And even if you did not read the book, this film lacks drama, cinematic style, character arcs, a hooking intro, and satisfying end. Rent the rum diary 2011 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Whats the difference between the rum diary the book and the rum diary the movie. Devouring aspirin to temper a wicked hangover, kemp shuffles through the steamy caribbean capitals streets to land a job at the local paper, the san juan star. In 2011, the novel was made into a movie starring depp, aaron eckhart, amber heard, and giovanni ribisi. Salon thompson flashes signs of the vitriol that would later be turned loose on society. Differences between the rum diary book vs movie page 1. The movie is adapted from a book that hunter s thompson, the heroic crusader, started writing during his unsuccessful but eventful sting as a journalist in puerto rico in the early 60s. In the early 1960s, after he had discovered booze but before he had stumbled across drugs, the young hunter s. Oct 30, 2011 suitably, the rum diary, an adaptation of thompsons book of the same name, is bruce robinsons first directorial effort in 19 years he also does the screenplay.
The story involves a journalist named paul kemp who, in the 1950s, moves from new york to work for a major newspaper, the daily news, in san juan, puerto rico. Bruce robinson f johnny depp, amber heard, marshall bell, and bruce robinson director on how they got bruce to direct the movie. Many drinks are poured so there is a bit of violence too. The rum diary original soundtrack christopher young. A then 22yearold thompson wrote the rum diary in 1959, but it was abandoned until johnny depp found it among thompsons papers decades later. There is drinking and some partying, but not a lot and it is not the focus of the film. I enjoyed reading it and hsts straight journalism articles from south america as i think they show his development as a writer.
Jul 08, 2018 the rum diary is a brilliantly tangled love story of jealousy, treachery, and violent alcoholic lust in the caribbean boomtown that was san juan, puerto rico, in the late 1950s. Oct 27, 2011 the rum diary is a novel thompson wrote when he was 22 though not published until much later and still trying to figure out his path in life. Made into a major motion picture starring johnny depp, the rum diarya national bestseller and new york times notable book is hunter s. I dont think a great book can always be turned in a great movie, in fact it is probaly easier to turn a great book into a bad movie. I would go as far to say that i actually like the rum diaries more. Oct 28, 2011 the rum diary, based on an early novel by hunter s.
Where fear and loathing was specific, rum diary is. Depp humps and haws, his mannerisms not unlike those he used when. The book aspires to present an overview of thompsons work for rolling. Daily record for destroying the office candy machine. The protagonist, one paul kemp, bears a marked resemblance to the hunter thompson we know and love. The rum diary is an early novel by american writer hunter s. I didnt expect it to be graphically depicted or anything, but the way the movie deals with it is just be confusing. Fortunately the rum diary is mostly an entertaining adaptation of thompsons story though, much like the book, few of kemps actual adventures work together to build a cohesive narrative.
The rum diary, written and directed by bruce robinson, expertly cannonballs into the grit and glam with raw exuberance. The bartender eyed me sullenly and i knew the reason whyi was wearing nothing that glistened. The rum diaries is a great refreshing read like the breaks of the caribbean ocean. Thompson, revered by many as the voice of his generation, is on a roll. He discovers a newsroom full of misfits and miscreants led. Thompsons roman a clef the rum diary, a frustratingly drawnout process thompson famously characterized as a waterhead. The black and white image of thompson that appears at the end of the movie, and appears on the book cover of the rum diary, is of the author on palm beach in aruba not puerto rico. By the time he was 20, he had already been fired as a copy boy for time magazine for insubordination and from the middletown n. Directed by cult filmmaker bruce robinson, the rum diary has all the ingredients of a cult classic in the making, but only for adults. You can, however, have some fun tracking down exactly where it was filmed, not to mention where it wasnt. If you have had the pleasure of reading the great book from hunter s. With johnny depp, giovanni ribisi, aaron eckhart, michael rispoli. As a movie, the rum diary wants to be the same thing, but ends up as.
There is a lot of jealousy and treachery in the novel. Paul kemp, author of two and a half unpublished novels, has just deplaned and gotten smashing drunk on rum at his hotel in san juan, puerto rico. The rum diary knows where it wants to go, but its in no rush to get there. Thompson, stars johnny depp as a young writer named paul kemp, a thompson alter ego. The material doesnt make for a straightforward story on screen. Really wanted to like the movie, but its just dull. The rum diary, based on an early novel by hunter s. The rum diary gives us this side of him without apology.
Its been over a decade since work first began on adapting hunter s. So was amanda heard gang raped by blacks at the bar. I have read fear and loathing but not the rum diaries. The washington post book world a remarkably full and mature first novel. It was written in the early 1960s but was not published until 1998. The plot showcases a young writer who finds himself in the virgin territory of san juan.
Thompson wrote the book that his movie is based on. It stars johnny depp, aaron eckhart, michael rispoli, amber heard, richard jenkins, and giovanni ribisi. Im not a big drinker let alone a violent alcoholic, but hunter s. Made into a major motion picture starring johnny depp, the rum diary a national bestseller and new york times notable book is hunter s. Everything you need to know about the rum diary movie 2011. Thompsons brilliant love story of jealousy, treachery, and violent lust in the caribbean. The rum diary is a much more subdued and low key film in that regard. Much like the late author, robinson first drew acclaim with a black comedy that he scripted and directed entitled withnail and i.
This take on the rum diary doesnt have that kind of crazy inside it. After watching the rum diary im curious what other people think. Bruce robinson f johnny depp, amber heard, marshall bell, and bruce robinson director on how they got. Sexual content the main character flirts with a woman a great deal. American journalist paul kemp takes on a freelance job in puerto rico for a local newspaper during the 1960s and struggles to find a balance between island culture and the expatriates who live there. Find books like the rum diary from the worlds largest community of readers.
I went from being entirely uninterested to engaged and even slightly inspired. But its an unofficial followup to 1998s fear and loathing in las vegas, and it marks the return of filmmaker bruce robinson, whose withnail and i. Kemp, the narrator gets involved with a woman who is with another man. The story behind the rum diary is as interesting as the film itself. Written when he was still honing his skills, this novel shows peeks of the brilliant musical writing style thompson would become known for later in his career. The focus and main message that the rum diary was trying to get across is the decline and failure of the. Bruce robinson wrote the screenplay and directed the film, which stars johnny depp as journalist paul kemp. Oct 27, 2011 the rum diary, written and directed by bruce robinson, expertly cannonballs into the grit and glam with raw exuberance. Prince jellyfish, like most first novels, was drawn directly from his life. It stars johnny depp, aaron eckhart, michael rispoli, amber heard, richard jenkins, and giovanni ribisi filming began in puerto rico in march 2009 and was released on october 28, 2011. This movie is an adaptation of the novel of the same name, the rum diary.
Thompson fought until he died to make the rum diary a movie. Having read the book a few years ago, i was looking forward to the movie. There were 10 other movies released on the same date, including puss in boots, in time and like crazy. It misses at least one key scene in the middle and i think the climax is absolutely borked as well, or maybe i just wasnt into it by that point of the movie. Not famous enough to sell a movie, if you believe the president of the. I am not sure if the writerdirector bruce robinson spent the time to really read the book. Terry gilliam didnt bring the source material to life for me in fear and loathing. It was one of his earliest works, written in the 1960s and was not published until 1998. The rum diary movie departs from the book quite a bit, that is a fact. The word diary refers to the daily life experience and the incidents happened in a life of a person. Stills from the rum diary thompson wrote the rum diary, his second attempt at a novel, in the early 1960s, after having spent a year or.
I regret not reading the rum diaries when it was first released, and its taken the release of the movie to prompt me, to read the book. Books similar to the rum diary meet your next favorite book. The rum diary is a brilliantly tangled love story of jealousy, treachery, and violent alcoholic lust in the caribbean boomtown that was san juan, puerto rico, in the late 1950s. I really dug the book, i like hsts style and depps interpretation, etc. I understood going in that it was a younger, less drug crazy lunyish hunter s. This story of a charming thug was well marinated in his early days in louisville, kentucky. Oct 28, 2011 adopting the rumsoaked life of the island, paul soon becomes obsessed with chenault amber heard, the wildly attractive connecticutborn fiancee of sanderson aaron eckhart.
It is very much a young mans book, clearly based on thompsons own situation and some of the peoplemostly drunks and layaboutswho gravitated to. Certain elements of the book are played down, or not addressed at all, while other plot mechanisms mysteriously appear out of nowhere. American journalist paul kemp takes on a freelance job in puerto rico for a local newspaper during the 1960s and struggles to find a balance between island. The rum diary was released in 2011 on friday, october 28, 2011 in 2,272 theaters. The rum diary is a 2011 american comedydrama film written and directed by bruce robinson, based on the novel of the same name by hunter s. The manuscript, begun in 1959, was discovered amongst thompsons papers by johnny depp. The rum diary isnt a perfect movie, not even close. The story involves a journalist named paul kemp who, in the 1950s, moves from new york to work for a major newspaper. Thompson was written in 1960, but not published until 1998 when the manuscript was found among thompsons papers by johnny depp.
In the book, some of the less savoury characters are actually more disgusting and objectionable than they are in the movie. The primary location was the historic and oldest areas in the capital city of san juan. The rum diary, the movie, lacked a lot of the intensity that i felt existed in the book. Goodreads members who liked the rum diary also liked. Set in san juan, puerto rico, in the late fifties and early sixties, the rum diary is vintage thompson. The rum diary is a 2011 american comedydrama film written and directed by bruce robinson, based on the novel of the same. In order to make a go of it here, i would have to get some. Oct 28, 2011 fortunately the rum diary is mostly an entertaining adaptation of thompsons story though, much like the book, few of kemps actual adventures work together to build a cohesive narrative.
A bad book can always be turned into a great movie. The novel has been the national best seller 1 in the us the novel is based on the real life incidents of the author hunter s. The character has the same name in both the book and the movie. Its too long and very sluggish in places, and theres no real payoff. The look and feel of the rum diary is almost as disjointed as the story is.
Thompson wrote the novel the rum diary in 1961, but it was not published. Rum diary is not a great novel by any means but it has flashes. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the rum diary. The focus and main message that the rum diary was trying to get across is the decline and failure of the american dream, politics, greed and human nature. Not a place to start but if you are interested in a writer, going back and reading their early stuff i think is enlightening. 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. Thompsons first novel, entitled prince jellyfish, still remains unpublished. Rent the rum diary 2011 starring johnny depp and aaron eckhart on dvd and bluray. Rather than seem like a pretender, i gave up on rum and ordered a beer.
The rum diary takes place in san juan, puerto rico during the late 1950s. Thompsons novelmemoir of the same name, was, like the book, set entirely in puerto rico. Oct 29, 2011 the rum diary, the movie made of hunter s. Filming began in puerto rico in march 2009 and was released on october 28, 2011. Instead, the film plays out like a series of moments which, by the end, may not provide the kind of payoff that some moviegoers might be expecting. After watching the rum diary im curious what other people. A novel kindle edition by thompson, hunter s download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Thompson, the rum diary is a brilliantly tangled love story of jealousy, treachery, and violent alcoholic lust in. I dont have the book because i lent it out far too many times and god knows where it is now, but the scene is missing from the movie. I did enjoy the film though, it was quite different from the novel but it was a good piece in itself. The rum diary is a novel thompson wrote when he was 22 though not published until much later and still trying to figure out his path in life. Suitably, the rum diary, an adaptation of thompsons book of the same name, is bruce robinsons first directorial effort in 19 years he also does the screenplay. The rum diary quickly becomes like being the only sober person at a party.
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