Review: The Great Gatsby (2013)

This is one movie that I really wanted to see when it came out, but never got around to it.  Directed by one of my favorite directors, Baz Luhrmann, I was pretty sure it was a safe bet to watch.  In the end, however, I was only half-impressed.  Perhaps it’s because I have never read the original book (a fact that I thought would have made the movie better), or perhaps it’s because I enjoy Luhrmann’s extravagant style, but for some reason this one just didn’t stand out for me.

The basic story revolves around Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire that likes to throw parties.  His neighbor, Nick Carraway is the narrator, telling the story of Gatsby from his own perspective.  As it turns out, Gatsby is there because he is in love with a woman that he has not seen in five years.  Born poor, everything in his life he has done so that he can gain enough money and prestige to show the girl that he is worthy of her affections.  In the end, it does not prove to be enough.

Being as how Moulin Rouge was my favorite Luhrmann film, it was strange to see him directing without much of his signature style.  For the first third of the movie, we get the outstanding visuals and the cross-time feel that Luhrmann loves to use, but beyond that the movie turns into something more ordinary, only occasionally returning to the eclectic.  And while Luhrmann does a great job of directing, the movie feels like it comes across in two different parts.

Some of why the movie didn’t impress me had to do with the characters.  Again, this is where I feel like perhaps I should have read the book.  The titular “Great” Gatsby, while he is a friendly and interesting person in the beginning, ends up being just as controlling in his own way as the man he is fighting for the affections of the girl.  And Nick, despite this reveal, still insists that Gatsby is a great man.  Maybe this was viable back when the book is written, but in the modern day it comes across as stalkerish and kind of bizarre.  Normally, Luhrmann is one of the best as bridging these historic gaps, but in this case it doesn’t seem to work.

While the movie is visually amazing and contains some excellent acting performances, in the end it does not have enough of Luhrmann’s crazy style, does not translate well and left me feeling like I didn’t care how it ended.  Could Luhrmann have saved this with a little more work?  Or is The Great Gatsby untranslatable to today’s world?  Until I read the book, I may never know.  For more opinions on this movie, you can head over to Rotten Tomatoes where it got a mixed 49/70% review.

Photo Credits -           

Great Gatsby courtesy of chud.com