As I sit here preparing to tell you exactly what I thought about Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, all I can think about is jewelry. Specifically, Daisy Buchanan's earrings. I want. I want now. Forgive me if I gush on and on about the incredible costumes and jewelry in The Great Gatsby, but I literally gasped several times.
Amid all of the oohs and ahhs, did The Great Gatsby work? For me, not entirely. I liked some elements and I hated others. I'll try to sort this out as succinctly as possible. Overall, I am torn over whether to recommend this movie or to tell you to save your money.
If you are the type who absolutely adores the visual spectacles that mark so many of Baz Luhrmann's best works (Moulin Rouge comes to mind immediately), then by all means, get to the theater to see The Great Gatsby in all its stunning glory. Your eyes will practically burn as you watch, particularly the party scenes at Jay Gatsby's West Egg mansion.
If, however, you are more of a purist when it comes to your love of great literature, you might have some issues with this particular incarnation of The Great Gatsby. You'll be glad they open and close the film with F. Scott Fitzgerald's words, but you'll possibly want to tear out your hair. You'll question why on earth Nick Carraway is narrating the story from a sanitarium, for one thing. After hours of razzle dazzle (particularly in the first half of the film), you'll start wondering about the substance of the movie.
And you wouldn't be wrong to question those things. I was too busy being sucked in and utterly bedazzled by Luhrmann's vision of the roaring 20s in all its glistening glory. When I say I was thinking during the movie about what jewelry and clothes I wanted to 20s up my own fashion style, I'm not kidding. My mind wandered. I wondered if I should cut my long hair into a great pixie cut to show off the art deco earrings I was going to get as soon as I got home.
The acting in The Great Gatsby was good enough, especially Leo DiCaprio's performance as the conflicted, ever-so-confident (but not really) Jay Gatsby. He matched the image I had of Gatsby in my mind from the first time I ever read the novel. He does a great job with Gatsby's unraveling, and I was actually pleasantly surprised. If I'm being really honest, I hadn't actually anticipated any majorly strong acting performances in this Gatsby movie. Yes, I know Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the best actors of my generation, but still -- with Baz Luhrmann behind this one, I just didn't expect much. The best acting-related scenes, however, come without all the bells and whistles of the majority of the film.
My recommendation: If you are a movie costumes nut who loves period clothes and jewelry, see The Great Gatsby for that reason and nothing else. If you love visual movies that literally offer up insanely gorgeous, jaw-dropping, gasp-worthy sets and camera work, see the movie. If, however, you aren't sure that those two reasons are enough to drop the cash on a film in a theater, you're fine waiting for the DVD.
Again: The costumes. Oh my GOD the costumes! Well-known production and costume designer Catherine Martin, who has worked with Baz Lurhmann on several of his previous films (she won an Oscar in 2002 for costume design in Moulin Rouge), has outdone herself. She's married, by the way, to Baz Luhrmann. I didn't know that. Anyway, I predict that at the very least, The Great Gatsby will be a strong contender for best costumes at next year's Academy Awards.
Did anyone else see The Great Gatsby over the weekend? I am finding that there are two distinct camps who saw it: those who liked it really, really liked it and those who didn't were irritated and/or bored out of their minds. I'm in-between, because I enjoyed the visuals but felt the substance of the story was hindered by all the bedazzling.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm still desperately seeking a pair of art deco pearl and diamond earrings. My birthday is coming up!
Photos courtesy of NDTVMovies.com and Screenrant.com
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