"Gatsby" dazzles but never truly resonates

Rating: 6/10 (10 January 2014)

It should surprise no one to learn that Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" is a towering achievement in art production, costume design, cinematography and music. Luhrmann proved himself capable of as much with "Moulin Rouge!" and first glimpses of "Gatsby" suggested he found ideal source material to match his style in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby."
But for all the technical achievements and the emotion-filled performances from a spot-on cast including Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby, Carrie Mulligan as Daisy and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway (who better to narrate your film? OK, other than Morgan Freeman ...), a definite emotional resonance is missing from Luhrmann's interpretation.
"Gatsby" is the classic American story of hope, dreams, wealth, excess and love that defined the country in the Roaring '20s. Luhrmann unmistakably celebrates this era with his patented (and mostly tasteful, depending who you ask) exaggeration, and doesn't shy back on the fairy tale qualities of the story either. Nick Carraway is most intrigued by his neighbor, Jay Gatsby, known for his lavish parties that last into the wee hours of the morning. Gatsby soon befriends Carraway, who learns that behind the wealthy facade is a man badly wounded and driven by love and obsession.
DiCaprio in presence alone has the chops for Gatsby, and he uses it to his advantage as the shadowy figure in the early parts of the film. As we become more acquainted with Gatsby (and learn to tolerate his excessive use of the term "old sport" when referring to Nick), he becomes a bit more two-faced. Rather than peeling back Gatsby's soul, we get an timid, emotional side that doesn't quick click. Perhaps its the film's use of narration as a crutch for explanation rather than scene work that more visually demonstrates Gatsby's feelings for Daisy.
Maguire fits perfectly into the mix, but we don't truly get to access Nick as a character until the end of the film. Mulligan aces the tragic heroine, as you'd expect form Luhrmann. She has a certain strength to her despite of her character's inherent weaknesses from a feminist's perspective. Even Joel Edgerton as Daisy's unfaithful but prideful husband, Tom, excels in his role. It's surprising then, that the film renders us indifferent to them. It can only be ascribed to Luhrmann's style getting in the way of substance.
Luhrmann and frequent collaborator Craig Pearce identify beautiful and moving excerpts from the novel to provide Maguire with some excellent narrative work, but the stylistic choices don't gel especially well with Fitzgerald's reflective and much more serious prose. One can envision a film in which "Gatsby's" themes and story can coexist with such grandiose visual context, but for some reason, this film is not it. It engages it audience, captures our attention and scratches at the surface of what makes "Gatsby" a classic, but somehow it never takes the next step. in spite of performances that tell our brains to pay attention because the actors know what they're doing, the characters seem hollow, and as though all that happens to them is a matter of artistic choice rather than necessity.
Strangely enough, Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" looks and performs like the best possible adaptation of the novel, but the feeling just doesn't cut deep enough.
~Steven C
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