Review of The Great Gatsby (2013) by Cbeers2513 — 29 Nov 2013

The Great Gatsby is perhaps the greatest American novel ever written. The novel deserves a perfect adaptation that captures its spirit as well as heartrending tragedy. Many have tried, most notably Robert Redford and his golden smile, but all have failed. Now, Baz Luhrmann, director of the critically divided Romeo and Juliet, attempts to tackle one of Hollywood's adaptations. The critics were once again thoroughly divided on his film, most claiming that Leonardo diCaprio made the movie as Gatsby shine but the film lacked the true heart of the book, replacing the important character development with over the top party scenes. The question is: We're the critics right? Or is this the Gatsby movie that Fitzgerald fans have been waiting for?

The story is told by Nick Carraway, played by Tobey Maguire, who is swept into the world of Gatsby's lavish Long Island parties. He learns that Gatsby, played by Leonardo Dicaprio, has one goal in his life: to reunite with his lost love Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan), who has married to a wealthy billionaire named Tom (Joel Edgerton). The acting in this movie puts all prior iterations to shame. I will be wholeheartedly disappointed if DiCaprio does not take home Oscar gold for his performance as Jay Gatsby. This is the greatest performance of the year in one of the hardest roles to portray, featuring layers upon layers of emotional complexity, doubts, and forlorn love. Yet DiCaprio can do no wrong, flawlessly blending all of Gatsby's traits and mannerisms to create the quintessential Gatsby we all have dreamt for. Carey Mulligan also does extremely well, outshining all other Daisys by giving the lead a distinct personality and making viewers feel legitimately sorry for her, despite her inability to choose Gatsby over Tom. Even Edgerton is great, not acting as an inherently evil Tom, but a wealthy upper class man who can't cope with not getting everything he wants. The only fault in the acting department is Maguire. Although his performance isn't bad, his narrations feel extremely superficial, almost as if he was reading them for the first time instead of taking ownership of his own thoughts. However, DiCaprio's insightful performance, which brought me to tears on multiple occasions, is breathtaking and allows the viewer to truly immerse themselves in the story.

One major complaint of critics is the fact that the movie focuses more on visual imagery and eye candy than the actual story. For the first twenty minutes, I thought they were right. These opening scenes were extremely rushed, allowing for no character development and annoying me as I tried to piece together what each chopping edited scene was trying to tell me. But everything changed in the scene when Gatsby and Daisy first meet. This scene is so awkward, yet so beautiful. This is quite possibly one of my favorite movie scenes of the past few years, and after it, I disregarded the opening half hour and never looked back. Every interaction, every conversation, every kiss is flawlessly executed. The montage of their tour of Gatsby's mansion, which unfolds along with Lana del Ray's masterpiece "Young and Beautiful", is heartwarming and unforgettable, as you can see the perfect expression of newfound hope in both actors' eyes. From that point on, I enjoyed nearly every second of the movie, especially the tension-filled climax in the Plaza Hotel which also astounded me with its ability to play with my emotions. Even the creative licensing the movie takes is done well. Putting Nick in a mental institution after the events of the novel is an interesting and completely plausible interpretation of the story, which leads to an ending scene that I never would have expected. But it was done so well, now I can't see it being done any other way.

However, the movie isn't without faults. As said before, the first thirty minutes are a cluttered mess that almost sink the movie before it gets to its shining moments. Along with this, I do see where other critics are coming from when they say the parties are overdone. They undeniably are. Sometimes the movie focuses too much on the special effects and the guests rather than the extraordinary host, which occasionally disappoints. However, when the movie works, it really works.

The Great Gatsby is not a perfect adaptation of the Great American Novel, and I'm thoroughly convinced that such a thing cannot exist. However, this film is the best one out there and a great movie in general. It may focus on the parties too much and the opening really fails. However, old sport, everything else is just too good to overlook. DiCaprio gives a career-defining performance that, if the Academy has any sense, should net him Oscar gold. Every facet of the film, from the acting to the surprisingly effective soundtrack to the jaw-dropping special effects, works on many levels, and I'd be lying if I said that I was expecting the emotional impact I received. I, like Gatsby, believe in the green light. While this movie can never reach that level of perfection, just like Gatsby can never reach the green light across the sound, it should never die, just like Gatsby's extraordinary gift for hope. The Great Gatsby beats on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.