Lavish and outrageous - loved it

Rating: 8/10 (4 December 2013)

I was captivated ten minutes into it. I never read the F. Scott Fitzgerald book, but the movie seems to stay true to most of what I read of the original novels plot summary. The extravagant party scenes, cars, costumes, and music were very fascinating, but it was the mystery and ever-changing story of Gatsby, narrated by his neighbor Nick Carraway, that drew me in. I imagine in the Roaring Twenties, during Prohibition and before the stock market crash, things really were that extravagant in New York and Long Island. And I thought Leonardo DiCaprio did a very good job of portraying the mysterious millionaire that is in love with a woman, while trapped in a lie that he continues (and possibly believes) in the hopes of getting her back. You can clearly see his mood change anytime he's in fear of his secrets getting out. But as Nick tries to explain to Gatsby, you cannot relive the past and erase what has happened since. Great adaptation, in my opinion.