Johnny Kitties: Celebrating Johnny Depp Film #43–The Rum Diary (2011)

[What is Johnny Kitties? See Johnny Kitties: Celebrating Johnny Depp for all the details.]

The film, ultimately, is a celebration of Hunter and his language and his discovery of his voice. It's before Hunter became Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. I think he'd be very proud. – Johnny Depp on The Rum Diary






This one's for Hunter.

The Rum Diary, which is based on Hunter S. Thompson's only novel, follows Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp), a young American journalist who is in San Juan, Puerto Rico, having accepted a position at the local newspaper, the San Juan Star, for which he is assigned to write the horoscopes and report on the bowling alley beat. New in town, and with lots of drinks and other questionable substances on the side, Paul observes the locals, from the privileged and untouchable, like expatriate Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), to the struggling anonymous and poverty-stricken. With the help of his newspaper comrades, Sala (Michael Rispoli) and Moberg (Giovanni Ribisi), Paul uncovers the darker side of Sanderson's wealth and finds purpose and direction for his career. A project close to Johnny's heart, The Rum Diary pays tribute and fulfills a promise made to his friend, offering a rare glimpse into Hunter Thompson's world before he became the great doctor of Gonzo journalism.

It was the start of something good.

With Hunter Thompson
in the '90s

Johnny was thrilled to meet Hunter S. Thompson, one of his favorite writers, in the '90s when he was slated to play the author's alter ego in Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. To prepare for the role, Johnny lived in the writer's basement on Owl Creek Farm for a few months, absorbing like a sponge everything he could about the man. The two discovered that they had plenty in common, from their Southern roots and habit of questioning everything to their love of language and books. "Hunter was, prior to even meeting him, he was somebody that I greatly admired–his whole way of life, his whole sort of way of moving forward in this kind of strange little soup bowl of existence," Johnny explains. "When I met him, there was an instant click between the two of us. From that second on, it never let up. We were very close until the moment of his exit." It was while researching for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas that Johnny discovered The Rum Diary manuscript, written in 1959, stored in an old box in the basement. When they dusted it off, the writer wanted to turn it into a movie immediately. The actor suggested getting the story published first.

After The Rum Diary was published, Hunter Thompson and Johnny held informal meetings together with potential film producers and other contributors who could help get the movie made. "I had no idea what the hell to believe because Depp was charming and unfailingly polite, and then there was some dude with a camera. And, there was the great Hunter Thompson, and you absolutely could not understand a word that came out of his mouth," Producer Holly Sorenson remembers. "Just seeing their relationship, it was just very sweet. It was a very pure thing. It wasn't a business arrangement. It wasn't someone trying to do someone's book. They had real love between the two of them. I think that was obviously, as an observer, very seductive. Even if I didn't know how this book was going to turn into a movie, we had to try."

With Bruce Robinson on The Rum Diary set

They chose Bruce Robinson to write and direct the film. Best known for creating the cult classic Withnail and I, one of Johnny's favorite movies, Bruce Robinson hadn't made a movie in more than 20 years. Johnny worked his magic to lure him out of retirement for The Rum Diary. "Adapting the book, you have to absorb what the book is, throw it away, and then rewrite it," Bruce Robinson says. "Hopefully, we did the vernacular of Hunter but not copy what he's written." He and Johnny scouted locations in Puerto Rico for the movie, and during one trip, their little plane stopped running mid-air. Just before panic struck, the engine perked up again. They both cracked up laughing and didn't talk about what happened until they were safely on the ground. I think the bond between these two goes well beyond mutual admiration.

Hunter Thompson's big exit

Then something awful happened.
Hunter Thompson committed suicide in February 2005. Per his wishes, Johnny contracted the construction of a Gonzo monument (featuring the Gonzo double fist) to hold a cannon, from which the writer's ashes would blast out and over his farm. "All I'm doing is trying to make sure his last wish comes true," Johnny says of the plans. "I want to send my pal out the way he wants to go out." The private ceremony was a moving, celebratory one attended by Hunter Thompson's close friends and family, with readings of his work, his favorite music playing, and plenty of fireworks. From a height of 153 feet, the cannon sent him off in Hunter style.

The show must go on.
"The idea of The Rum Diary as a film was something that was cooked up between Hunter and myself," Johnny says. "One of my last efforts to salute the man was to continue on in our venture and force him, even in death, to be a producer. We just wanted Hunter there, and he was there every day, every second, every moment." Johnny had a producer's chair made with Hunter Thompson's name on it, which was placed on set every day. The chair held a script cover and was paired with a glass of whiskey, which the cast ritualistically dipped their fingers into like holy water at the start of each day's work. "Everyone chose to do this movie because of Johnny, because of the material," Executive Producer Patrick McCormick says. "Of all the Hunter Thompson projects that he might consider, this would be the most critical one, and there was never a question that this movie was going to get made one way or another. It just allows you to keep pushing forward with great confidence, no matter what the obstacles are."

It only took nearly 15 years.
Before the movie came out, I read The Rum Diary and really liked the story. I was excited to see the movie but disappointed by the previews. I felt they were marketing it as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Part 2, which I hoped would not be the case.

I was happy to discover that the few minutes of mayhem shown in these commercials do not represent all that happens in this movie. Despite its suggestive title, The Rum Diary shows a calmer, quieter side of Hunter Thompson. While this story is fictional, Hunter Thompson did freelance in Puerto Rico, reporting on horoscopes and bowling alleys for that paper. "Looking back, I wasn't aware then what a special place it was or a special time," he said. It's difficult to watch this movie and not hear Hunter Thompson's voice and make the connection between fiction and history. The crew used the writer's books and photographs to capture that place and time as authentically as they could. Even the cameras lean toward a documentary-style point of view. "My approach was to be so minimalistic," Director of Photography Dariusz Wolski says. "The camera doesn't exist. It's an observer of what the story's about."

One of the best parts of this movie is recognizing the parallels between Hunter Thompson's and Paul Kemp's journeys and the authenticity that the crew created to honor them. While all the drinking and Giovanni Ribisi's over-the-top performance as the incessantly drunk Moberg are a bit much for me at times, I love the feel of this movie. With Bruce Robinson's great script and atmospheric direction, you experience Paul Kemp's time in Puerto Rico. "The thing that I connected with with Hunter's work was his brutal honesty and imagination," Johnny says. "When you read about these amazing experiences, you think, 'That's fake. He wrote that. That's his imagination.' But when you really spend time with him, which I have, you realize it's all true." Antics aside, I love The Rum Diary's portrayal of Paul Kemp's struggle to discover the writer he wants to be. By the end of the movie, I feel a sweet sense of nostalgia for a time I'd never experienced and satisfaction in knowing that Hunter Thompson is on his way to becoming the writer we all know.

From what I could tell, critics were mixed about The Rum Diary. You either loved it because you love Hunter Thompson, Bruce Robinson, or Johnny Depp, or you didn't get it and were annoyed by it. I witnessed the latter for myself: After seeing The Rum Diary in the theater, I shuffled toward the exit behind two older ladies and heard one complain to the other about the movie's lack of eye candy. (Yes, she actually used the words "eye candy.") With the drunkenness, drugs,  and cock fighting, I see her point. I, too, wished for more of the love story between Paul and Chanault (Amber Heard). I liked that storyline best in the book, but there are only two hours to work with for a movie.

I came out of the theater feeling better than those ladies did about The Rum Diary. I'm not sure if the ordinary moviegoer–who didn't know all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making this movie or who isn't a fan of Hunter Thompson–will fully appreciate The Rum Diary for what it is. I agreed fully with what Ignaty Vishnevetsky said about it on Roger Ebert's At the Movies: "Bruce Robinson writes rich, punchy dialogue and really knows how to direct actors and create a subtle hungover atmosphere. This very funny, keenly observed movie meanders in the best way possible, moving from one misadventure to another while constantly developing its many eccentric characters." With this movie, you're just along for the ride.

Shooting on location was essential to achieving that feeling. "With the brilliance of these set designers, we could've built it all in the studio, but it wouldn't have had that intense heat. It wouldn't have had the smell of rot coming through the floor," Bruce Robinson explains. "It was impossible not to be there emotionally, physically, and in every way, and if we'd been on an air-conditioned sound stage, it wouldn't have been the same narrative."

I think The Rum Diary turned out just as Hunter Thompson would have wanted it. From the spontaneous idea between two friends in a basement to the polished finished product in theaters, he created an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. "This is really something that's come from the heart for everybody," Actor Giovanni Ribisi says. "It's really rare when something like this happens."

The Kitties advise not to do this at home.
Despite my aversion to excessive drug and alcohol use, I love those scenes in The Rum Diary. I credit the brilliance of the director and actors for putting me under the influence. One of my favorite scenes is after Paul (Gordon) and Sala (B.J.) acquire and use some potent eye drops from Moberg. They sit in their stuffy apartment, waiting for something to happen. When something does happen, it terrifies them both so much that they have to get out. They try to calm down during a nighttime walk with some rum in hand.



But the walk is not calming; it's frantic and without direction. As Sala walks straight on methodically, Paul appears behind him. Walking a faster pace, he crossing diagonally right to left and out of the shot. When Paul reappears by Sala's side, he snatches the rum bottle from Sala's hand and takes a swig without losing sight of whatever they're both seeing in the distance. The performances in this sequence are pretty priceless. Johnny's really good at playing a drugged up drunk guy.

I also love Puerto Rico's murky nighttime atmosphere in this scene: the solitude of the empty street and quiet sounds of the surrounding sea are completely different from the colorful vibrancy Puerto Rico emanates in daylight.

Johnny honors Hunter Thompson here too.
Aside from The Rum Diary and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Johnny's adoration of Hunter Thompson comes through in several other projects. Among them are:

• Breakfast with Hunter. Johnny shows up in Wayne Ewing's 2003 documentary about Hunter Thompson, which gives a glimpse of the every-day life of the man behind the larger-than-life persona.  
• When I Die.  Wayne Ewing's 2005 documentary shows how the Gonzo monument was constructed for Hunter Thompson's one-of-a-kind sendoff. While Johnny is mentioned a few times in this documentary because he's overseeing the task, he's not actually in it. But it's interesting to watch this massive 153-foot structure being built so meticulously. 
• Rolling Stone. After Hunter Thompson's death, Rolling Stone ran a tribute issue (March 24, 2005), for which Johnny wrote a wonderful essay called "A Pair of Deviant Bookends." You can read it here. 

• Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson. In 2006, Johnny penned another touching tribute, an introduction for this book by Jann Werner and Corey Seymour. You can read it here. 
• Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson. Alex Gibney's 2008 documentary exposes Hunter Thompson in his element, mainly focusing on a 10-year period, 1965 to 1975. Johnny lends his voice here, reading passages from the writer's work.
• Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson–Music from the Film. This collection includes music and recordings of Johnny's readings from the documentary. Johnny also wrote the extensive liner notes for this CD with his friend, author Douglas Brinkley. They did such a good job that they were nominated for a Grammy! (Do you think Johnny was as excited about that as I was?) 

What's next?
Johnny rises from the dead and tries to adapt to living in the '70s with his dysfunctional descendants in Dark Shadows.

Copyright credits: All images from The Rum Diary © Film District and GK Films; Johnny Depp and Hunter Thompson candid © Kevin Mazur/Wire Images; Breakfast with Hunter DVD image © Wayne Ewing Films, Inc. and Gonzo International; Gonzo CD jacket image: Ralph Steadman; Johnny Kitties illustration: Melissa Connolly. 

Johnny Kitties: Celebrating Johnny Depp Film #16--Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1997)

[What is Johnny Kitties? See Johnny Kitties: Celebrating Johnny Depp for all the details.]

"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man." Samuel Johnson
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas really is a savage journey. Journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) takes his Samoan attorney Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) to Las Vegas for three days. Officially on assignment to cover the Mint 400 motorcycle race, they instead end up on a psychedelic search for the American Dream, which they see slowly disappearing at the start of the 1970s. Based on Hunter S. Thompson's classic book and directed by Terry Gilliam, this movie is one crazy, hard-to-describe trip. Really, you just have to follow Hunter Thompson's mantra: Buy the ticket, take the ride.

"Get in."

Hunter Thompson is credited with inventing gonzo journalism, for which reporters become part of the stories they're writing. Fear and Loathing is based on two of those experiences, which Hunter shared with his attorney, Oscar Zeta Acosta. The manuscript originally appeared in Rolling Stone magazine but was later published as a book, which many, many people love--including Johnny and lots of other celebrities. "The thing that's interesting about Fear and Loathing is that it's one of the great American books and, luckily, some of the fans of that had risen to positions of power in Hollywood," Terry Gilliam said. "So, they were the first victims of this project." 

I read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but I didn't become a cult follower. In fact, I don't remember much about it. Full disclaimer: I don't remember any books much after I read them. But, I do remember that the writing was fantastic--descriptive, vivid, and exciting--so I understood why people would fall in love with it. I think I just didn't relate to all the extracurricular activities. 

  

Don't see this movie with your parents. 

My parents hated this movie. I can't blame them; the movie is shocking when you first see it (or maybe every time you see it). I felt pretty sick afterward myself. This film polarized people when it was released: Some loved it and some despised it. It was killed at the Cannes Film Festival, but it now enjoys a prolific life on DVD, even becoming a quick member of the Criterion Collection (Awesome!).

The people who hated this movie, mainly saw it as two drugged-out idiots on a joy ride to Las Vegas and claimed that it somehow glorified drug use. While I don't usually let bad reviews bother me, reviews that took this viewpoint really made me angry. (Do you hear me, Roger Ebert?) After seeing this movie, the last thing I wanted to do was drugs. By the end, the state of things--their trashed hotel room, their attitudes toward each other and others--gets disgusting and dangerous.

Terry Gilliam showed Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to people in recovery from substance use. While they got into it quickly, laughing during the first half of the film, they got quieter as it went on. By the end, they were all ashen and white-faced. (I've never had an addiction, but this, basically, was my exact experience with the film when I first saw it. What's that mean?) "There was one particular actor I knew who wouldn't comment. He just had to leave at the end," Terry Gilliam said. "He called back a couple hours later, having escaped, and said, 'No one will ever have to make a drug movie ever again.'"

Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo aren't heroes, and this movie isn't about taking drugs. I always saw it as a period piece, marking the end of the '60s, the decade of love and peace. These two guys are still in that era and wondering what new darkness--the assassinations of the John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon's corruption--is surrounding them. It's about hypocrisy and something lost. "These characters were pretty angry about the system, about how the system had failed them," Benicio Del Toro said. "The '60s had blown up in their faces--their ideals." 

"Never trust anyone in the depths of an ether binge." 

There are a lot of drugs in this movie. It's constant, and you can't help but feel it. But that's what Terry Gilliam was going for: "It was very important to show that the drugs, right from the beginning, were in their brains, that the world itself was what it was, but the way they saw it was completely altered by whatever it was they stuffed into their bodies. The point was to try to disorient the audience as quickly as possible." By the end of it, you feel nauseated and wonder how Hunter Thompson and Oscar Zeta Acosta survived that long weekend. For a long time afterward, Johnny and Benicio Del Toro were asked how they managed to film Fear and Loathing while being under the influence the whole time. (For the record, they both have repeatedly confirmed that no drugs were ever taken. Simply put, Johnny said, "You couldn't do it.")  

Listening to the DVD commentaries helped me understand and appreciate the film better. After listening to all the passion and thought everyone--director, cast, and crew--put into it, you realize that blood, sweat, tears, heart, soul, and guts are in this movie. Terry Gilliam describes the film as a journey through Hell: At first, it's not that bad, then it's horrible, and then you make it to the other side. Others have described the first half as the fear and the second half as the loathing. I see both really clearly!

So what's to love about Fear and Loathing?

Hunter shaved Johnny's head in The Kitchen on Owl Farm.

• Johnny's performance: Genius! If you've ever seen Hunter Thompson in action, Johnny captured it. It's practically uncanny. He spent months with the author, living in his basement, stealing his clothes, voice, mannerisms, and whatever else he could. "He was creepy, always hanging around, mimicking everything I was doing," Hunter Thompson said. "He would do it with other people around!" In that time, they became dear friends and comrades until the author's death in 2005. By the time Johnny got on set, being Hunter was second nature, and I'm pretty sure Hunter Thompson's under his skin now and forever. I'd sing the same praises for Benicio Del Toro, but his performance scares me! (I think that means he did an equally excellent job.)

• Terry Gilliam: I was ridiculously excited when I heard Johnny was to work with Terry Gilliam, whom I grew up watching as part of Monty Python Flying Circus. (If you haven't seen Monty Python, why not? Aside from his parts in the sketches, Terry Gilliam did all the animation on the show.) He also directed one of my favorite movies ever, The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen. I couldn't imagine a better director for this movie. Funnily, the producers were concerned when he confessed to them that he'd never taken acid before. "We worried that he wouldn't know how to do Fear and Loathing," said producer Laila Nabulski. "But what we realized quickly was that Terry's a very different kind of guy and doesn't need to take acid, and hopefully will never take acid because God knows what would happen then!"

• Hunter Thompson: You wouldn't have this movie without the author. What I find interesting about this film is that it's based on a true story. The names aren't the same, but Hunter Thompson and Oscar Zeta Acosta went through it. They were real people, who were highly respected,  and had real jobs. Oscar Zeta Acosta was an important lawyer who became an activist for the Chicano Movement in Los Angeles. Hunter Thompson met him in 1967 while writing an article for Rolling Stone about the injustices in the East L.A. barrios and the trial for the murder of Los Angeles Times columnist Ruben Salazar. It was during that first meeting that they made their first trip to Las Vegas that led to the writing of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. After seeing this film adaptation, Hunter Thompson said,"It was like an eerie trumpet call over a lost battlefield." Johnny was pleased.    

No catnip was used during the creation of this drawing.
Like Terry Gilliam's friends in recovery, I enjoy the first half of this movie most. You can't beat the film's opening sequence with Duke and Dr. Gonzo zooming down the highway on their way to Vegas. My favorite part is when the bats appear: You get your first taste of the visual genius Terry Gilliam's got in store. You're in for the ride--like it or not.

Meanwhile, Johnny revisits William Blake.

 In addition to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Johnny filmed a pretty substantial cameo in another movie in 1998 called L.A. Without a Map. I just saw this film recently. While it was released internationally in 1999, it wasn't available in the United States until years later. Who decides these things?

In this movie, a British writer named Richard (David Tennant) falls in love with a visiting aspiring actress (Vinessa Shaw). In a grand romantic gesture, he follows her to Los Angeles to win her heart and start life anew. Throughout the movie, Richard asks advice from Johnny, addressing a Dead Man poster he has displayed on his apartment wall. It's a the head shot of Johnny as William Blake, aiming his gun. While Johnny doesn't speak from the poster or the other film billboards that Richard sees from his L.A. apartment, he shrugs or gestures what he's thinking. I loved the creativity of this kind of cameo. Later on, Johnny does speak, showing up as himself in a couple of scenes with Richard.

William Blake lives!

This is a cute little movie. I assume Johnny was asked to participate in it, since he's sort of an essential character in the story. I suppose they could have picked any actor to be Richard's idol, but maybe Johnny's name came up because he is friends with some people in the cast (including Vincent Gallo, his costar in Arizona Dream). Or, maybe he was eager to work with the director (Mika Kaurismaki). Or, maybe he was excited to share a scene with Anouk Aimee. I'm not sure, but there are my theories. I think he did it as a favor, since he's uncredited and didn't get paid. He's like that. If you can't find this movie, you can see clips of Johnny's cameo on YouTube.

What's Next?
Johnny is invaded in The Astronaut's Wife!

(Image credits: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas images © Universal Pictures; photo of Hunter and Johnny from Rolling Stone magazine; L.A. Without a Map images © Dan Films, Euro American Films, and Marianna Films; Illustration © Melissa Connolly.)