There's Something about Daisy

Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Great American Novel about an ill-fated love triangle (as if there's any other kind) during the Roaring Twenties is the fifth screen treatment since its publication.  Set in the glitz and glamour of 1922 New York, 'The Great Gatsby' vividly portrayed a golden age of boundless optimism, an era of wanton excess and decadence before it all came crashing down during The Great Depression.  Like 'Moulin Rouge!' and 'Australia,' 'The Great Gatsby' is a sumptuous feast for the eyes, with each scene set up like a framed picture, gorgeously shot and mesmerizingly beautiful.  But unlike those other films 'The Great Gatsby' also had more substance, proving that it is more than mere eye-candy.

 

Told as an engrossing narrative by Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), the story of Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a fascinating one.  Just who is this Gatsby, the mysterious and seldom seen Long Island millionaire who held lavish and extravagant parties at his palatial estate attended by the cream of New York high society?   The man is a living legend: An Oxford man, American war hero, rumored relative to Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany.  Well, it turned out that Gatsby is the epitome of the 'American Dream,' a rags-to-riches story that you can do anything if you just set your mind to it.
 

Unfortunately, Gatsby devoted his considerable attention to the object of his affections in the guise of Daisy (Carey Mulligan), with whom he fell in love five years ago but who's now married to Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton), ex-polo star and heir to 'old money.'  Driven by the yearning of lost love and desperate obsession, Gatsby pursued her with single-minded determination in the naïve belief that she still loved him and will leave her husband when she comes to her senses to live happily ever after with him.  Since you, like me, have probably read the book or its Cliff Notes as part of your high school English Lit requirement, I won't get into details here.  Suffice it to say that the tale ends in a manner worthy of Shakespeare.

What elevated 'The Great Gatsby' above simply another fluff piece abundant in style but lacking in substance were the fine performances by DiCaprio, Maguire and Mulligan.  DiCaprio's Gatsby oozed the charisma and magnetism of the novel's title character, and no doubt is a main reason why so many women flocked to see this movie.  And when it comes to facial expressions displaying a mixture of awe, wonderment and disbelief, there is perhaps none better than Tobey Maguire.  Carey Mulligan never looked better as a dame from the twenties and played the role of a socialite torn between her heart and her 'unhappy' marriage with consummate skill.

With its vibrant art deco/art nouveau visual spectacle, solid performances and a great contemporary soundtrack produced by Jay-Z including rap and a strangely pleasing cover of Beyoncé's 'Crazy in Love,' 'The Great Gatsby' is a modern take on a classic that--I can't believe I'm saying this--actually works.  Well done, old sport, well done!

Grade: B+

"She loves me, she loves me not."