Movie Review: The Great Gatsby by Baz Luhrmann

 
Title: The Great Gatsby
Director(s): Baz Luhrmann
Genre(s): Classic, Drama, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Release Date (USA): May 10, 2013

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning - So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." -Nick Carraway

I think most of us, at this point, have read Fitzgerald's famous work, The Great Gatsby --- and if you haven't read it, you've at least heard about it. The Great Gatsby is one of America's greatest literary achievements, and Gatsby, one of the most iconic characters written. When you take one of the most celebrated pieces of literature and turn it into a movie, I think it's safe to say, you have some pretty big shoes to fill.

To date there have been a number of movie adaptations of Gatsby, the 1974 version starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, being my favourite; so when I heard Gatsby was about to get the Baz Luhrmann treatment, I wasn't quite sure what to think. See, like the decidedly mixed reviews on this film, I share similar feelings about Luhrmann's movies in general. While I adored his modernised interpretation of Romeo + Juliet, I could barely make it through Moulin Rouge. Seeing Gatsby was a gamble for me because while there's no doublt Luhrmann has a monopoly on contemporary flare and visual excess, he also has a tendency to skim the surface, missing much of the underlying detail. So what was the end result?

His Gatsby fell somewhere in between the two.

It's hard to know where to start because my thoughts on this movie are all over the place. Though I did enjoy the theatrical experience in a visual sense, emotionally it was incredibly unfulfilling. Not exactly what you expect or want from an adaptation of one of the most hailed novels, like, ever. So yeah. But honestly, was I surprised by this? Not really. It ended up being exactly what I thought it might be: visually striking but lacking in depth and character. It all boils down to way too much focus placed on the aesthetic parts and not enough on the "meat and potatoes" of the film. Sure, there are brief sparks of something special, but overall, it lacked a lot of the heart and soul that comes from the original source material.

Luhrmann's Gatsby is imposing, in-your-face and brash which works both for and against it. This forwardness has a tendency to highlight the obvious making it lack the subtlety that makes earlier versions of the movie so much more effective. For instance, you're beaten in the face with the symbolism of the green light so much so that it feels like you're being insulted. Look Baz, the green light is important, I know, but we're not all that dense, okay? There's something to be said for leaving an air of mystery, of which this movie did none of. However, that being said, I do think he excels in creating striking cinematography which keeps you riveted to the screen. He makes you not want to look away because his world stands out from all the rest. The opulence of this movie matches the excess of the Roaring 20's to near perfection and it sets the stage well while enhancing the mood. I also really liked Luhrmann's use of contemporary music when contrasted against the vintage-inspired glitz and glamour. I know this isn't something that will please everyone, but it worked for me. It's Luhrmann's trademark and he does it well. 

That being said, good visuals aren't enough to carry a movie. I think my biggest issue was the lack of personality. Don't get me wrong, the setting had plenty of it but where it mattered, it had little to none. There was very little natural chemistry between Leo DiCaprio's Gatsby and Carey Mulligan's Daisy. They were solid individually, but not when they were together. I mean, this is the key relationship in the movie and it didn't feel real. And if I'm being real here, I wasn't vibing on Leo's take of Gatsby at all. He was too disingenuous and self-serving for my liking. If you ask me, Robert Redford pretty much has the monopoly on the multi-faceted character. He was self conscious and refined in all the right places. Leo's angry, angsty Gatsby was fitting only in bits and pieces. What I did enjoy, though, was Mulligan's Daisy. She brings a stronger, more defiant side to Daisy's otherwise flighty, dainty damsel-in-distress act. It's a refreshing twist on the character, for sure.

Another thing I noticed (and not in a good way) was how the story was told. More often than not, Nick Carraway's (Tobey Maguire) narrative was mistimed and misplaced, frequently jarring me out of the story. It made every second of the 2hr 23min running time seem that much longer. So that on top of the characters not feeling true to the characters in the book, it was hard to foster a connection to anyone of them --- and in a story that ends so tragically, you want to, no, need to be moved. I, on the other hand, couldn't care less. Baz Luhrmann's Gatsby, unfortunately, was a swing and a miss It's not that the movie is terrible, it's actually pretty enjoyable if you can take it at face value. It's got jazz in all the right places, if you know what I mean. I just happen to like prior versions better, that's all. 

And on a side note: I still think Baz Luhrmann's interpretation of Romeo + Juliet was the pinnacle of his directing career so he's definitely got that going for him because that movie is AMAZING.

Summary Prognosis

While Baz Luhrmann's signature flare worked in tandem with the rich excessiveness of the decade, his version of The Great Gatsby missed the mark in just about every other way. There were strong performances by each of the characters individually but when together, they lacked chemistry. I found caring more about the way the film looked than I did any of its characters which defeats the purpose of translating such a deep and meaningful story to the screen. This movie is all about face value in a world where there's so much more beneath the surface.


Rating: ★★★


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