Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this in 3D? No.
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 143 minutes ( ~2.5 hours)
Disclaimer: I’ve watched the 1974 movie (groundbreaking for its time, but pretty retro now) and read the book, so there are many expectations and preconceived notions I have of the film.
The Great Gatsby is, at heart, a love story. Which is a much stronger, and more identifiable adaptation than if Baz Luhrmann had stuck with the original “corruption of the American Dream” theme and had to explain the Prohibition era. Then again, if you watch Boardwalk Empire, you probably know what the Prohibition era is.
I liked it. It was visually theatrical and over the top at times, but I doubt watching it in 3D would have made it better. The story hit all the right notes and fell into place at all the right places, making you care about Gatsby and his tragic fate and not so much about Nick Carraway, who was a bit… Peter Parker-ish. Maybe it’s the goofy smile, but I didn’t really feel that Tobey Maguire stretched himself playing this part.
For myself, I identified with both Gatsby and Nick, which is something I believe every writer hopes to do – make his audience empathise for all his main characters. Updating Nick to being a writer who went into banking was a touch of brilliance that helped put him into the shoes of today’s adults – to pursue your passion or to make money.
Gatsby & Daisy’s forbidden love story was slightly marred by Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance, which seemed a little too over dramatic and lacked subtlety at times, especially with his overuse of “old sport.” After the first 10 times, yes I get that it’s part of his character, but I think he repeated it so many times in the final scene that I wondered if it was the fault of the editor. However, their romance was saved by Carey Mulligan, who isn’t so much a great actress as she does have the biggest, saddest eyes I’ve seen. When she pouts, it doesn’t look irritating – it makes you want to hug her and say everything is all right. Much like Blake Lively (Serena van der Woodsen from Gossip Girl), she had this quality that really made everything she did forgivable.
Which was a bit of the problem at the end. You didn’t really get the sense that she and Tom “smashed up things and creatures and retreated back into their money” at the end. Also, in a case of fridge logic – you forget that Gatsby’s accumulation of wealth isn’t entirely because of Daisy, but largely because of his ambition to break out of his humble beginnings.
Joel Edgerton, who played Tom Buchanan, did give a good performance, making us feel for the villain of the piece, and brought out Tom’s desperation and humanity at losing Daisy. In the end, he really did fulfill the role of a husband, and ironically it’s Daisy and Tom who have a happy ending.
Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Jordan Baker, didn’t really act much, but she brought a certain sort of icy sensualness that was pretty refreshing in a movie where everything was brightly coloured and overly dramatic.
Nevertheless, it was a good film about forbidden love, missed chances, and choices. It was a tad long, but then again as I’ve already read the book, I was just hanging on to see how certain scenes would be executed and if my favourite bits were in the movie.
And short hair never looked so loveable as it did on Carey Mulligan.
Leave a Reply