The Great Gatsby Reivew

RYAN: The latest adaptation of The Great Gatsby classic novel is all Baz Luhrmann.  He is such a genius!  I love what he does and if you like his aesthetic, you’ll be into this.

CHUCK: He’s so good at bringing fantasy into a real setting.

RYAN: This movie has the same rhythm and tone as Moulin Rouge.  It’s paced about the same, uses music similarly, though not a musical, and has all the same beats.  Moulin had Ewan McGregor at a typewriter, here it’s Tobey Maguire.  There’s a Harold Zidler-type in the party scenes, the theme of love and loss, etc… Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite movies so that this is similar at all, really drew me to it. 

CHUCK: Absolutely.  All of the zooms into Paris in Moulin Rouge were used to similar effect here in New York and Long Island.  There were many similarities stylistically but that’s Baz and it’s his stamp.  The command he has of his own style is on such a blockbuster level, like, you can tell just by looking at this that he did it. 

RYAN: He is a master and this is a masterpiece.  This actually felt like a musical, even without being one. 

CHUCK: Right, aside from breaking out in song, it had everything. 

RYAN: Before we get to the cast, this movie is just so beautiful and gorgeous to look at that I wish my eyes could eat because it looks all so delicious. 

CHUCK: I wished I had a remote control so I could just pause and take in all that we were seeing in certain frames. 

RYAN: And sure it’s the set design and the costumes which are magnificent and worthy of Oscar noms, but the way he edits and directs is so glamorous and whimsical – like when we’re first introduced to Daisy, it’s choreographed. 

CHUCK: Totally.  It was definitely a collaboration but on a movie like this, you know it all stems from the director and his vision.  Scenes are so lush and unbelievably detailed. 

RYAN: The first time you see Gatsby is my favorite moment in the movie.  It gives you the chills.  It’s moments like that which keep me coming back to movies.  The way it’s framed, the timing, the design.  That moment owns you. 

CHUCK: Right, it built up and the music swelled and it’s in the middle of one of those ridiculous, opulent parties, where you’re like, “How is this even possible?!” And it was all filmed on sets.  They were exquisite.  But you’re right that moment was so classic Hollywood. 

RYAN: This movie is so old Hollywood classic glam.  That’s where is reminds me of what I liked about Baz’s Australia or Moulin Rouge.  It’s big and special like the splashy musicals of the ’30s and ’40s. 

CHUCK: Leonardo DiCaprio just drips of old Hollywood.  He’s the closest we can get to Cary Grant and that whole generation. 

RYAN: Well he and Hugh Jackman, George Clooney… but you’re right.  With this performance, Leo leads the pack.  When you think of Titanic or The Aviator, this is another one of his strong roles.  Robert Redoford has been iconic to Jay Gatsby for generations but I didn’t even think about comparing him because Leo is so superb. 

CHUCK: Yeah Redford’s was made 39 years ago and the kids today will all associate Leo with the role. 

RYAN: I think the same can be said of Carey Mulligan.  She did a great job.  I liked Mia Farrow better in the 1974 film, but this movie overall is so much improved that I can’t ever imagine watching the old one again. 

CHUCK: I never read the book.  I never saw the previous film; so I went in with a blank slate and I thought Carey was luminous and fabulous.  I loved her.

RYAN: Joel Edgerton was great as her husband. 

CHUCK: So good.  He’s an Australian actor.

RYAN: And then Isla Fisher, also Australian – I don’t think she’s a very good actress, usually, but she was phenomenal in this movie. 

CHUCK: And she was only onscreen for, like, ten minutes. But she is so great – the costuming, makeup, hair design, it all works.  They got it. 

RYAN: And then there’s the man whose movie this really is – Tobey Maguire.  He carries the movie. He’s great as the narrator and in the role.  He’s a recovering alcoholic and it’s amazing to see how well he played the drunk scenes.  He looks great and he’s just endearing in the role. You have to identify with him in order for this movie to work, you see everything through his eyes and he makes you feel his sense of awe the way you are awed by this film. 

CHUCK: It is all from his point of view. 

RYAN: This film really honors the book.  Many lines of dialogue are actually taken directly from there and you see pages and lines projected across the screen throughout the film. 

CHUCK: I liked that.  It is a classic piece of literature. It has stood the test of time so it’s cool that they did that.  And this is the second best movie I’ve ever seen in 3D, the first being Life of Pi. 

RYAN: I liked the 3D.  It’s shot in 3D but I still think it was better in Oz the Great and Powerful, Avatar, The Avengers… but I liked it and recommend this one in 3D.  The very first shot of the film is a graphic that goes from 2D to 3D and it literally sucks you into the film.  It was so cool. 

CHUCK: I think it’s a bit more reserved tho.  The field of depth is incredible but not obnoxious. 

RYAN: The only that would have made it better is if it had been an outright musical. 

CHUCK: This is the first movie I’ve seen this year where I feel it’s Oscar worthy. 

RYAN: It’s the same length as the Redford film and it feels long but it never drags.  It’s mature and captivating.  I love how seamless the modern-day music is incorporated into the film which speaks to the genius of Baz Luhrmann.  It works and this is the epitome of why I love going to see movies – you forget about yourself and get swept up into the drama and the story; you fall in love and experience, in this case, such grandiosity.