Baz Luhrmann is also one of my favorite directors. He is a love it or leave it type, whose films the critics either love or hate. His signature is gaudy, over the top productions, bursting with color, and soundtracks updated with contemporary music reworked to fit the period of the film. I find this very amusing. There is no middle ground here. His 2001 release of "Moulin Rouge!" is a case in point. I myself loved the over the top nature of his direction and bought the DVD as soon as it became available. But there were plenty of people who hated it. Gatsby delivers the Luhrmann treatment in spades although I am sure it will have plenty of detractors. According to the "Rotten Tomato" roughly half of all critics give this a positive review and half....not so much. But what do critics know anyway? (The Rotten Tomato is a great website dedicated to compiling statistics on reviews for all films. A great research tool or a way to kill a couple hours. Check it out.) I find him to be one of the most unique and creative film makers of our day. His films bring a new meaning to the term "eye candy".
So what about the movie? This is a great movie and the first best film of 2013. The story is set in the rip roaring twenties. A time of intense debauchery and general all around craziness. You thinks the '60s and '70s were loose? Take a look at the twenties. Sorry, I digress. If I were to boil the plot down to one theme I would say it is about a mysterious wealthy man who yearns for a lost love. Isn't it terrible when falling in love defines a person, even years after the relationship has ended? I hate it when that happens.
Nick Carraway, played by Tobey Maguire of Spiderman fame, is an erstwhile writer, who lands in a sanitarium for being a morbid alcoholic. Many people who partied hearty in the 1920's ended up like that or worse. Carraway relates the story as a remembrance of the most "remarkable" person he has ever met. While he tells the story it comes to life before our eyes on the big screen. But in a dream-like effect rather that a literal one. When people think back on life there is a tendency to romanticize our memories. That's just human nature, and his respect and affection for Gatsby is clear right from the start. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jay Gatsby with much aplomb turning in what I consider an Oscar worthy performance. Yes you heard it here first. Leo will be nominated for his portrayal. It will be a crime if he isn't. Now that DiCaprio has finally grown into a mature man and no longer the pretty boy his acting chops are coming to the fore. And an excellent actor he is. He creates a three dimensional character that I think anyone would like to know. Sinfully handsome, cool as a cucumber, and internally a tortured soul, Gatsby is a complex and conflicted character. Oozing a smooth charm and ease that hides inner demons, Jay Gatsby is one of American literatures' classic characters. DeCaprios performance is a slam dunk. I never want to give too much away in my reviews but the major demon is a lost love, Daisey Buchanan, played by Carey Mulligan.
The beautiful Mulligan plays Daisy with style and grace. It is easy to see why Gatsby is haunted by her.
Everything about Gatsby is beautiful. The people, the costumes, the sets, and the telling of the story. Of course conflicts arise and subplots abound but at the core is Gatsby yearning for the love he lost five years prior. Oh yes, the music for this film is also great. In keeping with the Luhrmann effect the soundtrack is updated with new original music by contemporary musicians. Gotye, Jay Z, Beyonce Knowles, Florence + the Machine and others make contributions to the soundtrack. If you haven't figured it out yet......I loved "The Great Gatsby".
This would make an excellent date movie.
I give "The Great Gatsby" a grade of a solid: A
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