Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

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Movie Night: "The Great Gatsby"

May 14, 2013

I’d read so many reviews of this movie that I didn’t know what to think going into the theater tonight. I did know that I wasn’t a fan of the Robert Redford/Mia Farrow version of the film (I hadn’t seen the previous two) and I’d given director Baz Luhrmann’s last venture, “Moulin Rouge,” an “A” for effort but hadn’t really enjoyed it.

And yet I loved Luhrmann’s “Gatsby.” Yes, it’s irreverent in that it throws Jay-Z at the jazz age and uses digital effects when conventional camera work would be more expected and casts Brits and Aussies in quintessentially American roles. And yes, it’s campy and excessive (in Luhrmann’s world, more is always more) and jam-packed with party scenes that can be exhausting. But in many ways it’s truer to the novel than I expected. In fact, Fitzgerald’s words are lifted right onto the screen – literally – and the bittersweet tone of the movie is his.

DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby is every bit as beautiful as Redford was but much more animated. He’s a man obsessed and yet full of hope – charismatic and enigmatic, generous and dangerous, a master of contradictions. Carey Mulligan is a good actress who does her best with the character of Daisy, the object of Gatsby’s devotion, but I kept wishing for an actress with a more commanding screen presence. I can’t stand Tobey Maguire’s voice, so having him narrate much of the film wasn’t my favorite element. But I loved the music and loved the cinematography and loved how Luhrmann went boldly into this adaptation and made it his own. It was that rare film that compelled me to stay through the credits, because I was so captivated by what was on screen.

This one, like “Django Unchained,” is definitely in the hate-it-or-love-it category. When I asked Michael what he thought of it, he said, “Liked not loved.” I guess there’s another category too.

 

Filed Under: Mainly Jane, Movies Tagged With: Baz Luhrmann, Carey Mulligan, Leonardo DiCaprio, The Great Gatsby

Comments

  1. Audrey says

    May 15, 2013 at 3:16 am

    Thanks for another way of looking at Gatsby, Jane. I have a feeling we’ll fall in Michael’s category when we finally see it.

  2. Jane Heller says

    May 15, 2013 at 5:34 am

    Let me know, Audrey. I love hearing reactions from others.

  3. Melissa M. says

    May 16, 2013 at 5:26 pm

    You’re always right on with your review of movies. So I am glad I saw your review of Gatsby because I am going to see it on Saturday. I had read reviews when it came out that weren’t very kind, so I was a bit apprehensive to see it. But with your stamp of approval, I should enjoy it!

  4. Jane Heller says

    May 16, 2013 at 6:58 pm

    I hope you come out of the theater on Saturday, Melissa, and say, “Jane was right about this. I really liked it.” But it’s one of those that’s hard to predict. As you say, there are many negative reviews for it. Some critics despised it. Maybe I went into it with low expectations, which always helps, but I did enjoy it.

  5. Melissa M. says

    May 17, 2013 at 9:51 am

    Well you are my new Roger Ebert!(Not sure how you feel about him, but I always tended to agree with his reviews) I remember the review you gave J. Edgar and as I was sitting through it, resisting the urge to look at my watch, I said to myself “Jane was right about this one!”. I will let you know what I think of Gatsby!

  6. Jane Heller says

    May 17, 2013 at 10:03 am

    I loved Roger Ebert and was so sad when he died. I didn’t always agree with his reviews but I loved his passion for the movies.

  7. Melissa M. says

    May 21, 2013 at 10:21 am

    Hey Jane! I saw Gatsby and I did like it. I wasn’t blown away by it, but I thought it was a good and visually stunning. I liked the costumes and music. I am glad I didn’t pay to see it in 3D, which seems unnecessary.

  8. Jane Heller says

    May 21, 2013 at 10:30 am

    I liked the music too. I downloaded Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful!”

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About Jane Heller

Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.

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