THE GREAT GATSBY
R
143 Minutes
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Writer: F Scott Fitzgerald, Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pierce
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan
CAST
Tobey Maguire Nick Carraway
Leonardo DiCaprio Jay Gatsby
Carey Mulligan Daisy Buchanan
'I've got 99 problems and bitch ain't one of them.'
-Jay-Z
I'm not sure what it is. Perhaps DOWNTON ABBEY or BOARDWALK EMPIRE. But now, I got me a hankering for the 20s. 'Twas a much simpler time. When rich people weren't afraid to look rich. They proudly wore monocle with top hats, and collected $200 after passing. 'go'.
Just like with HORTON HEARS A WHO; it helps if you read the assigned reading before coming to class. It's a short novel with large text. Even fans of Dan Brown are capable of getting through this one.
Village Of West Egg
This takes place in 1922, on Long Island, and Manhattan. Just a little aside here: as someone from Long Island, they portray my Long Island brethren in far too positive a light.
My Name Is Not Seabiscuit
Jake Gyllenhaal...I mean Tobey Maguire plays Nick Carraway. He is superb, playing the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed neighbour of Jay Gatsby.
I didn't like the Jay-Z part of the soundtrack. It's not that I don't like his music. Wait, that's exactly what it is.DJANGO UNCHAINED got the modern soundtrack to work. Besides, there's plenty of good music from the 1920s. ...like...I'm not sure...I can't think of any now. Oh, yeah, there's that one song: Hello, my baby-Hello, my honey-Hello, my ragtime gal.
My Heart Will Go On
Leonardo DiCaprio hasn't too many blemishes on his résumé. With his more recent roles, he's definitely established himself as someone people aren't going to forget about after he's gone. A sort of immortality. Like with Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, or David Arquette.
This GREAT GATSBY is better than the one from 1974, written by Nick Cage's uncle, Francis Ford Coppola. There are many versions, some you may not have heard of. The first in 1926, then 1949, and this one everyone forgets; the A&E movie from 2000. Starring, none other than Paul Rudd. In what can only be described as a very fine, tongue-and-cheek performance. Check it out.
Because of the mixed reviews. I'm on my own, in my praise of this film. I enjoyed THE GREAT GATSBY, but you might not. It just doesn't have broad appeal. This movie is only for literature geeks, and people who love good costume design (not that the two can't overlap).
Final Verdict: 84 out of 100
