The Great Gatsby

If ever there was a topic of consensus hatred, the assigned reading in high school English classes takes the cake. But I wonder if that will be the case with “The Great Gatsby” now that students will be picturing Leonardo DiCaprio throwing Jay-Z infused hootenannies while they turn the pages. In the film, director Baz Luhrmann has reimagined the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald story with an over-the-top look and feel. DiCaprio plays the title character, a mysterious rich guy, who befriends his unassuming neighbor, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) during the roaring-20s. Purists will pass out at the sight of this spectacle, but the film is incredibly successful at giving a fresh face to a classic (old) story.

Being a completely character driven film, it’s worth spending some time on the ensemble cast. The group is a mix between high profile actors and some great surprises. Joel Edgerton (Tom) does well, Jason Clarke (George) overachieves in his small but important role, and Isla Fisher (Myrtle) is middle of the road. Relative newcomer Elizabeth Debicki is a great fit for Jordan, a role that could have faded to the background without a memorable performance.

But in terms of the leads, all three live up to their character history. Maguire is long enough removed from his Spider-Man days to elicit an impartial view of him and he does surprisingly well as our sympathetic narrator/lead. Carey Mulligan, who plays Daisy, is the best casting choice. Even out of character the actress seems transplanted from a history book. Daisy is easy pickings for her. What about Leo, the actor who is always dating a different super model and on vacation in a different exotic place. Was the rich playboy a difficult stretch for him? Not at all. In fact, he does a great job layering the character with the different pockets of Gatsby’s complicated personality affecting the audience. So essentially these two paragraphs are saying that The Great Gatsby has one of the best casts of the year.

Not as successful is Luhrmann’s need to make every other scene an out of this world spectacle. Sure, the occasional scene is a true masterpiece on screen. Daisy’s introduction with windswept curtains filling the room is one that comes to mind. But I am unable to identify the need for unrelenting green screen usage. Large mansions on the water actually exist, so why not film one of those? But the number of visual successes outweighs the poor ones. I’d even say it could run a bit shorter without losing any of the story development. The film will always receive some criticism because it’s an example of turning art into spectacle. But I’m the one who has blockbusters next to the indies on my yearly top 10 lists, so I don’t care. Gatsby is a cool movie through and through. How fitting for the cool title character.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.