![]() ![]() Their on-again/off-again appearances make them less effective, leading me to believe that a much more robust version of the movie exists somewhere on Luhrmann’s hard drive. There’s also the underused Fisher, along with Jason Clarke ( Zero Dark Thirty) as the lowly working-class couple who don’t have enough screen time to gain our attention or acceptance. There are several shortcomings to Luhrmann’s casting – including Edgerton – who never seems capable of matching up with DiCaprio or Mulligan. It could have been disastrous, but the music works effortlessly alongside In Time Composer Craig Armstrong’s score. What also stands out about the story is Luhrmann’s ballsy choice of music – 1920’s ragtime is replaced with Executive Producer Jay-Z’s tracks, along with appearances by Beyonce and André 3000. Eckleberg’s optometrist’s glasses watch over a city rising a mile a minute, foreshadowing the moral change in the new America. Meanwhile, the terrific roadside image of T.J. Mulligan shines as Daisy and Maguire is solid as the naive Nick, forming a triumvirate that cannot withstand the storm that is approaching. Among the best actors of our time, DiCaprio brings an inspiring, funny, imaginative, and gripping Gatsby to life before succumbing to its tragic ending. DiCaprio is hand’s down the best thing about Gatsby, due to his innate ability to inhabit the roles of his characters so completely, from his ‘old sport’ monikers (which he throws down like a stack of Vegas chips) to the nervousness of a school boy upon seeing Daisy after so many years. Everything visually about this film screams opulence, and Luhrmann basks in it but it’s also his choices of actors which drive the plot when the parties are over and romance begins. Luhrmann paints every scene with bright colors, immersing the viewer in a symphony of detail, transporting us to a time when flappers, zoot suits, and fedoras were standard issue. The circumstances turn tragic as our trio move to a deadly third act, leaving Carraway in a mental institution to reflect upon his ruined life.ĭirector Baz Luhrmann ( Moulin Rouge) spends like it’s 1922 to bring his tale to life and while the book has been remade nearly a half-dozen times, it’s never looked or sounded so good. As the parties continue, Gatsby attempts to rekindle his relationship until he and Tom stand face to face in an overheated hotel in New York. It won’t be easy: Daisy is married to the former athlete Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton, Zero Dark Thirty) but has no idea of her husband’s infidelity with party girl Myrtle Wilson (Isla Fisher, Now You See Me). This seemingly good-natured attempt at Welcome Wagon does come at a price: Gatsby wants to re-ignite his romance with Carraway’s second cousin Daisy, whom Gatsby abandoned 5 years ago due to his poverty. The guests pontificate about Gatsby’s past, elevating him close to godhood, and leaving Carraway shell-shocked to learn that he’s been invited to meet the man himself. When Carraway moves into a cottage on the nuveau-riche fictional island of West Egg, he instantly realizes that the neighbor next door hosts a recurring activity of weekend excess, complete with celebrities, city officials, and a massive fireworks show. Scott Fitzgerald novel, Gatsby follows the parallel paths of the writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire, Spider-man series), the blonde beauty Daisy (Carey Mulligan, Drive), and the enigmatic Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island, Inception), as 1920’s America spends and drinks its way into The Great Depression. ![]() The home release doesn’t disappoint either, delivering stunning audio and video, even if the supplements are not totally complete.īased on the 1925 F. ![]() Wait, what? A Summer release? Right in the middle of explosions, superhero slaughter, and epic space battles? The decision was ballsy, and paid off with a $140 million domestic paycheck, proving that audiences do want a little high-brow entertainment with their brazen, naked, fast-car escapism. The year’s first Oscar contender The Great Gatsby represents a must-see on home video.Īmong the biggest surprises of Summer 2013 was the pushed-back release of The Great Gatsby, a film that smartly snoozed through 2012, ignoring the mammoth Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, and Argo for a Summer 2013 release. ![]()
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