Review of The Great Gatsby (2013) by Foxgrove — 28 May 2013

With any Baz Luhrmann film you expect high camp anachronistic pyrotechnics, but whereas Moulin Rouge worked extremely well, Gatsby doesn't. The main problem is that it's setting and story is less appropriate for this over the top kind of approach.

Moulin Rouge was set in a musical revue nightclub and therefore all the outrageous antics could be more readily embraced. The first half feels like Luhrmann wanted to make a musical and was taken with the ides of wild parties, decadence and lavish costumes only to discover halfway through that he had a story to finish telling.

In fact it's only when Gatsby turns to 'straight' drama that it works at all. Generally it's a visually stunning mess, although even here everyone and every thing is so perfectly positioned and placed that the artifice in scene after scene wins the day.

Performances are unexceptional although DiCaprio acquits himself well. There is less to be said for Tobey Maguire. His performance as neighbour and story narrator Nick Carraway, is bland and borders on the boring.

The writing is trite and often undermines the visual style. For all the criticisms that have been levelled at the 1974 Redford/Farrow film, it must be said that the writing, acting and screenplay were all superior to this frenetic self indulgence.

On the plus side the main musical theme is just beautiful.