This and That – The Great Gatsby Movie 2013: A Review.

Greetings! To the fans of Gatsby, please don’t take my word for anything. See the movie and make your own decisions as to its merits. Remember, a movie – like beauty – is in the eyes of the beholder. For me, a movie, regardless of subject matter, must be believable, even though it is just that – a movie. But to my line of thinking, there were just too many things that didn’t gel in this version of Gatsby.

I often quote myself after watching a period movie, “It’s the attention to detail that sets one above mediocrity.” And details seemed not to have mattered to the director. Cream-colored cradle phones were a product of the 30s, not the 20s, where the candlestick phone was the reigning style. Was Norma Shearer that famous in 1922, famous enough that Myrtle would have a huge framed picture of Shearer hanging in her New York love nest? Wouldn’t a picture of Garbo have been better?

To me, Cab Calloway was more famous in the 30s, not the 20s. And speaking of music, it’s hard to dance the Charleston to rap and hip-hop. One reviewer said the director chose that style of music because, like the jazz of the 20s, it is the “jazz” of its day. To each his own. But I will say the music was not the distractor I thought it would be, although I kept hearing the evocative soundtrack from the ‘74 version playing in the background of my mind.

And then there were the fashions and ladies’ hairstyles. Again, they appeared to be more from the 30s than the 20s. A few were spot on. Most missed the boat. Men’s 20s fashions were loose, not so skintight that you knew the men were men, if you get my drift.

But most of all, I did not “feel” for the characters. In a movie, even if it’s about Hitler or Hannibal Lecter, you gotta have some empathy for the main character/characters. DeCaprio definitely had his moments, although his antics during the tea scene with Daisy were sorta silly, at least to me. Then there were the choreographed servants dancing in and out of doorways. Really? Toby Maguire, who portrays my favorite character, Nick Caraway, has his moments, too. As far as Daisy goes, I had no empathy for her – she was lifeless. I kept longing for Mia Farrow’s diaphanous portrayal of Daisy in the 1974 version.

I could go on, but I won’t bore you any longer. The movie was just another, over-the-top, botched job of transferring a great American novel to the silver screen. But then again…this is just my opinion. See it for yourself.

Big hug, y’all!

(Originally posted on Facebook, May 23, 2013)