Movie #16 - The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby tells the story from the point of view of Nick Carraway (well played by long time Leo associate Toby Maguire of Spiderman fame), an innocent young man from the Midwest who moves to New York to make a fortune working at the Stock Exchange.  Living in a small worker's cottage in the outer suburbs, he spies on his neighbour, the mysterious Jay Gatsby (Leonardo diCapria) who throws massive lavish parties but nobody knows who he really is.  Nick is soon befriended by Gatsby, much to his delight and confusion at the same time as to why he has been chosen.  Nick also regularly visits his cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan, best known for Drive) who has moved from the Midwest to marry Tom Buchanan (Aussie Joel Edgerton relishing a juicy role), a rich former polo player who provides everything and allows her to enjoy a 'society' life.

Poor naïve Nick soon becomes enamoured with the lifestyle of Daisy, Tom (who has a very dark side) and Gatsby, but things turn sour once he is made aware that Daisy and Gatsby have a past connection.  From there, events become very dramatic and the big parties featured strongly in the fizzy trailer for the film disappear.  There seem to be some who think the movie was too much of a love story compared to the novel, but I didn't think it was much of a love story at all.  For a start, it is told from the viewpoint of Nick so you never really get a sense of the reason for the love between the characters.  Also it seems to be more about obsession than love.

I've not read the classic novel by F Scott Fitzgerald on which it was based so I can't comment on how faithful it is.  But I did think it was a very good commentary on the social issues of the time, you just have to dig a little deeper to find it than you might with other movies that shove the moral down your throat.  The Great American dream (fame and fortune, celebrity obsession) is as alive and well today as it was back in the 1920s when Fitzgerald was writing, and it is touched on in a fairly subtle way for most of the running time.

The Great Gatsby may be on a few peoples' Avoid lists, since it is the latest film directed by Baz Luhrman who people seem to either love or hate.  With Strictly Ballroom, Romeo & Juliet, Moulin Rouge and Australia in his back catalogue, you could certainly expect Gatsby to be a flamboyant, extravagant, pretty film which entertains but doesn't really make you think too much.  I like most of Baz's stuff and if you look hard there are some big issues in his films, they're just not really obvious.  If you don't like Baz and were thinking about not seeing Gatsby, I'd suggest you think again, as it is not the typical Baz Luhrman picture.  Yes, there are magnificent sets, props and costumes (for which he is well known).  Yes, there is a deliberate clash of period setting with modern day pop and rap music, but it's not as jarring as it was in Moulin Rouge and I think the selections suited the scenes.  However, the storyline and acting are a cut above the usual.  The drama is a lot more serious and there are not many laughs to be had at all.

I enjoyed this movie a lot, even though it was quite different than I thought it would be.  A final note on the 3D version is that you should not waste any money on the 3D version.  It did not add much at all.