The Great Gatsby (2013)

We recently had a "Great Gatsby Night" and rented and watched both versions back to back. I was sure that Robert Redford and Mia Farrow would have better chemistry together and act circles around DiCaprio and Mulligan. Boy was I wrong. While both movies are enjoyable and follow a very similar script, scene after scene DiCaprio made Redford look like an amateur. Tobey Maguire and Sam Waterston both do an excellent job of playing Nick Carraway. However Joel Edgerton completely shames Bruce Dern in playing Tom Buchanan. Even Carey Mulligan bested Mia Farrow in Daisy. While there were a number of things to enjoy in the 1974 version, the 2013 take is outstanding in every way and much more fun to watch. For the soundtrack Jay-Z is timeless, his music defines New York just as well in the 1920’s as it does today; it was a perfect fit.

While I wanted so badly to love this movie, I have to say that it was a grand attempt that fell mightily short of expectations. A novel like The Great Gatsby is a hard thing to bring to life on screen. From the start, the movie seemed like nothing but pointless decadence. I wondered how long it would take for the story to actually begin. In reality, one could start watching 30 minutes in and be no more worse for wear. Seemed utterly meaningless. Leonardo and Toby played their roles very well. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing either role better. Other roles were somewhat questionable. I love the jazz age. I found it quite innovative, yet somewhat disturbing to have so much rap in the movie. While it was a bold move, it seemed to work. Without seeing the credits beforehand, I assumed Jay Z had a hand in it with so much of his music in the movie. I think it would have lent better to "The Roaring 20's" to use music from the time. It was a bit awkward watching people do the Charleston to H.O.V.A. Overall, The Great Gatsby is a great story, worth immersing yourself in, but I don't know if I would suggest this movie to tell that story. Too many things detract from it.

Terrible piece. Its needlessly over the top, they go through all the trouble to re-create the period and then overlay modern music /sound effects (car horns). The story is bland and I feel it's one of dicaprio's worst performances. If I hear "old sport" one more time, I might see red.