Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 cult memoir arrives on the big screen about 20 years too late to have any meaning or much entertainment value. Director Gilliam, never one to shy away from weirdness, overdoes everything in trying to capture the wretched excess of the book. Thompson's screen alter-ego Duke (Depp) packs his Caddy with illicit drugs and his equally wasted lawyer (Del Toro), and heads for his next writing assignment--to cover a drug enforcement conference in Vegas. Depp does a great job of impersonating the completely wasted and unlikable Thompson, while Del Toro passes out and pukes a lot in the sidekick role. It's most definitely a one-of-a-kind trip, but not one that most people will be willing to take.