Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Carey Mulligan
Run Time: 2 hours 22 minutes
Directed By: Baz Luhrmann
The Great Gatsby is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel by the same name. Set in the 20s, this is a tale of life in the fast lane and the destruction that occurs as a result. Sex, alcohol (at the time of Prohibition), and gangsters explode into this fast lane privileged lifestyle. Fledgling writer Nick Carraway (played by Maguire) moves next door to millionaire Jay Gatsby (played by DiCaprio). He's drawn in by the mystique that surrounds Gatsby and his lifestyle. He finds himself pulled into Gatsby's world because of Nick's cousin Daisy (played by Mulligan), who just happens to live across the lake.
As a teenager, I hated this book. Not because I didn't like the story but because I hated dissecting it. Everything was symbolic. Everything. It was drilled into me. The green light at the end of the dock symbolizes greed and envy in the beginning of the book; the green light at the end of the dock symbolizing a fresh beginning at the end of the book. The optometrist's billboard symbolized the eyes of God, watching down, seeing everything that happens. Cars. Cars symbolize a form of escape. Every time a character hops into a car, the character is hoping to escape from life. Lavish parties. Gatsby's (and the Buchanans') lavish parties symbolize corruption and the decline of morals.
The previews for this movie drew me in. They were bright, colorful, with a lot of happy people dancing about. The 20s is an era of romance (to probably only those who didn't have to live through it). Speakeasies. Flapper dresses. Jazz music. The Charleston. And don't get me started on the beautiful cars! Of course, it's only romantic if you can afford it. But the previews made it seem like a party and who doesn't want to go to a party? I couldn't wait to see the movie.
And then I saw the movie. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. It actually quite disappointed me. Sure, it was pretty. But it was flat. I think too much effort went into the visual that the movie makers forgot about what makes a movie - the characters. These are very well known characters. And the actors who played them are excellent actors. And yet... the characters and acting lacked charm. They lacked dimension... which is really odd because it was in 3D. Darn, stupid 3D. Everything has to be in 3D these days. And really, there was no point for Gatsby to be in 3D. It did make the flapper dancer scenes quite fun and brought a certain charm to the cottage but most the time, it was absolutely needless.
But back to the characters. It pains me to say it but Leo was not Gatsby. I love Leo. He's a wonderful actor. But his Gatsby was not charming. Really. Leo was not charming as Gatsby. There was no allure. He lacked the suaveness of Gatsby. And I didn't feel that underlying, overwhelming sadness to Gatsby. Daisy was not effervescent. She was not captivating. She was not irresistible. She was not infectious. She was sweet but that's all there was to Mulligan's Daisy. Tom Buchanan wasn't a villian. Yes, he did bad things but he didn't ooze that bitter, out-of-control jackass that he should have been.
Interestingly enough, I know there's been a lot of talk about how Jay-Z's music would work in a movie set in the 20s. I gotta say, it worked surprisingly well.
There was something off about the whole movie. It just didn't gel. Visually it was absolutely stunning. Bright, vibrant colors. However, colors don't sell a movie (well, not since they converted from black and white). There were parts that absolutely dragged and there were parts that felt rushed, like I was missing the heart of the moment.
Beautiful houses, vivid colors, good music, glamorous clothes. Those are the highlights of the movie. Flat characters and an awkward pacing make the movie less than enjoyable. See it if you loved the book. Don't see if it you still have 9th grade English class nightmares.
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