Eager to flee his humdrum life in 1950s New York, booze-loving journalist Paul (Johnny Depp) moves to Puerto Rico and begins writing for a local rag, but his life becomes unhinged when he falls for a gorgeous woman (Amber Heard) and clashes with her shifty fiancé (Aaron Eckhart). Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, this adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s early novel also stars Richard Jenkins as Paul’s editor.
Bruce Robinson is perhaps best known for having penned the award-winning script to the powerful exposé The Killing Fields (1984), but he is also a former actor and a director. He received training in drama at London’s School of Speech and Drama and made his first screen appearance in Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet (1968). After an undistinguished decade as a thespian, Robinson became an author and screenwriter. He became a director a decade after that with the autobiographical ensemble comedy Whithnail & I (1987), the story of two aspiring actors in 1969. —allmovie guide
Bruce Robinson and Hunter S. Thompson sound like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, the film lacked the brilliance and edge I associate with these two drunk geniuses. It's a sad state of affairs that Robinson will probably never write or direct anything half as perfect as Withnail & I ever again...
If you expect a good movie just because of Depp forget it! Not worth to watch as the story lacks a real ending.
The stories behind both the novel and the film sound more engaging than the “passion-project homage” itself.
If you’re into Men’s Adventure magazines you might enjoy this film, as it seems to play almost exclusively to male reveries… read review
It took a bit for Johnny Depp to wrap up and screen this personal tribute to his great friend – Hunter S. Thompson, but it proved to be worth his while. Despite market odds and endless postponement… read review