Review of The Great Gatsby (2013) by Morena B — 24 Apr 2016

There were few redeeming qualities in the 2013 adaptation of the classic novel The Great Gatsby. However, these few qualities saved the movie from being a complete disaster. For one, the soundtrack couldn't have been better suited to what director Baz Luhrmann was attempting to do. It put jazz age spin on modern music, mixing old with new. This captured the wild party-feel of Gatsby's manor.

The second savior of this film was the acting of Leonardo DiCaprio, who played Jay Gatsby. He did an impressive job in depicting the intrigue associated with his character. I couldn't think of a better actor to play the millionaire you aren't reading this bootlegger who is utterly obsessed with a girl. He captures the tunnel-visioned Gatsby with an unquenchable thirst for greatness. The way he looks at Daisy, as well as the way he looks at Tom, is precisely how Jay Gatsby would have done so.

However, the rest of the acting in the film subtracted from its worth. Daisy could have shown more emotion for the torn, indecisive brat that Fitzgerald intended. Jordan Baker was an almost non-existent role in the movie; and Toby Maguire was almost as cringeworthy as he was in Spiderman. His over dramatic narration mixed with his bland expressions did nothing but distract from the rich story.

It is respectable that the director attempted to spin a creative style to the whole movie, but it all felt rushed. Perhaps if there weren't 50 camera cuts per scene, the actors could've done a better job at conveying the interesting characters in Fitzgerald's world.

The film also attempted to stay true to the book, and it did include nearly all the important parts. However, it over-dramatized the great lines rather than allowing them to carry their own weight. Fitzgerald did not require close-ups and long pauses after each meaningful line. For example, see the scene in which Nick tells Gatsby that he can't repeat the past. In the book, Gatsby only says "Can't repeat the past?" "Why of course you can." After one more comment, the chapter ends. However, in the movie, Gatsby repeats himself multiple times over the course of the scene, because the audience was probably asleep the first few times he said it. All the while Toby Maguire has a dumb smirk on his face, seemingly unaware that this is a serious snapshot of Gatsby's fatal flaws.