Réalisation:
Bruce RobinsonScénario:
Bruce RobinsonPhotographie:
Dariusz WolskiMusique:
Christopher YoungActeurs·trices:
Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Richard Jenkins, Amber Heard, Michael Rispoli, Giovanni Ribisi, Marshall Bell, Amaury Nolasco, Bill Smitrovich (plus)VOD (1)
Résumés(1)
Lassé de sa vie new-yorkaise, Paul Kemp s’expatrie sur l’île paradisiaque de Porto Rico. Très vite, il adopte le rythme de la vie locale, fait de douceur de vivre et de beaucoup de rhum… Paul est engagé par un modeste journal local, le San Juan Star, dirigé par Lotterman. Il tombe aussi sous le charme de la très belle Chenault, une jeune femme fiancée à Sanderson, un homme d’affaires mouillé dans des contrats immobiliers douteux. Sanderson fait partie du nombre croissant d’entrepreneurs américains bien décidés à transformer la magnifique île en un paradis capitaliste réservé aux riches. Lorsque Kemp est engagé par Sanderson pour écrire un article élogieux sur son dernier plan véreux, il se retrouve face à un vrai choix: soit il met sa plume au service de cet homme d’affaires corrompu, soit il dénonce tout et révèle les trafics sordides. Sur l’île et ailleurs, son choix va faire des vagues… (Metropolitan FilmExport)
(plus)Critiques (6)
If the subgenre of alcoholic films existed, Bruce Robinson’s directorial debut, Withnail and I, could be held up as a typical example. The British cult comedy about two friends who do everything they possibly can to avoid getting sober is characterised by adjectives such as “coarse” and “decadent”. Even with the best intentions, these modifiers cannot be applied to Robinson’s fourth film. At least not soberly. ___ Hunter S. Thompson naturally somewhat dramatised what he actually witnessed in the Caribbean at the time. Observation is the activity that his cinematic alter ego spends the most time on. His effort to not get too involved and to keep his distance generates most of the conflicts in this boldly undramatic spectacle. Kemp first becomes familiar with the new environment and then tries to understand it, only to find out in the end that he still doesn’t understand. The only plot line that undergoes any development from the beginning, and which relates to the dramatized suspicious businessman Sanderson, fades into nothingness instead of leading to a dramatic denouement. The secondary romantic storyline, which was probably written into the film just for the sake of sneaking in a few shots of Amber Heard, isn’t any more satisfying. ___ The film’s structure has the most in common with the titular diary, in which there is also no rule ensuring that the individual entries are connected to each other. Instead of a cohesive story, we see a series of various obscure incidents, most of which are connected with alcohol and others with drugs and black magic; a rooster and a frog play a role in the most bizarre of them. The protagonist observes the events happening around him, but he doesn’t much interfere in them, rather letting himself be led by other, more substantial characters. The filmmakers somewhat desperately try to save the incoherent narrative with a closing textual explanation, according to which Kemp’s Caribbean drinking has the nature of an initiation, so it would be presumptuous to expect a better-formulated protagonist with a clear goal and motivation. Kemp is only just finding the path that he will follow later in life. ___ At the same time, the final message retroactively explains that the film was intended as a tribute to Thompson. It’s no wonder that, of all the characters, only Kemp exhibits some understanding for the Puerto Ricans’ situation and, instead of listening to the great white man, he stands in opposition to him. He displays foresight by rejecting the cynical colonialist approach in the twilight of colonialism. The contemporary political context of the film is not treated with complete indifference, but like most of the other motifs, it remains only implied and undeveloped. ___ The digression from the already vaguely defined main storyline is the cause of two crucial flaws that make it impossible to just simply enjoy The Rum Diary, namely the inconsistent pace and the incoherent atmosphere, which could be explained away by the filmmakers’ attempt to emulate Thompson’s “gonzo” style. The power of each new emotional experience breaks down the more coherent structure and makes it impossible to work with the pre-defined concept. Due to Kemp’s adventurous nature, the events in Puerto Rico are unpredictable and the film can thus be assigned various genre labels at various times. The variety of genres is also apparent in the heterogeneity of the visual aspect. The postcard-like shots of the landscape contrast with the close-up of Kemp’s bloodshot eyes and the brutal cockfight. The film is simply appealing for a while and then it becomes unpleasantly authentic. ___ The Rum Diary is a dramatically fragmented film without a clearly defined genre and its satisfactory ending is decidedly not a great attraction for viewers. The film goes nowhere, lacks a main theme and is not about anything important. Though it may be an accurate depiction of how the Caribbean affected Thompson in the 1960s, I would be reluctant to describe this load of impressions as a high-quality film. 55%
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Une détente exotique aigre-douce, dont vous vous retiendrez une belle maison sur la plage, d'une tortue diamant et de l'incroyable femme fatale Amber Heard. Le film se concentre plus sur l'expérience euphorique des scènes spontanées et imprévisibles que sur la logique. On ne manque pas de vapeurs alcooliques et toxiques, mais pour être vraiment amusant, il aurait dû travailler de manière plus astucieuse avec les personnages bohémiens qui entourent Depp (et avec Depp lui-même). On sent dans le film que le réalisateur préfère voir le luxueux couple Eckhart + Heard devant la caméra, plutôt que l'ennuyeux fainéant de Depp. Je ne sais pas sur quoi reposait le livre, mais cela n'aide pas le film.
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Let me put it this way - some movies will evaporate from your mind by the next morning, some will disappear from your memory within three days, and others may take a week or even months. The Rum Diary dissolved the moment I turned off the TV. All I know is that Johnny Depp was in it, it was set in the Caribbean, and there was a lot of talking and drinking. This movie left no other traces in me, and I will definitely never come back to it. If I had to characterize The Rum Diary, I would describe it as confusing. Overall impression: 35%.
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Bland and dry. A much better Depp than we’ve seen in a long time, but the story is ultra simple. A fight to save paradise? The strength of the media? They touched lightly on everything, but it lacks oomph. There are only very few funny situations and the only thing that make it worth (your while) watching is Amber’s symmetrical smile.
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It's almost a shame that in retrospect, The Rum Diary becomes the film about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's infamous affair, somewhat obliterating much else. For example, the great theme from Hunter S. Thompson's book. After all, who wouldn't want to get drunk on the beaches of Puerto Rico in the late 1950s?
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Johnny Depp is currently an actor who can get viewers into the cinema simply because he is in the film. I think he also saved Tim Burton's latest film "Dark Shadows". "The Rum Diary" is not a film that I would go to the cinema for, but it was Depp himself who made me watch it. It's not a bad film, at times it's not a bad comedy, but I just have the feeling throughout the whole film that it relies solely on Depp. Put someone else in the lead role and it won't have the same success. It won't be as funny. "The Rum Diary" tells a not-so-exciting story about a journalist who finds work in Puerto Rico. It's the setting that spices up the film. The setting and Depp. Thanks to him, the film comes alive, although it's true that Giovanni Ribisi or Aaron Eckhart also did a good job. But the film didn't stick in my mind as much as I would have liked.
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