The Great Gatsby seems to be a film that everyone has an opinion about, and I’m no different.
The original novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of my favorites, and I’ve been a fan of director Baz Luhrmann since Strictly Ballroom, so I went into it hoping for the best. Overall, for me, the movie delivered. A quick Twitter review is below, along with some additional thoughts.
SO. Just got back from seeing The Great Gatsby. Calling it a reinterpretation instead of an adaptation is v. appropriate. I liked it a lot.
— Alison L. Roberts 🐊 (@aligatorpop) May 10, 2013
[SO. Just got back from seeing The Great Gatsby. Calling it a reinterpretation instead of an adaptation is v. appropriate. I liked it a lot.]
https://twitter.com/aligatorpop/status/332942463113232385
[Visuals were stunning, even in 2D. (I’m hit or miss w/ getting sick at 3D films, especially w/ current glasses prescription.)]
https://twitter.com/aligatorpop/status/332943220260614146
[And I really really liked DiCaprio’s performance.]
Luhrmann and collaborator Catherine Martin succeed in capturing the vitality and excesses that led the time period to be called “Roaring Twenties,” before setting down to address the ill-fated affair between Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan). The production and costume design are flawless (ranging from classic to intentionally garish), and the much-discussed hip-hop/alt rock soundtrack doesn’t overwhelm what is on screen and manages to sound organic in its context.
Each of the primary characters is well cast, with DiCaprio particularly effective as the title character. He brings an old-school movie star charisma to Gatsby’s “public” persona, while convincingly shifting gears at the appropriate times to reveal awkward, insecure and heartbreaking cracks in his self-created facade. Like in the book, Daisy is a problematic character. As a modern reader (and a woman), while I understand her situation, it’s hard for me to feel much sympathy for her. However, she is made as relatable as she needs to be, at that point in the film, via the inclusion of scenes where her cousin Nick (Tobey Maguire) witnesses tension between her and her despicable husband (Joel Edgerton) — even before the introduction of Gatsby.
Ultimately, whether you love, like, tolerate, or despise the film will depend on how well you tolerate the almost seismic shift between the drunken debauchery that sets the stage and the more intimate character interactions that dominate its conclusion. (This is one I’ll be buying on Blu-ray.)
More:
Official film site.