The typical Hollywood version of the 20's - 6/10

Rating: 6/10 (16 May 2013)

Nope, I have not read the novel, but I hope that is a good thing compared to what I saw. Jay Gatsby, played by Leonardo DiCaprio who I've had some problems with in his past movies; I always thought that the movies he's been in are better than what he brings to the table as an actor. I couldn't see the character he was playing, I always saw DiCaprio doing the same thing but with different clothes and different names, and believe me when I say this, a lot of people patronize me for not liking him as an actor even though I do think that he has given us somewhat good performances (not great and Oscar worthy). But in this case, it was actually the other way around, the movie was actually a lot worse than what he was (not saying that he was bad), or let me put it like this, every actor in this film was much better at acting than the director Baz Luhrmann, at directing.
The reason for that is one reason, and one reason only; F. Scott Fitzgerald. I think it is an actors dream to play one of his well written characters, therefore, all the actors could do their best and get lost in their characters. Whenever I found myself liking the movie it was thanks to the actors and their performances that felt real. There is a scene in it where Buchanan reveals Gatsbys real identity in the hotel room and Gatsby just goes mental at him, not only did it feel as if Buchanan was pushing Gatsby to his limit, but it felt as if Edgerton was pushing DiCaprio to his limit and that's what made this movie work for me, the chemistry between the actors.
If things were a bit more physical and "real", I would've liked this movie somewhat more (I'm very happy that I did not see it in 3D), but if it was his intention not to do so then I guess he got the vision he wanted. I loved all the characters in this movie, but the movie itself was at times very annoying to watch with all its special effects and 2012's music (which by the way didn't fit in at all). The movie also had this typical Hollywood version of the 20's which I absolutely hate, where everything looks fancy, dreamy and colorful and makes people wish they had lived back then, when the reality is that it's all just the other way around. All the special effects changed the whole tone of the movie and made it into a fairytale, and there I was, who actually found the story quite depressing and sort of dark. This, in the end left me a bit annoyed because I know that had the movie been a bit dark as the story itself, it would have left me a lot more troubled - instead, Gatsby became that guy that no one cared about, not even me.