Movie Review: The Great Gatsby (2013)

Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic, The Great Gatsby, is an opulent retelling of the story, capturing the glitzy indulgence of the 1920s Jazz scene and the cruel brutality stirring in the shadows. Luhrmann and his cast create a film that stands on its own while being faithful to the novel.

Luhrmann is the perfect choice to direct. Many think Luhrmann is more style over substance, using William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge as proof, but in the midst of all the glamour and design is heart, a raw emotion his actors know is there, and they cling to it, whether it’s the lust between Romeo and Juliet or the naïve love Christian has for Satine. Luhrmann understands the idealized love Gatsby has for Daisy, so underneath the art deco furnishings and architecture, the confetti, the very embellished flapper dresses, and boozy soirées is the story of a man wanting to recapture the past and live the life he thinks he deserves, and the tragedy that can befall a man who reaches too far.

In order to get this version of The Great Gatsby right, the actor playing Gatsby must comprehend Gatsby’s imagination and eternal hope, and Leonardo DiCaprio does. Gatsby is both empty and full of hope; he has only pure love in his heart, a pure love for Daisy Buchanan, a woman he yearns for, a longing he has carried in his heart for the past five years. DiCaprio radiates the gentle warmth and exuberance Gatsby has. The scene in Nick’s home when Gatsby is in the same room with Daisy for the first time in five years exemplifies why DiCaprio is the best Gatsby. The tortured expression on his face, the hope and desperation oozing out his pores as he tries to hold his rain-soaked body steady so he can appear to her as a proper gentleman worthy of her status, all convey the importance of this pinnacle moment, a moment Gatsby has planned and worked so hard to make happen. Throughout the entire film, DiCaprio knows to never let Gatsby’s hope waver even when all of the signs scream that his idea of love is nonexistent.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby

Carey Mulligan understands her character as well. Mulligan knows Daisy is like a kite. Daisy seems to be free, flittering from lazy days to parties to being a mother when it suits her; she appears to be able to fly away, but she is tethered to her life, and she likes being bound to her husband Tom (Joel Edgerton) and the lifestyle old money provides. While Gatsby swims in the notions that Daisy has clung to their love for five years, Mulligan knows Daisy just wants to dally during the summer, the time to partake of fantasies. While Daisy does not look at Gatsby the way he does her and she tries to tell him all she wants to do is run away and have fun, he refuses to listen and look at what is right in front of him. When he wants more from her than she is willing to give, her expression tells everyone that she is done playing in Gatsby’s dream, even though he still clutches at the chance they will still be together. Gatsby convinces himself Daisy just needs a bit more time, but Mulligan lets us know Daisy’s true intentions. Gatsby’s Daisy died the day she accepted Tom’s gift of $350,000 pearls, or perhaps she never existed, but Gatsby refuses to accept this, even at the end, and Mulligan doesn’t try to hide Daisy’s lack of remorse over Gatsby’s foolishness.

Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan

Witnessing the events during the summer of 1922 is Daisy’s cousin, Nick Carraway (Toby Maguire). The film cuts back and forth between the present, Nick’s time in a sanitarium, and the summer he met Gatsby. Like the novel, Nick is our gateway into the world of overindulgence, endless parties, and the whims of the rich. He straddles the line between insider and outsider, both a part of the events and an observer. Nick does get carried away, but as he sees the interactions between Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, and Tom’s mistress Myrtle (Isla Fisher) unfold, he learns the lessons Gatsby does not. Nick is almost lured in by the appearances people present, but he gains the ability to see beyond the dazzle to the dark coldness people in power can possess. He tries to bring reason to Gatsby, attempting to drag Gatsby out of his dream and into reality, but Nick can only stand by a watch as his friend tries to touch the green light always shinning at the end of the Buchanan pier, a light neither Daisy or Tom realize is there, but Nick cannot convince Gatsby that light cannot be held. Maguire has an earnest face, a face that communicates genuine eagerness, but as Nick gets deeper into the mire, the twinkle in Maguire’s eyes diminishes and any enthusiasm he had about being a part of the elite life disappears.

Toby Maguire as Nick Carraway

You do not have to have read the novel to enjoy the film, but there are bits for those of us who have read the novel. Many lines from the novel are in the film, such as “I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool,” “His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one,” and “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” Also, the images in the film match well like Gatsby’s yellow car, Gatsby’s huge mansion filled with too much art, and Gatsby tossing his shirts to Daisy, demonstrating his wealth like a male peacock with tail feathers fully displayed.

The Great Gatsby is like Jay Gatsby in his pink suit. Yes, the beauty is breathtaking and enchanting, but you can’t just look at the suit. Gatsby thought appearance was enough, but the film, like Tom, understands that the full story is in the details. It’s easy to just look at the flash of The Great Gatsby and judge it shallow, but pay attention because the film is a poignant examination of the danger of dreams colliding with reality and the fallout of denying the truth about the one you love.