MOVIE REVIEW: THE GREAT GATSBY

An aspiring writer falls under the spell of an aloof millionaire with designs for the young scribe's unhappily married cousin in director Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's celebrated novel. It's the spring of 1922, and wide-eyed Midwesterner Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) has just moved to New York City in pursuit of the American Dream. Settling into a home next door to wealthy Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), Carraway grows increasingly fascinated by the elaborate parties held at his new neighbor's estate. Meanwhile, across the bay, Carraway's cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) flounders in her marriage to philandering aristocrat Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). Inspired by the debauchery on display at Gatsby's wild parties and the lives of the wealthy elite, Carraway begins putting pen to paper as it gradually becomes clear that his cousin and the millionaire share a complicated romantic past that remains unresolved. Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, and Elizabeth Debicki co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher, Joel Edgerton

Release Date: May 10, 2013

Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language

Runtime: 2 hr. 22 min.

Genres: Drama, Romance

Review:

Let me start off by saying that I personally love Baz Luhrmann’s style. I’ve been a fan since I first saw his take on Romeo and Juliet. Moulin Rouge was one of the best movie going experiences I’ve ever had, turning me into a fan of movie musicals along the way. I’ll even admit that I enjoyed Australia which was an over long bloated mess of a movie but there was enough there for me to like that I had no problem trudging through its 3 movies in one self. Needless, to say I’m an easy mark for his latest adaptation and slightly biased. My expectation were set fairly high and while the movies runtime worried me, especially after sitting through an overlong Iron Man 3 last weekend. When it was all said and done I wasn’t disappointed. I watched the film in 3d, of the few shot in nascent 3D, and it thoroughly impressed me in its immersion especially in the frenetic first half where you feel like streamers and confetti fall around for the better part of the hour. Once we head into the more somber 2nd half of the film Baz pulls back, as required by the plot, and it’s equally engaging. The 4 primary cast members all deliver excellent performances throughout. Leonardo DiCaprio is mysterious and mostly restrained; he does a good job of capturing Gatsby psyche on film. Tobey Maguire, who’s usually bland for me, was rather impressive as the doe eye naïve narrator who slowly becomes more and more cynical as the film progresses. Carey Mulligan isn’t asked to do much but she does display a broken sadness appropriate for her character throughout. Joel Edgerton is just as impressive as DiCaprio and Maguire as the brutish Buchanan, his performance is actually quite eye catching. Equally eye catching is seeing Baz Luhrmann’s last 3 films come together to form this film. There are bits and pieces that taken from each but combined to deliver one of his most complete and compelling films.

A

Cindy Prascik’s Review of The Great Gatsby

Dearest Blog, with an extra-busy weekend ahead, yesterday I spent the afternoon with The Great Gatsby.
A smalltime New York stockbroker is drawn into his mysterious neighbor's bigtime life.

Not sure how I could spoil a story that's almost 90 years old but, for argument's sake, we'll say spoiler level here is mild, nothing you wouldn't have gotten from the trailers.

Dear Blog, we all know too-high hopes often lead to disappointment. Since I burned vacation time to see this opening day, it goes without saying my expectations were ridiculous, but I'm pleased to report the movie met all of them.
Starting with the obvious, Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby looks magnificent. I elected to pass on the 3D, and it was still as amazing as anything I've ever seen, so much so that I'll be seeing it again in 3D as soon as I can. The costumes, sets, and makeup are effectively another character in the film, setting each scene's mood and even its tempo. The quirky soundtrack suits the movie perfectly.

Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor I'll see in anything. Even if the project doesn't appeal to me, I know he'll be good enough to make it worthwhile. His Gatsby is alternately infuriating and heartbreaking, another stellar turn in an amazing career. Carey Mulligan does a fine job in the female lead, difficult for me to admit since I despise her. I generally have no feelings on Tobey Maguire either way, but his is the one role I wished had been filled by someone else. Curiously, his Spidey replacement Andrew Garfield kept coming to mind as a better fit. Gatsby reunites Zero Dark Thirty's Joel Edgerton and Jason Clarke in two quite unsympathetic roles. My favorite performance in the film is from newcomer Elizabeth Debicki. She doesn't have as much to do as some others, but every second of her screen time had my full attention.

Gatsby exceeds two hours by a fair bit, but it never felt long to me; I enjoyed every minute. If I ever knew what caused its release to be moved from December to May, I've forgotten, but after seeing the film it seems wrong. Gatsby is definitely more Awards Season fare than Summer Blockbuster.

The Great Gatsby runs 143 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying, and brief language." (Does the MPAA seriously use "party" as a verb...and have a warning for it??) It is a beautiful, spectacular movie-going experience, and I can't wait to see it again.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Great Gatsby gets eight.

Now, if anyone needs me, I'll be building a mansion across the bay from where Gary Oldman lives with his wife.

Until next time...




Guys, guys, guyzzzzzzz...I think I'm in love (again)! ;-)

[Trailer] The Great Gatsby

I’ve watched this trailer a few times and I’m still a little taken aback by it. Personally I’ve been a fan of Baz Luhrmann, even enjoyed his over bloated Australia, but I’m going to hope some of the odd choices can be written off to a strange marketing campaign. I’ll hold judgment until I see more but for right now I’m a tad confused at what direction this is going to take….