The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" is considered by most (including me) as one of the greatest American novels ever written. It was with great caution/anticipation that I walked into Australian auteur Baz Luhrmann's shiny new version. Gatsby has been adapted into film a few times before, most notably (boringly) in the 70's with Robert Redford as the title character. Luhrmann has adapted great works of literature before, 1996's  Romeo + Juliet was a great modern day take on the classic tale of love. Luhrmann however also has in his arsenal one of the worst movies I've ever seen: 2001's musical on crack "Moulin Rouge". This Gatsby was also being filmed in 3D, maybe a way to intrigue those who only read the Cliff's Notes version of Gatsby during their high school days. What is presented here is a grand mix of grandiose production design and a highly faithful adaptation of the book with a few flaws but overall a very good and surprising film.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays reclusive millionaire?, billionaire? Jay Gatsby here in a role that is tailor made for him. The main cast is filled out by Toby Maguire as Nick Carraway, also the films narrator, Carey Mulligan as Gatsby's love interest Daisy Buchanan and scene stealer Joel Edgerton as Daisy's husband/Gatsby's rival Tom Buchanan. I've always interpreted Gatsby from the book as a kind of Howard Hughesish playboy, has a taste for the finer things but also is reclusive and wary of people outside of his inner circle. DiCaprio does a fine job here but as the character is written he goes from reclusive shut in to a love interest for the newest Katherine Heigl romantic comedy, its an uneven interpretation at best. The role of Daisy while vital to the story is kind of a thankless role, Daisy is one of the more frustrating characters in the book. Mulligan obviously has the beauty for the role but isn't given a lot of dialogue to chew on. I thought casting Maguire as Carraway, really the central character in the book and movie was a mistake at first but as Carraway is out of his element for most of the film Maguire brings a believability to this. Edgerton is really the stand out star here for me, Tom Buchanan can be viewed as a meathead but Edgerton brings an intensity to the character, especially in the end scenes.

All of the films reported 120 million dollar budget is on the screen, along with the A-list cast the production design is some of the best I've seen. Computer green screen is used thoroughly and throughout to give the film which was filmed in Australia the New York/Long Island scenery that is required along with the material, this trick is sometimes blatantly obvious especially in driving or flashback scenes. Scenes inside many of the glorious mansions or apartments are more rich and gives the performances themselves an extra jolt instead of just pretending that you are there. The soundtrack features new and old tracks from some artists you might not associate with the roaring 20's. Jay-Z (also the films executive producer) and Lana Del Rey among others fill out the soundtrack and the songs even appear in the film. At first I thought this was a ridiculous idea but maybe not surprisingly it actually works in the limited role the songs are used, mainly during the extravagant party scenes which could stand alone as their own movie.

If you aren't a fan of the book I don't think this Gatsby will convert anyone. If you haven't or don't remember reading the book I think this is a great introduction and should make those who are curious to actually read the book. Lurhmann's style isn't for everyone but other than a misguided introduction and a lack of focus on the supporting characters this version of "The Great Gatsby" should be viewed as the benchmark for the cinematic material, especially if you are too lazy to read the book.