Remakes that Suck: The Great Gatsby (2013)

The Great Gatsby (And How it Broke my Heart)

  1. 132 minutes. Rated PG 13.

“I was within and without.”

Never like a movie where important quotes fly at you on screen. It’s my new rule. This movie was the Cliff Notes I wish I could have had in high school when I read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and wasn’t quite sure what important things to write about in my essay. I really wanted so much to like this movie, especially after how many times I watched Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet remake from 1996 (I even owned the soundtrack) but I just came out of it wanting to re-watch R + J and wanting to tattoo a few emo quotes from the book onto my arm.

Don’t get me wrong, every time I saw Leonardo DiCaprio brush his hair back with his hands I wanted to bite him, but he can’t carry the whole movie with his talent. Leo plays Jay Gatsby, a mysterious eccentric new rich socialite who throws wild parties at his place. Everyone has heard a different tale, but where did his money come from? Who is he, really? Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), an aspiring writer and his next-door neighbor, wants to know. He just happens to be cousins with Jay’s former girlfriend, Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan). From his dock, Gatsby can see across Long Island Sound to a light at the end of Daisy’s beautiful mansion which she shares with her wealthy, unfaithful husband, Tom (Joel Edgerton). Jay has never gotten over Daisy, and asks for Nick’s help to get her back.

One of my first high school papers was writing about the symbolism in this book. From the car colors to the one falling leaf in the pool, it was a future English major’s field day and an exercise in subtlety. The symbolism was spoon fed to you repeatedly in the movie, unfortunately. Yes, it is great that the book cover was made into a bulletin board of the optometrist to symbolize that “god is watching” but they didn’t need to zoom in and out of it every time they wanted to prove that point like the Sam Raimi camera technique from Evil Dead. Same with the green “hope” light on the dock. He didn’t have to stare longingly at it every time he missed Daisy. We knew that. (No, wait, Baz… don’t zoom in on the house again…ahhh). I probably could have chopped ten minutes off the movie just in those two shots. Can I see more of the city of ashes, please? Or the rooms in Gatsby’s house? Or Leo pushing his hair back one more time?

When I watch a movie, I know it is distinctly Baz Luhrmann. Baz has an obsession with flowy things. The curtains in Daisy’s house and the scene with Gatsby’s shirts was just another example. He also loves throwing in over-the-top party scenes with lots of confetti, glamour and bright colors. The party scenes were a feast for the eyes, full of beautiful costumes and people, but sometimes the colors were so saturated that it made the actors’ make-up look like they had jaundice.

Luhrmann is usually a master of soundtrack. The hip-hop segments were jarring but humorous, especially when the party performers were mouthing the words. But why not use more music from the times? There were a few instances of pop music remixed to sound like it was from the era, but not enough. It didn’t stand out like his previous movies (Moulin Rouge and R+J). Django Unchained is one of the best examples of musical soundtracks I have seen in a long time.

You are not suppose to really like any of the characters, and it was not conveyed enough here. All these rich people are suppose to suck. Daisy was put on too much of a pedestal and beautified. She’s one of the weakest characters, but all I could see were her dresses, flowy curtains, and Tiffany’s jewelry. Tobey Maguire played his usual pussy part with his sad eyes..still too likeable. Baz calmed down towards the end with one of the best scenes, being the argument in the hotel room between Tom and Jay, one that is worth replaying again only because of the intensity of the acting between them. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie left you hollow, like watching a laser lights show of his classic novel.

Author: Jessica

Share This Post On