Gatsby? What Gatsby?…
No one has exemplified excess in cinema in recent times quite like Baz Luhrmann, the Aussie who burst onto the scene with Strictly Ballroom more than two decades ago before going on to dazzle with the likes of his unique take on Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet and jukebox musical Moulin Rouge!.
After a disappointing slump in quality with Australia, the man with a singular handle on glittering spectacle is back with his take on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby. The story has been adapted many times over the years, notably in the ’70s when it starred Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, but never quite like this. What results here is a predictably over-the-top affair, with subtlety as far off the menu as you could get – there are no prizes for guessing this is a Baz Luhrmann picture.
Set during the Roaring Twenties, the story follows Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), an up-and-coming bond salesman who moves to Long Island where the only people he knows is his cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). He discovers that he has in fact moved in next door to the mysterious and alluring Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), who throws lavish and extravagant parties usually attended by half of New York despite no one really knowing who he is. As Nick gets invited into the world of the allusive millionaire, he becomes more drawn in by his stories of being a war hero and world traveler, and before long Gatsby’s obsession for a long lost love comes to the forefront.
The Great Gatsby, here presented in overdone and rather distracting 3D, is a film of big successes and failures. Much of the former comes in the overall aesthetic of the piece – crisp, smooth, vibrant and eye-popping all at once, it’s a testament to Luhrmann as a director confident in his inimitable style that he achieves that sort of glitzy, all-encompassing atmosphere throughout. Sweeping shots in and out of the city lit up like a sparkling Christmas tree and bird’s eye views of the commute between bustling New York and the often livelier Long Island, all set to a genius thumping soundtrack by Jay-Z, makes it quite an experience to have.
Just as its sumptuous visuals seduce you in, Luhrmann’s film is also terribly indulgent in the wrong ways as much as in the right. Well on its way to being two and a half hours long, there are large chunks that easily could have been cut short or removed altogether – a substance-fuelled party in the Big Apple is a notable example – and while it always gives you something interesting to look at, the visual style can sometimes suck some of the heart and emotional drama out of the story. To quote an earlier Luhrmann film, there are scenes that will have you “dumb with wonderment” while others may have you checking your watch or scratching your head.
The casting is crucial when it comes to these sorts of adaptations and this, again, is where this particular Gatsby flourishes and falters. Maguire, quite the hit-and-miss actor, is decisively miscast and out of his depth in a role that needs much more of a confident, versatile actor. So much of the story is on his shoulders because it’s told from his perspective and Maguire is uninspiring in the role, perpetually left in the dust by certain others in the cast. Similarly Mulligan is rather bland and uninteresting as Daisy when she should be utterly beguiling, which is a real problem considering the importance of her character and storyline.
DiCaprio, on the other hand, is excellently cast as the puzzling Gatsby, encapsulating the character brilliantly by pitching the performance just right between drawing you in with swagger and confidence while still remaining largely a mystery. There’s also wonderful supporting work from Edgerton as Daisy’s controlling and cocky husband Tom and Jason Clarke in a small but pivotal role as George Wilson, the struggling husband of Tom’s mistress Myrtle (Isla Fisher). The cast is evidently a mixed bag but the good outweighs the bad.
The latest version of The Great Gatsby is many things: visually stunning, narratively indulgent, musically astute, well acted in places and woefully miscast in others. What it can’t be accused of is being lazy as it’s made by a passionate director who’s sure of what he’s doing and more importantly sure of what he wants. Those looking for subtlety might want to make a 180 turn and head straight for the door but as an exercise in excess and razzle-dazzle, Luhrmann’s very distinct take on Gatsby is a flawed but hugely enjoyable dose of spectacle.
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