Review of The Great Gatsby (2013) by Brent D — 16 Mar 2015

If this were simply the telling of some random story or the adaptation of another Hollywood screenplay, the lavish, over-the-top cinematography and the wonderful score full of hybrid blends of 20s Jazz and New York hip hop would be incredibly original and probably quite pleasing.

But the fact is, the story attempting to be portrayed in this film is generally considered the greatest work in American literature and, in my opinion, deserves to be treated as such on screen. The filmmaker sacrificed important content of this story and replaced it with things that simply don't belong, things that just don't feel right as a person who has been continuously wowed by Fitzgerald's wonderful characters and unmatched storytelling ability.

This film certainly has good performances by DiCaprio, as one would expect, and also Edgerton as the pompous, overbearing philanderer Tom Buchanan. Carey Mulligan looks the part of Daisy and plays it pretty well but the film does not properly allow for her character to be represented as we've come to know her in literature.

Not being a fan personally of Tobey Maguire, I'm admittedly biased against him, however he does seem to fit the part of Nick Carraway as I might have pictured him and probably does have the depth as an actor to portray the role.

As previously stated, the problem with this film is not the acting, it's the inaccurate representation of the novel and the filmmaker's seeming attempt to make Gatsby his own personal masterpiece rather than paying homage to the original classic.

I did not have high expectations going into this movie but I was still gravely disappointed.