The Great Gatsby:
Nick Carraway is a depressive alcoholic whose psychiatrist is worried about him, as he is haunted by the events of the summer of 1922, which he finds too awful to speak of. The psychiatrist tells him to write them down, as that's what brings him peace. He begins to write of his stay in West Egg, a fictitious community in Long Island, NY. He describes his encounters with his mysterious but charming neighbor, one Mr. Jay Gastby, a young millionaire playboy with a tendency to throw lavish and insane parties nearly every night. He also visits his beautiful cousin, Daisy Buchanan, who lives directly across the bay from Gatsby in East Egg, a neighboring community. Her husband Tom Buchanan is even wealthier than Gatsby, being born rich, and is a friend of Carraway's from Yale. But, as Nick gets to know Gatsby better, he uncovers some of Gatsby's secrets, including a possible romantic connection with Daisy, his mysterious past, and discovers the answer to a question often poised by the local press: where did all of his money come from?... Baz Luhrmann is a director I am familiar with, but not one who is among my favorites. He's directed such films as Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet, and Australia. All of these are romantic in some way (as is this most recent effort) and all are, let's say, a little over-the-top. Rouge is a jukebox musical set in the 1800's in Paris with lavish visuals and great musical numbers, but the over-acting and plot holes for me made it less of a film. R+J is an adaptation of the classic play by William Shakespeare, arguably the greatest writer of all time. It's quite confusing, it is set in modern day, which you would think would make it more understandable to young audiences, and maybe have them be more open to the idea of reading Shakespeare once they understand the story better. it actually does the opposite, despite it's modern day setting, it still has all the actors speak in Shakespearean dialects, which makes a lot of the plot confusing, and the film itself is just so "in your face" it becomes distracting. Australia is a visually appealing but overall dull romantic epic set in the director's (and main stars') homeland: Australia. This film is much different. While it does still maintain with the director's very "in your face" style, it ultimately tones it down. Although the visuals are fantastic, I still feel the 3D rendering of the film is unnecessary. As Stephen Colbert said in last week's Colbert Report: "It's like your homework's coming right at you!" By the way, in that episode, the director pointed out this was one of the few adaptations of the book (and there's a lot) that Fitzgerald's descendants approved of. The cast are absolutely fantastic, just perfect. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jay Gatsby, the main hero of the film. He is a truly complex character. I will not ruin any of the reveals about his character, but a few you might not see coming. Adapting one of literature's greatest characters to the big screen is so easy feet, but I believe the writers pulled it off brilliantly. DiCaprio is the perfect fit for Gatsby, he's so memorable in the role, that if you go read the book, you can't help picturing him as you read it. Tobey Maguire gives a great performance as our other lead hero and narrator: Nick Carraway. He's a complicated character as well, and I believe Maguire pulled off the inner-narration quite well. It's not really easy to pull off a book that's mostly told from inside a guy's head. Carey Mulligan is great as Daisy. She's a very dividing character, by the end of the film, you'll either love or hate her. That's really all I'm gonna say there. Joel Edgerton pulls off the asshole character quite well as Tom. There's times in the film you feel pity for him, but ultimately, he's a great villain, and him and Gatsby play well off each other. Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Debicki, Jason Clarke, and Amitabh Bachchan all do great is supporting roles as Myrtle Wilson, Jordan Baker, George B. Wilson, and Meyer Wolfsheim, respectively. The soundtrack is interesting. It incorporates elements of jazz, but mostly consists of modern day hip-hop, rap, techno, and rock. Artists such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lana Del Ray, The XX, Beyoncé, Andre 3000, Filter, Jack White, and Florence and the Machine make appearances on the soundtrack, with some of the lyrics in their songs reflecting themes of the novel and film. The visuals, similar to Luhrmann's earlier work, are flashy and vibrant, sometimes a little distracting, but ultimately gorgeous. This is a movie that's pretty to look at, and although that sometimes overshadows the complicated plot and characters, it's not something to complain about, as movies are a pretty visual medium. The Great Gatsby may not be exactly a "summer movie", but it's a compelling and heartbreaking drama, and an effective cautionary tale about the "American Dream". The visuals are beautiful, the acting is fantastic, the story is provocative and intriguing, and the music is interesting. Baz Luhrmann props to you for not only staying true to the novel, but not making it boring (as the 1974 Robert Redford film did) and also do something new and original. 4/5 stars.
(Image: Wikipedia)
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