editor Lotterman (Richard Jenkins). Adopting the rum-soaked life of the island, Paul soon becomes obsessed with Chenault (Amber Heard), the wildly attractive Connecticut-born fiancĂ©e of Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart). Sanderson, a businessman involved in shady property development deals, is one of a growing number of American entrepreneurs who are determined to convert Puerto Rico into a capitalist paradise in service of the wealthy. When Kemp is recruited by Sanderson to write favorably about his latest unsavory scheme, the journalist is presented with a choice: to use his words for the corrupt businessmen’s financial benefit, or use them to take the bastards down. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Rispoli, Amber Heard, Richard Jenkins, Giovanni Ribisi
  • Director: Bruce Robinson
  • Genres: Comedy Drama, Period Film, Absurd Comedy, Buddy Film

What's the Buzz?

So-so
Fans say So-So
450 fans
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So-so
Critics say So-So
56 out of 100
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Fan Reviews

No
Slow, Boring, and not funny

by Gigity

I came into this movie not really knowing what to expect, and left highly disappointed. It was not funny in the least and the polt was boring and dry. Don't waste your time or money....

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Rum Diary

by mogeyman

If you are any kind of fan of Hunter Thompson its a must see. If you're a die-hard Johnny Depp fan you'll be rewarded with a performance that's not simply dialed in. Plus, because of the subject...

No
Snoring of a good time!

by LBOOGIEWOOGIE

Well, not even being elevated watching this movie did it improve in any way. I hate to rate if bad only cuz I'm a Johnny fan but even his acting was or his character was a disappointment :( I agree...

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Critic Reviews

75
Philadelphia Inquirer
| Steven Rea

Jazzy and colorful, full of men and women in swell clothes driving cool cars, The Rum Diary has a bit of a seedily exotic Graham Greene vibe, and Robinson moves things along at a nice, casual clip, even in the film's more overheated moments. Read full review

75
Miami Herald
| Connie Ogle

A big, rambling, entertaining love letter to the late Hunter S. Thompson. Read full review

75
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
| Joe Holleman

Depp shows again that he truly understands Thompson by delivering a nuanced performance that is remarkably different, but subliminally similar, from the wonderfully outrageous turn he provided in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Read full review

63
Rolling Stone
| Peter Travers

At best diverting, at worst drearily conventional, The Rum Diary is pre-gonzo Thompson, before the fusion of fact and trippy fantasy that flowered into a brilliant delirium. Read full review

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Johnny Depp as Paul Kemp in "The Rum Diary."