Film Review- "The Great Gatsby"

The Great Gastby
Directed By Baz Luhrman
Starring Tobey Maguire as Nick Caraway, Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan, and
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby

It's not easy adapting a book into a feature film. The source material can only offer so much story, so sometimes you need to stretch it to get to that 120 page script, and sometimes that will backfire on you (Looking at you The Lorax, The Cat In The Hat,...probably Twilight).

"The Great Gatsby" by F.Scott Fitzgerald is only 130 pages. It's a simple story that is well known and loved by many readers. I doubt this film is going to reach that same level of praise.

During the 1920s, Nick Carraway (Maguire) moves to West Egg on Long Island, where he becomes neighbors with the famous, mysterious, and fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio). After receiving a personal invitation to one of Gatsby's parties, Nick learns Gatsby and his cousin Daisy (Mulligan) were once lovers, but the Great War separated them. Gatsby asks Nick to arrange to have Daisy over for tea, where they reunite. This little afternoon of tea leads to scandal, drama, and secrets being revealed.

That's all there is to the story. It's quite simple. But Baz Luhrman, in his typical directing fashion, attempts to suggest there's more, by tossing dozens of flashy visuals at the audience. Style overtakes substance and it shows here. The original Fitzgerald story isn't represented as properly as it should. The opening and closing narration of Nick (Twisted here by the filmmakers) feels like nothing more than a gimmick to try and get the audience go "Ohhhhh!' at the end of the film. (Avoiding spoilers here).

Gatsby's parties are made to look like college night clubs. The way 1920s New York looks, it's as if we're watching a movie based on a Frank Miller graphic novel. And the portrayal of the green light at the end of the Buchanan's dock, dare I say, is reduced to something of a Green Lantern cameo.
Do these visuals work? No not really. Are they nice to look at? Sure. I didn't see the film in 3-D, and I'm glad I didn't, because from what I could tell it was just a cheap gimmick.

I'd say the soundtrack is nice, if it wasn't the soundtrack for a movie based on "The Great Gastby". One minute you hear roaring twenties music, the next a rap song by Jay-Z and Will.I.Am. Jay-Z and Will.I.Am have no place in "The Great Gatsby" Yes the songs are catchy, but why are they here?

I will say this though, the acting in the movie is strong. Tobey Maguire is good as the fish-out-of-water Nick Caraway. Leo does a fine job as Gatsby, but by the thousandth time he says "old sport", he starts to come off as robotic. Carey Mulligan works well as Daisy. Joel Edgerton really stands out as Tom Buchanan, and relative newcomer as Elizabeth Debicki gives a solid performance as Jordan Baker. The cast is good, but sadly not good enough to save the movie.

The best way to describe The Great Gatsby, is Baz Luhrman trying to Moulin Rogue a classic F. Scott Fitzgerald story. It doesn't work. I didn't completely hate it, but I didn't throughly enjoy it. It's not something I'd watch multiple times. Save this one for a Redbox night, and read the book instead. The book is much better.