directed by Baz LuhrmannPG-13 143mins.
6/10 stars
Release Date: May 10th, 2013 (USA)
Writers: Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce & F. Scott Fitzgerald
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Debicki, Carey Mulligan
Genre: Drama, Romance
Awards/ Nominations
A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor. -IMDBOfficial Trailer
Sort of Review:
Probably not so much as a review, but more of a rant. More aimed at the soundtrack than anything else.
I find it intensely odd that the director would take so much care and time (I mean seriously... the movie was originally supposed to come out last Christmas) to painstakingly make the cinematic appropriate towards the time era, only to include a soundtrack of hip-hop and rap music. This ruined the movie more than anything for me. Something as simple as the music. Not the dialogue (everything was basically read directly as written in the book,) not the acting (which I admit could be seen as overacting, but keep in mind the director wanted to keep things Jazz-age, and what were movies like back then? ... yeh, thought so.) but the soundtrack. I heard Jay-z, Kanye and Beyonce influences throughout, instilling not just “new” songs, but they’re old rehashed songs as well! Seriously, Crazy in Love!? I believe I heard Will.I.Am in there as well, but it was tame and subtle, and included some scatting, which is quite reminiscent of the era. I also noticed the inclusion of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black, which although is not of that era, fits with the theme. I was beaming from ear to ear when I heard George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue! I’ve always been obsessed with the Gershwins and this beautiful composition. The Great Gatsby could have been so much greater without the hip-hop & renewed songs (I literally burst out laughing when Crazy in Love started playing.) It’s weird because I’ve always been such a huge fan of Beyoncé, Jay-z and his protegés, but they just didn’t fit in this cinematic piece. I go to the theater every once in a blue moon, because of the prices I can’t go as often as I’d like to, so when I do take the time and money to go I want it to be spectacular. When I saw Iron Man 3 a week ago, THAT was spectacular! I would have rather have spent my money on seeing Iron Man 3 again, than watch this movie had I known how much it would have disappointed me. The acting was okay, I specifically love Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of Gatsby; such emotion and naivety in everything an so tragically drawn out. They kind of overdid it on the symbolism, and even had I not read and re-read the book, I would’ve still been tired of seeing it over and over again. Okay we get the idea of the green light, Okay we see T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes! But I suppose its better to have it in there than to not have it at all.
In all I was grateful that the director kept the point of the movie, and the cinematography was beyond beautiful in portraying the roaring twenties, but the music made parts of it into a joke. I sincerely wish they would’ve taken more time to evaluate the soundtrack and what should and should not be appropriate for the movie.
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