The Rum Diary is what I like to call a cursed film.
It's technically a prequel to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but Depp's performance and the filmcraft here are inferior in almost every way and the story isn't as engaging or out there. It's very dull and clinical compared to Gilliam's film.
Also, this is the one movie where Amber Heard costars alongside Johnny Depp... this might have been the film set where they met, and we all…