The Great Gatsby – A HO Film Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan
Directed by: Baz Luhrman

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s literary novel “The Great Gatsby”, one of the most well-known American literary works, has had several iterations on the stage and on the screen. Baz Luhrman’s most-recent film adaptation (to its credit) may not have quite the level of flourish that “Moulin Rouge” or “Romeo + Juliet” portrayed, but it still manages to try much too hard to evoke emotion from the audience.

For those not familiar with the story, or for those who don’t remember reading it in high school, “The Great Gatsby” takes place in the 1920’s and is told from the perspective of Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire). Nick is an easygoing, likeable war veteran who has high hopes of making it big on Wall Street. He moves into a home on Long Island next to millionaire Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), who we later learn has an obsession with Nick’s second cousin Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan). The pair has a history, but Daisy is now married to the arrogant and imposing Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). The majority of the story revolves around Gatsby using Nick’s connection to his cousin to try to win her back, but we also learn of the title character’s complicated, yet interesting, past.

Where “The Great Gatsby” succeeds most is when it strays from the typical Baz Luhrman formula of mashing up multiple time periods. Using modern music in a period piece may have worked as a novelty in his past films, but it feels wildly out of place here in one that seems to be taking itself much more seriously. The overuse of quick cuts towards the beginning also lends itself to sloppy editing that is noticeable on more than one occasion.

DiCaprio’s Gatsby is refreshingly reminiscent of some of his earlier roles in movies like “Titanic” and “Catch Me If You Can”. He exudes a boyish charm that immediately draws you to the character and makes you want to see him succeed despite his selfish intentions. Tobey Maguire seems the right fit for Carraway on-screen, but his voiceover feels very much like he’s merely reading a script very slowly. Carey Mulligan’s Daisy does well to convince that the character is conflicted, but at times the role seems so up and down it’s hard to distinguish between her acting ability and the way the character is written. There were also some surprising performances by Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan and Isla Fischer as his mistress.

What is frustrating is the director’s focus on making the film a work of art more than an entertaining telling of a classic story. Luhrman clearly has an eye for gorgeous shots, but so many of his scenes feel more like an animated canvas than an avenue to tell this interesting story. The length is also entirely too long; at least thirty minutes could have been cut and still given the same emotional resonance. The third act drags to the point of almost giving up on caring anymore, but wraps up in a satisfying enough fashion.

None of this is to say that “The Great Gatsby” isn’t entertaining. Most of the acting makes for an enjoyable experience, and those who are new to the story will be intrigued enough to see it to the end. Multiple viewings, on the other hand, might be a harder sell.

With $10.00 being the full price of admission, this one’s worth $6.00.

Scott Clark
The Hollywood Outsider Podcast