★★½
So you want to adapt one of the most classic and celebrated
novels of all time? I wish you the best of luck in that endeavor. There will
certainly be resistance from the legions of fans and literary experts that hold
the book in such high regard. In director Baz Luhrmann’s case, a straight
adaptation of classic literature is out of the question. In order for it to be
successful, you would need big stars, and big budget, lots of colors, flashy
camera and editing tricks and a soundtrack filled with music not from the era.
Oh, and 3D. That’s a must. This is Luhrmann’s recipe for adapting F. Scott
Fitzgerald’s American classic “The Great Gatsby.” It’s a risky move, combining
those things into a classic like this, one that ultimately pays off very
little.
The story is the same story we all know by now, either
through required high school reading or from the popular Robert Redford/Mia
Farrow version of 1974. Nick Carroway (Tobey Maguire), a New York banker new to
the city, tells us the story. He moves next door to a mysterious millionaire
everyone knows but no one ever sees. His name is Jay Gatsby (Leonardo
DiCaprio). Gatsby is well known for throwing lavish parties with open
invitations to the entire city. On one occasion, Gatsby extends a personal
invitation to his new neighbor. Carroway attends, and the two men meet.
They spend a lot of time together, even though Carroway
knows very little about him. Gatsby does have a plan in mind, however. He would
like Carroway to invite his cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) over for tea. Daisy
lives across the bay from Gatsby and Carroway with her millionaire husband Tom
Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). Gatsby used to be in love with Daisy and he’d like to
win her affection back. It should be easy since Tom is having multiple affairs,
his favorite mistress being Myrtle Wilson (Isla Fisher). Wilson’s husband George
(Jason Clarke), suspects his wife may be sleeping around, but he’s not sure.
The novel is considered an American classic by many, and is
required reading by almost every student. Adapting such a novel is difficult to
achieve because people have such high expectations about how the film should
look. What director Luhrmann has done here is turned the story into a colorful
and vibrant looking film, but its done to utter excess in every aspect.
Luhrmann is well known for his 1996 rendition of “Romeo +
Juliet,” which made DiCaprio into a household name. He was rightfully
criticized for bringing the story into the modern day but leaving the original
Shakespeare dialogue in the old English tongue. The film was a disconnected
mess. He then made waves in Hollywood with “Moulin Rouge!” scoring a Best
Picture nomination in 2001. This film utilized modern 20th century
music to go along with the 1899 Parisian setting. It was inventive and refreshing
to see such a bold move made by a Hollywood studio. People in 1899 certainly
didn’t dance the night way to the funky beats of Fatboy Slim.
We’ve come to expect this from Luhrmann by now. So when we
see the characters in “The Great Gatsby” dancing around to Jay-Z, its not as
refreshing as it was 12 years ago. This worked well for “Moulin Rouge!” but the
modern music feels very out of place here. Luhrmann and his writing partner
Craig Pearce (whose worked with Luhrmann before on “Romeo,” “Moulin” and
Luhrmann’s debut “Strictly Ballroom”) have stayed faithful to the story, which
still seems relevant in today’s world. But Luhrmann gets carried away by
filling the movie with too much modern flair. If he wanted to make it feel
modern, he should have changed the setting to the summer of 2008 maybe, before
the economy bottomed out.
“Gatsby” is very colorful and vibrant; no one can fault
Luhrmann for that. The film is a gem to look at. The 3D version of the film is
very beautiful, one of the better 3D films I’ve seen. The ever-present night
sky is always a dark shade of blue, reminiscent of the iconic cover to the book
we’ve also seen many times (a very nice touch). This is cinematographer Simon
Duggan’s first foray into 3D photography, but it looks like he’s been doing it
for years.
The cast is full of talented actors and actresses, but
everyone seems to fall well short of their abilities. DiCaprio carries himself as
a high-class gentleman in every roll, and occasionally he can really dig into
his character to the point where we forget we’re watching the guy who played in
that sinking ship movie. Gatsby is not one of those rolls. I imagine this is
what DiCaprio is like in real life. He never sells this performance. Frankly,
he sleepwalks through.
Carey Mulligan is another talent who listlessly wonders lost
through the film. Ever since her Oscar nomination for “An Education” in 2009,
she’s played the same roll in every film. The innocent looking, wide eyed girl
who always looks like she’s about ten seconds away from running away to her
bedroom, or collapsing into a complete nervous breakdown. I guess Daisy is
supposed to be a little confused, feeling torn between her lover and her
husband, but she plays it more like a hopeless high school girl trying to
decided between two different prom invitations.
Everyone in this film over performs, like they’re on stage
playing to the last row in giant theater. I guess that’s the way people talked
and acted in the Roaring 20’s, but it certainly wasn’t to this extent. Its
entertaining at first, but after 140 minutes its worn out its welcome.
I’m sure there will be plenty of people out there who really
like “The Great Gatsby.” There are plenty of moments that are very enjoyable,
but I can’t get over the amount of excess that’s littered in every single frame.
Its definitely a summer film in that respect. Fans of the book could very well
welcome its fresh take on this era of American history. For the rest of us,
this might just be another one of those flashy films that makes for an
enjoyable trip to the movies, but will be thrown out with just about every
other summer movie by September.
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