OR: Fear and Loathing in Puerto Rico
I had been meaning to see this movie for a long time. I didn't really know what it was about, but I knew it had eccentric and drunk Johnny Depp, so I figured I couldn't lose. I had no idea it was loosely about Hunter S. Thompson, kind of, I think.
So,If you liked Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, then you'll LOVE skipping The Rum Diary. Seriously, just go watch Fear and Loathing again. Right now.
There were many subplots, but never really one main plot. The movie meanders through different moods. One minute it's a buddy pic, the next it's a tale of a seedy underworld, the next it's an underdog vs. The Man movie. Many of the actors felt like they were acting for stage, especially Depp's buddy in the film, Michael Rispoli.
When it ended, it really felt like a 2 hour excuse for Depp to do this:
Which is fine, except that when there seems to be no story and no characters you're rooting for, you kind of get over it pretty quickly. They do some psychadelic stuff which comes out of nowhere and is not as good as F&L. Honestly, that was the film's biggest problem; It didn't know what it wanted to be. It felt like a bunch of good-looking scenes mashed together as some sort of unorganized collage. The movie reaches a sort of climax where you're supposed to feel bad for the characters but also hopeful (or something). All I felt was confused and let down.
ALSO, it was totally miscast! For some reason, Giovanni Ribisi was playing Johnny Depp!
LOOK AT HIM! Making that Depp face! Maybe this was Depp's producer way of playing the lead and the eccentric weirdo. Oh also, Ribisi was great. I wish his character had actually mattered in any way, which is how I felt about pretty much every character.
The only good thing that kept me from falling asleep was honestly Amber Heard. I don't know if she is a good actor, but I never noticed...
I'm not normally that guy who's like, "Oh man, that movie sucked but at least Megan Fox was in it, amirite!?" *High fives all my bros* *Slams a Monster Energy Drink* But I was really struggling to find something I liked about this movie.
Moral of the story, see Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas. Love it. Do NOT try to remake it in Puerto Rico, even if you have boatloads of money. Oh, and in case you are wondering, yes. Aaron Eckhart is still the man.
