A cautionary tale about reaching for the American Dream and being crushed by it. Much of the happenings in the novel are pulled directly from Fitzgerald’s own hedonistic experiences. In Gatsby, Fitzgerald explored the Jazz Age with an intimate knowledge and perception that no other writer could have matched. Scott Fitzgerald’s great American novel sublime, deftly written, at times wickedly funny, and always tightly under control by a master of the language who was at the top of his powers. Also, the portrayals of Daisy and Jordan just don't seem to draw us in.The Great Gatsby is F. It fades and fades and in the end, it's hard to care much. Luhrman seems to think he can do it all visually, but this is a story of lost souls, trying to recover something they can't seem to reach. He's still physically lacking as a leading man. Again, I like Maguire in other roles, but here he seems nothing more that Gatsby's toy. I never pictured Nick as the little boy seen here (Sam Waterston, while not perfect, at least seemed like a possibility). Another issue, however, is with the portrayal of Nick Carraway. He is so obsessed as to appear weak and maudlin. DiCaprio (or the script he must follow) make him seem like a giddy love soaked schoolboy. His failures of the past are in his head. Neither DiCaprio or Redford (both of whom I really like) catch the true sense of the mysterious Gatsby. This is at least the third time and I've been really disappointed all three. Maybe it's not possible to portray one of the greatest books ever written on the silver screen.
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