Baz Luhrmann (Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge) has made a name for himself as a director by portraying tragic love stories within glitzy stylized settings; so the initial idea of his involvement in a Great Gatsby adaption (and the spectacularly well put together trailers that proceeded it) seemed to allude to a film with a fair amount of potential.
Unfortunately none of that potential was fulfilled, as the film is an unsatisfying, and ultimately superficial, affair lacking any of the heart of his previous films, and sacrificing depth and emotion for grand spectacle; flaws that not even a mostly impressive cast can overcome.
This adaption of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s American classic novel, The Great Gatsby, tells the tale of the mysterious billionaire J. Gatsby (Leonardo Dicaprio, Django Unchained), who resides in an illustrious mansion, throwing flamboyant parties for the people of fictional West Egg in Long Island, while secretly hoping to woo long lost (and married) past love Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan, Shame). With the help of Daisy’s cousin – wide eyed optimist Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire, Spiderman 3) – he hopes to sweep her off her feet with all the success and fortune he has amassed, and steal her away from her unfaithful husband Tom (Joel Edgerton, Zero Dark Thirty).
The trouble with the way this film is handled is that the story was obviously never intended to be a romanticized notion of epic true love, and the world they live in is certainly not just the exciting and glamorous lifestyle that it appears Luhrmann has had fun painting. The colourful and idealistic version of this world and these characters intentions is just one part of the original story, but apparently the only part he felt like giving any weight too.
There are brief moments where other aspects of the story (like the darker sides of the city and its people) are almost visible, but these moments are fleeting, and quickly disappear behind more glitter and sparkle.
Our narrator, Nick Carraway, is brought to semi-life by Tobey Maguire, who has barely been seen since his run as Spiderman. This may have been his big chance to re-jig his career, but unfortunately, there isn’t much you can say about an actor that seems to always just be playing Tobey Maguire; the goofy, almost gormless, expressions he brings with him to every role may have worked previously, but here it makes an intelligent and interesting character seem like a bit of a limp fool.
Sadly, the rest of the cast don’t do much to carry the film either. Both Mulligan and DiCaprio have their moments, but neither shine particularly bright; nor does their romantic chemistry become entrancing enough for any real emotional investment. The characterisation was so poor that motivations and actions were hard to understand, and the most of the scenes have so little soul that it’s difficult to care about the outcome of the story.
The 143 minute length feels torturously long due to a complete lack of pacing, or any well built up dramatic moments, and even the events that you’d imagine would feel exciting pass by with a yawn, as we skip on to the next session of dancing and drinking to Beyonce and Jay Z; a completely bizarre choice of soundtrack for an adaption of a classic American novel set in the 20s, that solidifies the film as something needlessly without class, and makes you feel completely removed from the feel of the era.
Some of the films pomp and fan fair is laughably cheesy (particular moments like Gatsby’s first introduction feel so over the top it’s ludicrous), and at times you can’t help but think certain shots and moments were forcibly injected by Luhrmann as though he was trying to imitate his own style from previous films and cement himself as an auteur – rather than because the film naturally allowed for it, or even benefited from it. The self-indulgent use of slow motion, floating words popping up at random moments, and merged double screens did more to take you out of the experience than add to the style of the film, or the flow of the story.
It might be a fun experience if you go in with the expectation that it’s all just one big party, but if you’re looking for a powerful dramatic story that gives you something to chew on; you will be left sorely unsatisfied.
Overall, it just feels disappointingly empty, and even those who haven’t read the novel may walk away with a sense that there is a deeper plot hidden somewhere, if Baz Luhrmann had only ventured out of the shallow end of the pool.
