The Great Fitzpatrick...I Mean The Great Gatsby

I went to this movie with a bad attitude presuming it would be pretentious and overwrought. It was in some parts, but in other parts it was a well done. The problem with the movie it is inconsistent. Parts of it were cartoonish and silly. I think the director Baz Luhrmann, who directed Moulin Rouge, injected the Great Gatsby with scenes that worked in Moulin Rouge but stumbled here.

Parts of the movie were very annoying. The movie is shot in 3D. Since my senior citizen ticket did not cover 3D, I skipped it. Instead I squinted my eyes for the same effect, almost. For a 3D shot, Baz swept the camera over the water for the sensation of movement; it really does not work in 2D. Another gimmick was floating letters in the clouds when Toby Maguire was writing. 3D belongs with Disney not here.

In some scenes Baz shot the actors as giant heads. DiCaprio’s head looked like a huge bobble doll. He used this technique too often and it became irritating. To add a fresh dimension to the film part of the sound track includes hip hop (Jay Z sang, fo shizzle)

Visually the film was very attractive. The mansions and gardens were opulent rendered with the aid of computer graphics. The parties were shot in vibrant colors and the dancing was frenetic. The grimy sections of Long Island City were depressing and this was reflected in the hopelessness of their inhabitants.

I was forced to read this book in high school, but I do not remember the story; which is great since everything is new again. Gatsby is obsessed over Daisy pining for her for five years even building his mansion across the sound from hers. He anonymously sends her flowers and secretly goes to parties where she is. In today’s parlance Gatsby is a stalker. Overall the acting is pretty good. DiCaprio plays Gatsby with insecurity and he is too anxious to please. Carey Mulligan glows on the screen and projects porcelain frailty. She is the object of desire for Gatsby and her philandering husband. The husband is played by Joel Edgerton, who is a very good actor (Kinky Boots and the Warrior). To her husband Daisy is just a possession and he bitterly does not want to lose her. Then there is Spiderman, Toby Maguire. He is wide eyed and in taken in by Gatsby’s wealth and personality. Maguire is skeptical of Gatsby but remains loyal to him.

Leaving the movie I heard some faint applause, but it did not catch on. The applause was halfhearted like the movie.