When I first heard about writer/director Luhrman's return to film; I was actually pretty excited; his visual thrills and his mixing of modern pop culture and period drama made Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge two of the most aesthetically memorable films ever. However, Many people reasonably questioned his ability to bring F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby; one of the biggest novels of all time to the big screen. The book put more of an emphasis on character drama and conflicts in society than artistic grandeur. Having just seen it, I can honestly say that his direction was as much of a success as it was a problem.
The film centers around Nick Carroway (Played by Toby Macguire of Spiderman and Brothers), a former writer, telling the story of how he met the infamous Jay Gatsby (Played by Leonardo DiCaprio- see below); a small town man who turned his life of low income and misery into a wealthy life of parties and liquor. Throughout the film, Nick gets caught in the middle of a series of scandals including his married cousin Daisy (Played by Carrey Mulligan of An Education) and Gatsby's secret romance. What follows is a slew of chaotic events that could destroy everyone and everything including Nick, who didn't want any part of it.
As one can imagine, this film about the roaring 20's contains a lot of drama, betrayal, lust and intensity. All of these elements ad more are expressed through the film's use of colorful sets and costumes as well as its refreshing use of modern music from artists like Jay-Z and Lana Del Rey. All of these qualities really enhance the story and Luhrman's vision of the classic tale is quite admirable. From the sleek custom cars to the sparkling flapper outfits, there is always something gorgeous to grab your attention.
As expected from a Baz Luhrman film, the cinematography is flawless as well. The use of fabric to symbolize happiness and the wide shots of people eating, partying and enjoying themselves added a lot to the film and honestly, it all looked incredible.
On the other hand, I did have a problem with this high emphasis on visuals. The party scenes and set pieces do their job, but sometimes they keep going on longer than they should, leaving less time for character development. For example, the character Myrtle (played by Isla Fisher) is show to be very important by the film's end, but we hardly see her on screen or get a real sense of who she is.
I didn't really care for the dialogue half the time either. For the most part it was tolerable, but at some points it seemed rambling and a bit unrealistic. I'm not really sure if this is just my problem though; I'm personally a fan of crisp, realistic dialogue and don't really like scenes of lengthy explanation. It may not bother you but it was a bit of an issue for me.
As for the performances, Leonardo DiCaprio and Carrey Mulligan steal the show. Both actors give a real, almost method portrayal of their characters and never hesitate. DiCaprio has been trying for years to win an Oscar and while such an award is not necessary to leave a legacy, he has a bright future if he continues his career with performances like this.
So would I recommend this film? Well in my opinion it was pretty decent, but as with Luhrman's Moulin Rouge, I feel like this movie is a love-it-or-hate-it experience. One thing that is for certain is that people who don't like surreal "artsy" visuals or modern music will be annoyed by the movie. It's been a while since I've read the book, so I'm not sure how faithful it is, but I still recommend fans of the novel to check it out and make their own judgement.
