Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) Universal/Comedy-Adventure RT: 119 minutes Rated R (language, brief nudity, pervasive drug use, bizarre behavior, disturbing images) Director: Terry Gilliam Screenplay: Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni, Alex Cox and Tod Davies Music: Ray Cooper Cinematography: Nicola Pecorini Release date: May 22, 1998 (US) Cast: Johnny Depp, Benicio del Toro, Tobey Maguire, Ellen Barkin, Gary Busey. Christina Ricci, Mark Harmon, Cameron Diaz, Katherine Helmond, Michael Jeter, Penn Jillette, Craig Bierko, Lyle Lovett, Flea, Laraine Newman, Harry Dean Stanton, Tim Thomerson, Richard Riehle, Verne Troyer, Gregory Itzen, Christopher Meloni, Troy Evans, Jenette Goldstein, Jennifer Elise Cox. Box Office: $13.7 million (US)
Rating: ***
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas must have been extremely difficult to adapt for the big screen. How does one effectively translate what amounts to an extended acid trip into the language of cinema? I suppose director Terry Gilliam was the right man to take a shot at gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s novel. After all, we’re talking about a filmmaker who specializes in the unconventional- e.g. Time Bandits, Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and The Fisher King.
Gilliam outdoes himself with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It’s a good thing I read the book shortly before seeing the movie; otherwise, I would have been taken completely aback by its trippy weirdness. It’s made for people to watch under the influence of God-knows-what/you name it-type drugs which is totally appropriate considering its storyline. It centers on a journalist, Raoul Duke (Depp, Ed Wood), and his friend, lawyer Dr. Gonzo (Toro, Traffic), and their drug-fuelled trip to Las Vegas where Duke will be covering a motorcycle race in the desert. He describes the contents of their trunk (a mini-pharmacy really) in an introductory voiceover:
“We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a saltshaker half-full of cocaine and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers…….also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls.”
Once Raoul and Dr. Gonzo arrive in Las Vegas, they meet several characters and have a series of misadventures. Whether or not the events reflect reality or not is subject to the viewer’s interpretation. It’s difficult to see where reality ends and the drug-induced hallucinations begin. It’s both a liability and an asset. On the one hand, it’s the truest vision of Thompson’s novel one could expect. On the other hand, it can be frustrating watching these two stoned idiots navigate their way through a narcotic-hued labyrinth filled with imaginary creatures and insane visions of bats attacking. In other words, it’s CRAZY! It’s one of the craziest movies that I’ve ever seen. It’s so crazy I’m not sure if I liked it or not. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but I’m on the fence about the movie. I can’t decide whether I’m looking at a work of brilliance or pretentious crap.
There’s a reason Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas bombed at the box office. Nobody knew what to make of it. I think Hollywood waited too long to adapt Thompson’s novel set amidst the declining counterculture movement and political turmoil of the early 70s. It would have gone over better with 70s audiences. They’d get it. In ’98, not too many young people were familiar with Thompson, the creator of “gonzo journalism”, the style of writing where reporters involve themselves to such a degree; they become a central figure in their story. A frequent contributor to Rolling Stone magazine and lifelong user of LSD and other drugs, he had a deep contempt for authority. It’s fittingly ironic that he and Gonzo end up right in the middle of a law enforcement convention during their Vegas odyssey.
Depp, an actor famous for playing eccentric characters, is an ideal choice to play Thompson. He’s terrific in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Would you expect anything less? It’s hard to believe he got his start as a teen idol playing an undercover cop on 21 Jump Street. He’s since transcended that image and created an identity of his own. The actor became friends with Thompson during filming, so it’s easy to understand how he was able to inhabit the character so well. Del Toro acquits himself well as Dr. Gonzo, the reckless pot-bellied friend who belts out a memorable rendition of Brewer and Shipley’s “One Toke Over the Line” in one scene. He may be a lawyer, but he’s more likely to get his friend into sticky situations than out of them. BTW, is it really necessary to have Gonzo vomit so much? I don’t know about you, but vomit always turns my stomach.
Still, I find it difficult to dismiss Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as a complete failure. There’s something about it that makes me want to rewatch it from time to time. It’s not because it’s a superior piece of filmmaking. It’s not. At times, it’s boring and repetitive. How many times can we watch a couple of idiots get stoned and try to report on something before it gets tedious?
With a running time of almost two hours, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas gets to be an exhausting and frustrating viewing experience. At the same time, there’s something that makes you want to keep watching. Maybe it’s the parade of stars that walk through this movie. Many big name stars show up in small roles; I guess they’re fans of the book and wanted to get involved somehow. Among others, you will see Tobey Maguire (The Ice Storm) as a hitchhiker, Christina Ricci (The Opposite of Sex) as an artist who paints impressionistic portraits of famous people, Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon) as a horny state trooper, Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: SVU) as a gay hotel clerk, Cameron Diaz (There’s Something About Mary) as a woman in an elevator, Ellen Barkin (The Big Easy) as an irate waitress and Katherine Helmond (Soap) as a hotel receptionist who transforms into an inhuman creature. It’s somewhat jarring seeing big name play inconsequential characters with no other purpose other than to illustrate the unusual, likely imaginary, characters that our two protagonists encounter during their trip. Somehow, Gilliam makes it work in a weird sort of way.
Is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas entertaining? Not exactly. It’s less a comedy than a strange cult movie along the lines of Eraserhead. Audiences walked into this movie with false expectations. They thought it would be a stoner comedy, but it’s not. I’ve met a few people that told me they walked out on it. It’s definitely a movie for the midnight crowd. It’s crazy, surreal, disturbing, dark, funny, serious and weird. It’s the cinematic equivalent of an acid trip. It isn’t a complete bummer, but it’s most definitely not mainstream in any way, shape or form.
