--- title: "The Rum Diary" year: 2011 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-rum-diary" fi1m_id: "the-rum-diary" imdb_id: "tt0376136" tmdb_id: 23514 wikidata_id: "Q830376" fi1m_score: 58 critics_score: 60 critics_reviews: 19 published: "2026-10-10T18:48:03.290876+00:00" updated: "2026-10-10T18:48:21.601406+00:00" region: "CH" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Rum Diary (2011) Directed by Bruce Robinson · 2h 00m · Comedy, Drama ## Identity The Rum Diary - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-rum-diary - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-rum-diary - **IMDb ID:** tt0376136 - **TMDB ID:** 23514 - **Wikidata ID:** Q830376 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376136/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/23514, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q830376 **Fi1m score: 58** · Critics 60 from 19 reviews *In a sentence:* Two hours of Johnny Depp in sunglasses waiting for Hunter Thompson to turn up > Bruce Robinson’s adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s early novel is sunny, well cast and pleasant company for an hour, then wanders off the way its hero does. Michael Rispoli and Giovanni Ribisi carry it; Johnny Depp, oddly, does not. ## Synopsis San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1960. Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp), an American journalist with a hangover and a thirst he calls the upper end of social, arrives to take a job at a failing English-language newspaper run by the harried editor Lotterman (Richard Jenkins), who puts him on horoscopes. He shares a flat and a seatless car with Sala (Michael Rispoli) and crosses paths with Moberg (Giovanni Ribisi), a filthy wreck who plays Hitler speeches on a gramophone. Then Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), a tanned property man with a glass house on the water, offers Kemp good money to write kind words about a hotel he plans to build on an untouched island, and introduces him to his fiancée Chenault (Amber Heard), whom Kemp has already glimpsed swimming at night. ## Review Bruce Robinson, who wrote and directed *Withnail and I* (1987), has adapted the novel Hunter S. Thompson wrote as a young man. Johnny Depp, who played Thompson in *Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas* (1998) and produces here, plays Paul Kemp, the writer before he found his voice: a journalist who arrives in San Juan in 1960 with a hangover and a drinking habit he calls the upper end of social. *The Rum Diary* is sunny, well cast around the edges and good company for about an hour. Then it goes for a wander and does not come back, and two hours is too long to wait for it. The island is the film’s best asset and Dariusz Wolski treats it with care. He shot on 16mm, so the daylight has a soft grain and the whites burn out, and Old San Juan looks like a postcard left on a dashboard. Chris Seagers gives the newspaper a newsroom of dead typewriters and a press that has to be kicked, and Sanderson’s house is its opposite, a glass box on the water. Colleen Atwood and Diana Noris put Kemp in rumpled linen and dark glasses and Chenault in white, which is how Kemp sees her. The supporting cast earn their keep. Michael Rispoli’s Sala is a slumped, patient man who has given up on everything except the next drink, and he is the film’s steadiest presence; every scene with him knows what it is about. Giovanni Ribisi plays Moberg as a wreck in filthy clothes who plays Hitler speeches on a gramophone, and he is funny in a way that stops the film whenever he arrives. Richard Jenkins, under a bad toupee, gives the editor Lotterman the despair of a man who knows his paper is finished. Aaron Eckhart’s Sanderson is tanned, smooth and friendly in the manner of a man who has already decided what you are for. We laughed properly once, and it was worth the ticket. Moberg has been hoarding a liquid he says is too strong to be legal, Kemp and Sala take a drop each in the eye, and Kemp turns to find Sala’s tongue has unrolled across the floor towards him. Robinson plays it straight, holds the shot and lets Depp’s face do the work. It is the one scene where the film’s drinking and its humour are in the same place, and the one that looks like the Thompson film it was meant to be. The trouble is the man in the middle. Depp plays Kemp as watchful, courteous and half asleep, a visitor who writes down what he sees and waits to be told what it means. Kemp ought to be frightened and angry; this one is mostly tired. We kept waiting for him to lose his temper, at Sanderson, at Lotterman, at the island, and the few times he does, Robinson cuts away before the anger has anywhere to go. Amber Heard is given one job, to be looked at, and does it well; her dance in a bar is the film’s single jolt of danger, and the romance around it is a series of long looks that lead nowhere. Robinson writes a good line, but he has not written a second half. Scenes end rather than finish, and Carol Littleton can cut them into an order but not into a shape. Christopher Young’s score stays out of the way, which is polite of it and about all we remember. By the ninety-minute mark we were watching the sea and waiting, and the film seemed to be doing the same. *Withnail and I* had two men, one flat and a bottle, and it knew that the drinking was the structure as well as the subject. *The Rum Diary* has the same parts and keeps misplacing them. See it on a warm evening with something in a glass and it will match your mood for about an hour. Thompson’s readers will enjoy spotting where the man they know is about to begin. Everyone else gets Rispoli, Ribisi and a tongue, which is not nothing. It runs 120 minutes and carries a 15 certificate. *Fi1m score 58, published 10 October 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics land in the middle on The Rum Diary, with a slight lean towards affection: the reviews are more often mixed than enthusiastic, and only a few are hostile. The praise gathers around Bruce Robinson’s dialogue, which several critics call sharp and lively, and around the supporting cast, with Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Rispoli repeatedly singled out for stealing scenes. The Puerto Rico setting draws warm words too, both for the look of the place and for the seedy, humid atmosphere the film settles into. The reservations are about the story and the lead. Many critics find the plot loose and meandering, the romantic strand undercooked and the ending abrupt. Johnny Depp divides them: NME considers his restrained, rage-filled turn the film’s finest element, while The Hollywood Reporter and The Guardian find it too cautious to carry the audience. The spread is wide. Empire calls it thrilling; The Guardian calls it a vanity project. ## Straight answers **Is The Rum Diary worth watching?** *The Rum Diary* is worth watching only for the interested: it is sunny, well cast around the edges and good company for about an hour, and we scored it 58. Michael Rispoli and Giovanni Ribisi carry it, Dariusz Wolski's 16mm Puerto Rico looks lovely, and then the second half wanders off and does not come back. Johnny Depp, oddly, is the weak link. **How long is The Rum Diary, and what is it rated?** *The Rum Diary* runs 2h 00m. It is a comedy and drama film. **Where can I watch The Rum Diary in Switzerland?** *The Rum Diary* is available to buy from Apple TV from CHF 10.00. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Rum Diary, and is it suitable for children?** *The Rum Diary* carries a 15 certificate in the UK and an R in the US, and the reason is drink rather than violence or fear. The film is built around constant drinking, a drug taken in the eye and an adult romance; there is little to frighten anyone. It is not for children, but older teenagers and the squeamish have nothing much to brace for. **Is The Rum Diary based on a true story or a book?** *The Rum Diary* is adapted from the novel Hunter S. Thompson wrote as a young man, not from a true story as such, though Paul Kemp is plainly the writer before he found his voice. You do not need to have read it. Thompson's readers will enjoy spotting where the man they know is about to begin, which is a pleasure the film itself does not quite supply. ### Reviews we read (19) - **Empire**, Philip Wilding (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a thrilling, funny tribute to Hunter Thompson and a portrait of America in decline. They praise Bruce Robinson’s robust, witty script and the vintage atmosphere created by shooting on 16mm. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/rum-diary-review/) - **Evening Standard**, The Standard (***): The review finds the film engaging but says it loses steam and lacks dramatic purpose by the end. It praises the excellent supporting performances and Robinson’s lively dialogue. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-rum-diary-review-7427554.html) - **IndieWire**, Eric Kohn (B-): Kohn finds the film flawed and generally mediocre, though it remains an admirable, sufficiently entertaining portrait of Thompson’s early development. He praises its restrained vision and its thoughtful account of Kemp’s emerging journalistic convictions, while faulting the limp plot and muted lead performance. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/hamptons-review-rum-diary-johnny-depps-homage-to-hunter-s-thompson-is-flawed-but-earnest-51634/) - **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (B-): Tobias finds the film loose, lackadaisical, and too aimless to convey its hero’s idealism. He praises Robinson’s depth in the tension between indulgence and justice, but says the romantic subplot goes nowhere. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-rum-diary-1798170182) - **Screen Daily**, Tim Grierson (64/100, inferred): The accessible page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is hidden. No specific praise or complaint is available in the supplied text. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/the-rum-diary/5032907.article) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (2.5/4): Ebert’s review is mixed, finding the film less compelling than its source material. It faults the adaptation for not capturing enough of Hunter S. Thompson’s distinctive spark. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-rum-diary-2011) - **Radio Times**, Trevor Johnston (3/5): Trevor Johnston gives the film a measured three-star review. He singles out its substance-fuelled, raucous humour as a feature of the serio-comic story. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-qgyez0/the-rum-diary/) - **Time Out**, Cath Clarke (3/5): Clarke's three-star rating suggests a measured, mixed verdict. The available page metadata singles out Depp finding Thompson's manuscript. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-rum-diary) - **Total Film**, Neil Smith (3/5): The critic finds it an affectionate, droll companion to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, though it never reaches that film’s manic heights. He praises the comic antics and Giovanni Ribisi’s scene-stealing performance, while faulting the plot and abrupt ending. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-rum-diary-review/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (55/100, inferred): McCarthy finds the film diverting but ultimately uncompelling, a mild and only partly engaging look at Thompson’s early life. He praises Michael Rispoli’s performance and Amber Heard’s flashes of wildness, while faulting Johnny Depp’s cautious characterization for limiting audience engagement. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/rum-diary-film-review-248415/) - **Slant Magazine**, Andrew Schenker (2/4): Schenker finds the film an unsatisfying, disjointed work that forces its disparate elements into a clumsy conclusion. He praises its occasional visual flair and its effort to connect the story to American economic imperialism. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-rum-diary/) - **Variety**, Justin Chang (50/100, inferred): Chang finds the film more successful as a dreamy, seedy mood piece than as a coherent narrative, with Depp’s performance feeling unfocused. He praises the sharp dialogue and richly rendered atmosphere, along with the supporting cast’s lively performances. [Read](https://variety.com/2011/film/reviews/the-rum-diary-1117946350/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Betsy Sharkey (45/100, inferred): Sharkey finds the film visually seductive but ultimately unable to capture the novel’s essential power. She praises Johnny Depp’s introspective performance and Puerto Rico’s striking cinematography. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-oct-28-la-et-rum-diary-20111028-story.html) - **The New York Times**, A. O. Scott (40/100, inferred): Scott’s verdict is mixed, finding the adaptation less successful than its source material. The film’s episodic, meandering structure is a particular weakness. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/28/movies/hunter-s-thompsons-rum-diary-with-johnny-depp-review.html) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (35/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film sincere but ultimately self-admiring, calling it a vanity project. He praises its loving adaptation and occasional Withnail-like situations, but criticizes Depp for failing to convey fear or anger. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/nov/10/the-rum-diary-film-review) - **Den of Geek**, Ron Hogan (4/5): Hogan calls the film very good, though not a runaway success. He praises Giovanni Ribisi’s scene-stealing performance and the film’s beautiful use of Puerto Rico’s landscape. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-rum-diary-review-2/) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B): The review finds the film a largely successful, entertaining tribute to Hunter S. Thompson, despite its meandering pace. It praises the humorous misadventures and faithfulness to Thompson’s tone, but notes that the lead characters lack chemistry. [Read](https://collider.com/the-rum-diary-review/) - **NME**, Owen Nicholls (75/100, inferred): The critic recommends the film as a fitting tribute to Hunter S. Thompson. They single out Johnny Depp’s restrained, rage-filled performance as its finest element. [Read](https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/the-rum-diary-film-review-760702) - **The Wrap**, Alonso Duralde (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film meandering and says its characters never become fully defined, recommending it mainly to Thompson and Depp fans. They praise the brief hallucinatory sequence as one of the film’s funniest moments. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/review-yo-ho-ho-johnny-depp-phones-it-rum-diary-32245/) ## Details - **Director:** Bruce Robinson - **Director:** Bruce Robinson - **Screenplay:** Bruce Robinson - **Novel:** Hunter S. Thompson - **Cinematography:** Dariusz Wolski - **Editor:** Carol Littleton - **Music:** Christopher Young - **Production design:** Chris Seagers - **Costume design:** Colleen Atwood, Diana Noris - **Producer:** Johnny Depp, Graham King, Tim Headington - **Cast:** Johnny Depp as Paul Kemp; Amber Heard as Chenault; Aaron Eckhart as Sanderson; Michael Rispoli as Sala; Giovanni Ribisi as Moberg; Richard Jenkins as Lotterman; Amaury Nolasco as Segurra; Marshall Bell as Donavon - **Runtime:** 2h 00m - **First release (RU):** 13 October 2011 - **Genres:** Comedy, Drama - **Budget:** $45 million - **Box office:** $24 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m0yqS3jodU ## Where to watch in Switzerland - Apple TV: buy CHF 10.00, sd *Checked 2026-10-02.* Also available in: AT, CA, CH, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IT, JP, NO, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Withnail and I* (1987), Fi1m 88: Robinson’s first film, which knew exactly what to do with two men and a bottle — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/withnail-and-i.md) - *Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas* (1998): Depp as the finished Thompson, at a volume this film never reaches - *Our Man in Havana* (1959): Alec Guinness invents news in the Caribbean and the joke stays sharp throughout - *Under the Volcano* (1984): Albert Finney drinks his way through one Mexican day; the despair is earned - *Barfly* (1987): Mickey Rourke as a writer who drinks, with the self-pity left in on purpose --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-rum-diary