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WHY IS ALL THE RUM GONE?
Dec. 15th, 2011 10:25 amIt’s been awhile since I’ve been to the cinemas. We fixed that last night. So …
The Rum Diary
The film version of Hunter S Thompson’s “lost novel” based on his experience working for a failing newspaper in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and directed by Bruce “Withnail And I” Robinson. All of which means many critics are inevitably comparing it both to Thompson’s overall legend and Withnail and I, and finding it coming up well short on both counts.
Having never seen Withnail And I – and already having lower expectations because I’ve read the book, and while it’s a fun read, I wouldn’t call it essential reading in the Thompson canon – I liked the film just fine.
It’s by no means perfect – the love triangle between journalist Paul Kemp, slippery businessman Sanderson and his fun-loving girlfriend Chenault is pretty thin dramatically, and the film’s theme of the role and power of journalism vs Big Money doesn’t carry the same impact (or rage) as Thompson’s incendiary prose.
But taken at face value, The Rum Diary is a pretty good film about a writer seeking his own voice and purpose who is offered the Devil’s Bargain between Playing Ball and upsetting the applecart with the Truth behind the American Dream and the developing countries it exploits. Maybe you have to be a writer, a journalist and/or someone who has spent time in developing countries to appreciate a film like this. I’m all three of those things, so points for saying what needs to be said far more often than it is, even if it could have been said a little better.
Bottoms up,
This is dF
The Rum Diary
The film version of Hunter S Thompson’s “lost novel” based on his experience working for a failing newspaper in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and directed by Bruce “Withnail And I” Robinson. All of which means many critics are inevitably comparing it both to Thompson’s overall legend and Withnail and I, and finding it coming up well short on both counts.
Having never seen Withnail And I – and already having lower expectations because I’ve read the book, and while it’s a fun read, I wouldn’t call it essential reading in the Thompson canon – I liked the film just fine.
It’s by no means perfect – the love triangle between journalist Paul Kemp, slippery businessman Sanderson and his fun-loving girlfriend Chenault is pretty thin dramatically, and the film’s theme of the role and power of journalism vs Big Money doesn’t carry the same impact (or rage) as Thompson’s incendiary prose.
But taken at face value, The Rum Diary is a pretty good film about a writer seeking his own voice and purpose who is offered the Devil’s Bargain between Playing Ball and upsetting the applecart with the Truth behind the American Dream and the developing countries it exploits. Maybe you have to be a writer, a journalist and/or someone who has spent time in developing countries to appreciate a film like this. I’m all three of those things, so points for saying what needs to be said far more often than it is, even if it could have been said a little better.
Bottoms up,
This is dF
