The Great Gatsby (2013)
***viewed in 3D***
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgarton, Elizabeth Debicki, Jason Clarke, and Isla Fisher
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgarton, Elizabeth Debicki, Jason Clarke, and Isla Fisher
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
The Great Gatsby is distinctly a Baz Luhrmann film and your initial like or dislike will largely hinge on your feelings towards the eclectic auteur. I was a big fan of Romeo + Juliet upon its release in my junior year of high school, but a revisit in 2011 didn't sit so well with me. Similarly, I was a huge admirer of Moulin Rouge upon its release simply for its unique take on the movie musical and I rewatched it last year certain that it would land in my Personal Canon, but that didn't come to fruition this time around. (The less said about Australia the better.) It's not that Lurhmann suddenly became an incompetent director in my eyes, it's simply that he is a bit of a one trick pony (similar to Quentin Tarantino in that respect). He does what he does well, but when you already know what you're going to get with him, there aren't as many surprises around the corner.
This isn't to say that is take on The Great Gatsby doesn't provide a solid experience, but the quick cutting, bombastic music, and focus on "love" (all Luhrmann staples) overshadow the other aspects of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work. And I say that as someone who finds Fitzgerald's so-called masterpiece a fine read, but nowhere near the perfection that others espouse it to be. [I finished a re-read of the novel mere hours before I went to see the movie.] To Luhrmann, Gatsby is nothing but a tragic love story between the title character (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his long lost love Daisy (Carey Mulligan), the Midwest gal he's been pining over for the decade since he headed off to war and had to leave her. Any semblance of Fitzgerald's take on the decline of American morals is brushed aside solely to focus on a love story. Granted, I will admit that upon reading Gatsby again, I was quite surprised how much the Gatsby/Daisy love story was made a focus in the novel, but Luhrmann trains his camera (and script) right in on it, failing to leave the confines of the lovers' embrace for an exceedingly long time in the film's middle act.
Much like the book, the film is told through the wide eyes of Nick Carraway, played here by Tobey Maguire in the same dorky, oddly reflective way Tobey Maguire plays every single role he's ever undertaken. No one was more surprised than me to discover that Maguire is a perfect fit for the role. I realize that may not be a universally accepted opinion -- in fact, I've heard much derision sent Maguire's way -- but having recently read the novel, Maguire totally embodied my vision of Carraway. That isn't to say that the actor did anything overly ambitious or out of his comfort zone, but Carraway is a part the oftentimes dumbfounded-looking former Spiderman was made to play.
Joel Edgarton and Elizabeth Debicki also aptly personified my visions of, respectively, the womanizing Tom Buchanan and the cynical Jordan Baker. In her first major film role, I found myself unable to take my eyes off of Ms. Debicki who captivated me despite her character's bitter edge. Mr. Edgarton continues to be an actor to watch as of late. I could see how some might find his portrayal of Tom as a bit of a caricature, but he perfectly exemplified the hypocritical arrogance and machismo that comes across in Fitzgerald's work.
If anything, the problem with The Great Gatsby is with Gatsby himself and his paramour Daisy. DiCaprio plays Gatsby much more fey and weak than I expected. Yes, I realize once he lays eyes on Daisy, he essentially becomes a child again, but even in moments where he is supposed to exude strength and charisma, I found him a bit empty. In the novel, Gatsby was a character whom I found passionate about a great many things, but none of this vigor comes to the surface in the film. There's part of me that wonders if Luhrmann pushed DiCaprio in this direction in order to make the title character more sympathetic and appealing to women -- but that probably just comes off sounding sexist.
Gatsby's counterpart, Daisy, has always been an enigma to me. She spouts lines that don't make sense to me in the novel and don't make sense to me in the movie either. I don't understand who this woman is and why Gatsby fell head over heels for her. Carey Mulligan didn't help my confusion. Her character's arc is one that doesn't feel fulfilling for me and the film does nothing to change that.
I say all this and I realize the review comes across a bit more bitter than I intended it to be. For the most part, I enjoyed The Great Gatsby while I was watching it. However, like Baz Luhrmann's previous films, it hasn't lingered as well in my mind as time passes. There's something alluring and even invigorating when watching Gatsby (at least in the first and final acts...the less said about the love story-fueled lengthy middle act the better), but when you peel back the visual and aural cacophony, there sometimes isn't enough there. Then again, there aren't many directors that do visual and aural cacophony with the punch and pizzazz Luhrmann brings to the table. And for that, The Great Gatsby is worth a view.
This isn't to say that is take on The Great Gatsby doesn't provide a solid experience, but the quick cutting, bombastic music, and focus on "love" (all Luhrmann staples) overshadow the other aspects of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work. And I say that as someone who finds Fitzgerald's so-called masterpiece a fine read, but nowhere near the perfection that others espouse it to be. [I finished a re-read of the novel mere hours before I went to see the movie.] To Luhrmann, Gatsby is nothing but a tragic love story between the title character (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his long lost love Daisy (Carey Mulligan), the Midwest gal he's been pining over for the decade since he headed off to war and had to leave her. Any semblance of Fitzgerald's take on the decline of American morals is brushed aside solely to focus on a love story. Granted, I will admit that upon reading Gatsby again, I was quite surprised how much the Gatsby/Daisy love story was made a focus in the novel, but Luhrmann trains his camera (and script) right in on it, failing to leave the confines of the lovers' embrace for an exceedingly long time in the film's middle act.
Much like the book, the film is told through the wide eyes of Nick Carraway, played here by Tobey Maguire in the same dorky, oddly reflective way Tobey Maguire plays every single role he's ever undertaken. No one was more surprised than me to discover that Maguire is a perfect fit for the role. I realize that may not be a universally accepted opinion -- in fact, I've heard much derision sent Maguire's way -- but having recently read the novel, Maguire totally embodied my vision of Carraway. That isn't to say that the actor did anything overly ambitious or out of his comfort zone, but Carraway is a part the oftentimes dumbfounded-looking former Spiderman was made to play.
Joel Edgarton and Elizabeth Debicki also aptly personified my visions of, respectively, the womanizing Tom Buchanan and the cynical Jordan Baker. In her first major film role, I found myself unable to take my eyes off of Ms. Debicki who captivated me despite her character's bitter edge. Mr. Edgarton continues to be an actor to watch as of late. I could see how some might find his portrayal of Tom as a bit of a caricature, but he perfectly exemplified the hypocritical arrogance and machismo that comes across in Fitzgerald's work.
If anything, the problem with The Great Gatsby is with Gatsby himself and his paramour Daisy. DiCaprio plays Gatsby much more fey and weak than I expected. Yes, I realize once he lays eyes on Daisy, he essentially becomes a child again, but even in moments where he is supposed to exude strength and charisma, I found him a bit empty. In the novel, Gatsby was a character whom I found passionate about a great many things, but none of this vigor comes to the surface in the film. There's part of me that wonders if Luhrmann pushed DiCaprio in this direction in order to make the title character more sympathetic and appealing to women -- but that probably just comes off sounding sexist.
Gatsby's counterpart, Daisy, has always been an enigma to me. She spouts lines that don't make sense to me in the novel and don't make sense to me in the movie either. I don't understand who this woman is and why Gatsby fell head over heels for her. Carey Mulligan didn't help my confusion. Her character's arc is one that doesn't feel fulfilling for me and the film does nothing to change that.
I say all this and I realize the review comes across a bit more bitter than I intended it to be. For the most part, I enjoyed The Great Gatsby while I was watching it. However, like Baz Luhrmann's previous films, it hasn't lingered as well in my mind as time passes. There's something alluring and even invigorating when watching Gatsby (at least in the first and final acts...the less said about the love story-fueled lengthy middle act the better), but when you peel back the visual and aural cacophony, there sometimes isn't enough there. Then again, there aren't many directors that do visual and aural cacophony with the punch and pizzazz Luhrmann brings to the table. And for that, The Great Gatsby is worth a view.
The RyMickey Rating: C+
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