Movie Star Blog

This blogger didn't like the film:

I don't want to turn all Orson Scott Card and judge films according to their alignment to my own value system, but certainly finding a fictional (or in this case, semi-fictional) character sympathetic will help me like a movie more. Heck, even understanding his mindset would be a start. I don't have a problem with recreational drug-use per se, but I'm afraid I just don't grok Thompson, Duke or Doctor Gonzo. (I had the same problem with The Big Lebowski - not a single relatable character in the entire story.)

Or for that matter, simply understanding the words people are saying would be a beginning. But Johnny Depp substituted incomprehensible mumblings, over the top gesticulations and weird noises for acting. (Benicio Del Toro did too... though not so much with the mumbles.) It's not as if these guys can't act - obviously they can. It's not even as if Depp can't ham it up effectively - as his turn in Pirates of the Caribbean demonstrated. But here 95% of their performance reeked of overindulgence. Benicio Del Toro incidentally, strangely looks more like Johnny Depp than Johnny Depp, when he isn't looking like Edward James Olmos.

Click through for full review.