too loud

Rating: 6/10 (10 June 2013)

The movie is colorful, fun to watch, and fun to listen to. To be a really good movie, however, the actors are not satisfying enough. DiCaprio/Gatsby looks like his face is swollen after too much tanning. Daisy misses out on the big emotions, and it's hard to understand why Gatsby is so focused on her. And Maguire/Nick is ... just there, somehow. Also, as a literary adaptation, the movie has a few shortcomings. The idealism of Gatsby, catalyzed by how Nick sees him, is one of the main themes of the book. In the movie, this idealism and optimism is mentioned often enough, but it is not put into scene in a credible manner. DiCaprio/Gatsby comes across as an odd and slightly crazy guy who is at the brink of losing control, and not as someone who, day after day, year after year, lives for the love he once owned.