Review of The Great Gatsby (2013) by Clintus M — 27 May 2014

There's a lot to like in this version of F .Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel of the jazz age, although this one's a little to "jazzy" for me. Aussie director Baz Luhrmann was an awesome choice to head this project. He captures the spectacle of the novel and its age better than any other I can imagine. It's reminiscent of his earlier works "Romeo + Juliet" and "Moulin Rouge!" The best aspect of the film is the cinematography: the sets, fashion, jewelry, etc. are executed to perfection.

The cast is excellent; DiCaprio owns this role as much as any he's played. Tobey Maguire is great as well; he's as effective as Sam Waterston was in the 1974 version. I've always thought he owned that role. Robert Redford was good in that version. He's not the actor that DiCaprio is, but he certainly looked the part. Carey Mulligan surprised me how well she played Daisy Buchanan, although after seeing her performance in "An Education," I knew she was destined for greatness.

Summing up what I liked and what I didn't is almost as simple as the film's emphasis on style over substance. That emphasis encompasses the whole jazz age, so that the film portrays that should come as no surprise. Everyone and everything as seen through the eyes of Nick, the narrator, is completely superficial. As an indictment of the near-universal values of the era, this film really works. I did not like much of the soundtrack. It was distracting and anachronistic, just a device to relate the jazz age material to the hip hop generation. Luhrmann's Gatsby is certainly visually stunning and undeniably entertaining, but I think the "update" detracts from the real power of the story.