The Great Gatsby
3/4
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Debicki, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke
Rated PG-13 for Some Violent Images, Sexual Content, Smoking, Partying and Brief Language
The thing that made Jay Gatsby so interesting is that despite his unbelievable charisma and all we know about him, he remains an enigma. It's only at the end that we realize that we don't know much about him. We understand what drives him, but there is still a huge aura of mystery about him. That is what makes him so compelling and so maddeningly captivating. The best thing about the film version is that it remembers this.
Nick Carraway (Maguire) is a midwesterner looking to make his fortune in the financial business selling bonds. He's a writer, but he abandoned that because the lure of quick and insane amounts of cash was irresistible. He moves into a cottage across from his cousin, Daisy Buchanan (Mulligan), who is married to the extremely wealthy Tom (Edgerton). But his cottage is also right next door to the mysterious Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio). At one of Gatsby's famous parties (they make Spring Break look subdued), he meets the man and they become quick friends. It turns out that Gatsby had a love affair with Daisy five years ago, but due to the war it ended abruptly. Gatsby is convinced that she is still in love with him, and will leave Tom to marry him. Things don't quite turn out the way he expects.
A lack of closure can drive a person mad, especially when the situation ends abruptly. Whether its a loved one who was murdered and the culprit is never caught, or a relationship that comes to a halt in an instant, it can be insanely frustrating. That's what happened to Gatsby. He was deeply in love with Daisy, so deeply that his feelings for her took on a life of their own. His life zeroed in on getting her back, and he is unable to believe that anything between them has changed, and as Nick points out, "you can't repeat the past."
The biggest problem with the film is, ironically, Leonardo DiCaprio. When I heard that he was cast as Jay Gatsby, I was wary. DiCaprio is an outstanding actor capable of brilliant performances ("Titanic" and "Blood Diamond" are two of his best), but he's miscast. DiCaprio is an emotional actor, while Gastby, at least how I imagined him, is aloof and more of an enigma (when I read the book in high school, I saw Hayden Christensen as Gatsby...only with more talent and a strong director). He gains our sympathy on charisma alone. We feel for him in a haunting, and cerebral way, not the way we do for Jack Dawson. To his credit, he does what he can, and I did feel for him, just not the right way (he has trouble with the dialogue, especially Gatsby's famous mannerism, "Old Sport." His best scenes are the ones where he isn't speaking).
I was also unconvinced that Tobey Maguire was the right man for the job of Nick Carraway (I forget who I imagined him as when I read the book...maybe Josh Hartnett? No...someone else...), but the role is within Maguire's limited range. Maguire is best at playing gawky and geeky characters, and Maguire works in the role because Nick is an outsider. Carey Mulligan is good as the conflicted but self-centered Daisy, but like DiCaprio, she's too emotional. Daisy is meant to be flighty and detached. Joel Edgerton is a great villain; he gets the role of the dominating Tom. Tom is written more emotionally, but Edgerton keeps it in check. Elizabeth Debicki is delicious as Jordan Baker (ironically, I imagined her being played by Gabrielle Union), thin and cat-like, and in some ways more mysterious than Gatsby. Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke are on-screen for so little time one wonders why they cast such big names for what amount to cameos.
I suppose that on some level it makes sense to hire Baz Luhrmann whose hallmark has been the polar opposite of subtlety, to direct a $105 million version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel of decadence and extravagance. I didn't see the 3D version (which would be odd for a drama if it were directed by anyone other than Luhrmann), but I could see what he was trying to do. The images sort of pop out on their own.
But Luhrmann has misinterpreted the source material. He makes the film a doomed love story, which the novel certainly is, but Fitzgerald meant for us to look at the story and the characters from a distance. It's meant to get under the skin, not make us cry.
For what it does, it works overall (although the decision to push back the release date was probably unfair, though it wouldn't have competed for many Oscars...important ones at least). It may not have been the right way to film "The Great Gatsby," but it is a good movie.
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Debicki, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke
Rated PG-13 for Some Violent Images, Sexual Content, Smoking, Partying and Brief Language
The thing that made Jay Gatsby so interesting is that despite his unbelievable charisma and all we know about him, he remains an enigma. It's only at the end that we realize that we don't know much about him. We understand what drives him, but there is still a huge aura of mystery about him. That is what makes him so compelling and so maddeningly captivating. The best thing about the film version is that it remembers this.
Nick Carraway (Maguire) is a midwesterner looking to make his fortune in the financial business selling bonds. He's a writer, but he abandoned that because the lure of quick and insane amounts of cash was irresistible. He moves into a cottage across from his cousin, Daisy Buchanan (Mulligan), who is married to the extremely wealthy Tom (Edgerton). But his cottage is also right next door to the mysterious Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio). At one of Gatsby's famous parties (they make Spring Break look subdued), he meets the man and they become quick friends. It turns out that Gatsby had a love affair with Daisy five years ago, but due to the war it ended abruptly. Gatsby is convinced that she is still in love with him, and will leave Tom to marry him. Things don't quite turn out the way he expects.
A lack of closure can drive a person mad, especially when the situation ends abruptly. Whether its a loved one who was murdered and the culprit is never caught, or a relationship that comes to a halt in an instant, it can be insanely frustrating. That's what happened to Gatsby. He was deeply in love with Daisy, so deeply that his feelings for her took on a life of their own. His life zeroed in on getting her back, and he is unable to believe that anything between them has changed, and as Nick points out, "you can't repeat the past."
The biggest problem with the film is, ironically, Leonardo DiCaprio. When I heard that he was cast as Jay Gatsby, I was wary. DiCaprio is an outstanding actor capable of brilliant performances ("Titanic" and "Blood Diamond" are two of his best), but he's miscast. DiCaprio is an emotional actor, while Gastby, at least how I imagined him, is aloof and more of an enigma (when I read the book in high school, I saw Hayden Christensen as Gatsby...only with more talent and a strong director). He gains our sympathy on charisma alone. We feel for him in a haunting, and cerebral way, not the way we do for Jack Dawson. To his credit, he does what he can, and I did feel for him, just not the right way (he has trouble with the dialogue, especially Gatsby's famous mannerism, "Old Sport." His best scenes are the ones where he isn't speaking).
I was also unconvinced that Tobey Maguire was the right man for the job of Nick Carraway (I forget who I imagined him as when I read the book...maybe Josh Hartnett? No...someone else...), but the role is within Maguire's limited range. Maguire is best at playing gawky and geeky characters, and Maguire works in the role because Nick is an outsider. Carey Mulligan is good as the conflicted but self-centered Daisy, but like DiCaprio, she's too emotional. Daisy is meant to be flighty and detached. Joel Edgerton is a great villain; he gets the role of the dominating Tom. Tom is written more emotionally, but Edgerton keeps it in check. Elizabeth Debicki is delicious as Jordan Baker (ironically, I imagined her being played by Gabrielle Union), thin and cat-like, and in some ways more mysterious than Gatsby. Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke are on-screen for so little time one wonders why they cast such big names for what amount to cameos.
I suppose that on some level it makes sense to hire Baz Luhrmann whose hallmark has been the polar opposite of subtlety, to direct a $105 million version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel of decadence and extravagance. I didn't see the 3D version (which would be odd for a drama if it were directed by anyone other than Luhrmann), but I could see what he was trying to do. The images sort of pop out on their own.
But Luhrmann has misinterpreted the source material. He makes the film a doomed love story, which the novel certainly is, but Fitzgerald meant for us to look at the story and the characters from a distance. It's meant to get under the skin, not make us cry.
For what it does, it works overall (although the decision to push back the release date was probably unfair, though it wouldn't have competed for many Oscars...important ones at least). It may not have been the right way to film "The Great Gatsby," but it is a good movie.
Comments
Post a Comment