MPAA Rating: PG-13/ Genre: Romantic Drama/Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Debicki, Jack Thompson, Amitabh Bachchan, Adelaide Clemens, Richard Carter, Steve Bisley, Tasman Palazzi, Callan McAuliffe/Runtime: 142 minutes
I think it is a fairly safe statement to make that if you wanted to make a list of the most iconic American novels ever put to paper, one that would have to be on the list without question would be F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic masterpiece The Great Gatsby. Indeed, this tale of love lost, love found, the cost paid by one man to attempt to reacquire said love, and eternal optimism in the face of seeing the worst that people who consider themselves materially well-off are capable of all set against the backdrop of NYC in the middle of the Roaring 20s might seem like a literary slog that you had to get through in high school, but trust me when I say that maybe IF the book had come with a CD of such artists as Jay-Z, Fergie, Lana del Ray, and Bono to listen to while reading it MAYBE it would be better. Jokes aside though, there is no denying that such a rich literary source material is going to result in quite the diverse collection of cinematic adaptations with some good, some bad, one that starred Paul Rudd for some reason, but only one that has Leonardo DiCaprio, a soundtrack with the aforementioned artists, and was directed by none other the iconic helmer of 2001’s phenomenal movie musical Moulin Rouge! Suffice it to say that’s a lot of intriguing elements to go into an adaptation of this iconic literary masterpiece, but does it all manage to coalesce and come together in a way that is both respectful of the source material to say nothing of not being a complete and utter waste of time? Well let me see if I can put it to you this way dear reader: this slice of cinema most assuredly is flawed no two ways about it, but a bad movie overall this most certainly is not. Indeed, when you factor in stylish work from behind the camera and dependable work by a game cast of performers in front, the 2013 take on The Great Gatsby might not be the best literary adaptation, but nevertheless is still quite entertaining for what it ultimately is.
The plot is as follows: An adaptation of the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, our story opens in December of 1929 where we see a more than slightly bitter and cynical young man by the name of Nick Carraway is undergoing treatment for his grocery list of issues including, but not limited to anxiety and a morbid alcoholism. We soon see though that Nick’s chief problem is that he has become entirely disgusted with the human race in general. That is of course with the exception of one man. A man by the name of Gatsby. Sensing an opportunity to help his patient, we shortly thereafter witness Nick’s doctor suggest that maybe writing his story down might help him begin to recover. A story that takes us back 7 years prior to the summer of 1922 where we see a more idealistic Nick has, in the aftermath of a writing career gone kerplunk, moved from the Midwest all the way to the thriving hive of humanity that is New York City. A place which, when he’s not selling bonds, sees our hero spend his days either residing in his tiny yet comfortable cottage rental in the village of West Egg or going over to dinner parties being held at his more than slightly vain cousin Daisy and her arrogant husband Tom’s mansion home across the water in East Egg. Yet it isn’t long before this summer takes a rather interesting turn courtesy of the arrival of one Mr. Jay Gatsby into our hero’s life. Mr. Gatsby, we rather quickly perceive, is a wealthy young man who lives next door to Nick and whose parties have become nothing short of legendary for just how many people usually wind up at one of them. Aside from those attributes however, the man is for all intents and purposes a complete and total enigma to the outside world. At least that is until Gatsby decides to come out of the shadows and make a rather unique request of our hero whom he has decided to befriend. One that will, by the time this particular summer reaches its end, reveal long-buried secrets, show people for who they truly are, reveal how false the concept of love can be when it is not deserved, and not only expose the undying power that hope and a dream can truly have on a man, but also quite possibly change the life of our intrepid hero forever……
Now right off the bat, it should be noted that behind the camera this slice of cinema really isn’t all that bad. Indeed it’s helmer is a man who is known for gifting the audience with, before the release of this slice of cinema, a 90s updating of the iconic story Romeo and Juliet that felt like it had MTV as a silent producer, a larger than life epic from 2008 known as Australia that wasn’t too bad all things considered, and a dazzling and truly vibrant musical known as Moulin Rouge! Yet despite the various distinctions that exist between those cinematic properties, there is no denying that they all in their own ways utilize key components of what makes Baz such an iconic helmer. At the same time though, it should also be pointed out that none of those prior slices of cinema engaged in as much style as this slice of cinema does. Indeed every single viewer I know who has had the pleasure of watching this has found themselves falling into one of two distinct camps on the subject. Those camps being that this film’s style is a very strong positive that it has going for it or that this slice of cinema puts more of a priority on style rather than the narrative or anything of substance. In that regard, I will try to be as diplomatic in how I approach this as I possibly can. Therefore, there is no denying that Baz’s take on this iconic story is all but oozing with style and panache to spare literally beginning with the open credits which are truly glamorous to look at. Now, as for those of you out there who feel that the style robs this slice of cinema of any degree of heart, I would just like to say that I politely do not see it that way. This is because one of the things that this story revolves around is the debauchery and gross abundance that was very much a key component to the 1920s. In that spirit then, we see that a lot of the style present in this film isn’t there just for smiles and whiles, but in trying to be on the level of what was present during that era and in that regard this slice of cinema works extremely well. Indeed from the wild parties to a kinetic scene inside a speakeasy, the style utilized doesn’t just impress, but also does a terrific job at bringing you into the era its set in. Yet in the eyes of this reviewer, the best work from a visual perspective isn’t either of those areas. Rather, it is the moments where we see 1920s NYC in all its lovely glory from the glowing lights to the hectic and crowded streets. Finally, it should be pointed out that much like it’s source material, there are a lot of thematic concepts threaded into the narrative and I think it works fairly well due to how faithful the creative team is in adapting the work. No its not as riveting, but enough is pulled from the literary source that I am fairly satisfied. Now I would like to say that the work done behind the camera is entirely flawless, but I also promised I would never lie to you dear reader. In that respect, I should point that whilst yes there is some heart to be found here, I also will just as easily point out there is a chill factor present especially in one significant relationship. As a result, there is a lull in the proceedings that drags both the movie and two of the characters down a bit. Along with that, it should be said that this slice of cinema’s musical accompaniment is very much a rollercoaster and not in a good way. Indeed when it is playing jazz or other music from the era it is very much on point. Unfortunately, we also get moments where Jay-Z and other modern artists pop up and these feel out of place at best and just plain distracting at worst. All things considered though, the work being done behind the camera is fairly good even if there are areas where it could be a lot better.
Of course, the other big component that definitely works in this slice of cinema’s favor would be the fact that it possesses a, by and large, terrific cast of performers to portray the respective characters in this. This starts with screen icon Leonardo DiCaprio who is perfectly cast as Jay Gatsby. Indeed it might take 29-30 minutes before he finally appears in full in this, but this just does a great job of helping to build up the intrigue and mystery surrounding the character. A mystery and intrigue incidentally that once DiCaprio does show up in the movie he manages to embody brilliantly. More than that though, DiCaprio also does a great job at capturing both Gatsby’s suave and charming public face as well as the small slivers of vulnerability as well as humanity that showcase who this guy truly is that he provides here and there throughout respectively. Suffice it to say that yes the movie is good, but DiCaprio’s performance is (to no surprise) next-level in every way possible. I also to some degree admire the work being done here by Tobey Maguire in the role of narrator/our guide through this world Nick Carraway. Indeed Maguire does a fairly good job at playing this at first quite idealistic and seemingly decent at heart individual who, as the film goes on and more and more is revealed to him about the people he has chosen to surround himself with, finds his idealism being stripped further and further away and what’s left is a weariness that is still somewhat tempered by the genuine friendship he manages to form with Gatsby. Suffice it to say that I have long felt that Maguire was a very much under the radar talent and in this he manages to do fairly good work though the fact that he has such great chemistry with DiCaprio is hardly surprising seeing as the two have been real-life pals since they were kids. Also worthy of mention here is Carey Mulligan as Nick’s cousin Daisy Buchanan. Indeed this is a very tough role to play because on one hand the character of Daisy is supposed to be this woman who is very vulnerable, but who also is someone who is very vain yet only shows it off at certain points throughout the story. Suffice it to say though that Mulligan does a wonderful job at playing this character in that respect whilst also making sure that she is also given the chance to showcase some much-needed humanity as well. Rounding out the main quartet in this story however is a phenomenal turn from Joel Edgerton as this story’s de-facto antagonist Tom Buchanan. Indeed not only does Edgerton right from the word go make this guy a bit on the bullying and gruff side, but he also makes him someone who has no qualms about either exerting his masculinity on everyone around him as well as bringing the arrogance in any given room up by a scale factor of at least 15. Suffice it to say that the character of Tom is a difficult part to play because there is little to nothing redeemable about this guy, but Edgerton sinks his claws into it and manages to give one heck of a performance. Thus, when you also factor in terrific work from co-stars Elizabeth Debicki, the always welcome Jason Clarke, and Isla Fisher what you are left with is a collection of performances that are fairly well done all things considered.
All in all, is the 2013 take on The Great Gatsby a (for lack of a better word) great slice of cinema? Honestly I hate to say it, but nope. Not even close. Points for effort though. At the same time however, is this slice of cinema worth a solid 48% on that infamous movie review site Rotten Tomatoes? Again no, nope, not even close. Indeed film helmer Baz Luhrmann does do a wonderful job of attempting to showcase the lively and debauchery-stricken era of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s source material, but I feel that the narrative has a lot more to offer than that copious amount of flair up its respective sleeves. As a result, I think it can easily be said beyond a doubt in your mind dear reader that I did manage to have quite a fair bit of fun with this cinematic adaptation. Sure it’s soundtrack can be a bit hit or miss and there are a few other flaws scattered throughout this slice of cinema’s 142 minute runtime, but this is one film that does manage to honor the source material that inspired its creation by adhering as closely as possible to the narrative, the visual flair and effects on display is truly commendable, and there are some downright right potent performances from a truly stacked cast of players. Thus this might not be 110% perfect, but I still found myself caught up in it. No, it won’t ever be the best regaling of this distinct narrative, but as far as cinematic adaptations this is a fairly well done telling of the iconic saga about not only how love can blind and destroy even the most successful of us, but also how people are rarely if ever who they seem to be both in ways that are good and ways that are most assuredly not so good. Make of that what thou will old sport. On a scale of 1-5 I give The Great Gatsby “2013” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
