What is it all about?
Warner Brothers and the celebrated Baz Luhrmann no doubt get ambitious in turning jazzy, flashy and glittering in their adaptation of the Fitzgerald novel (fourth one in hollywood movie history) which is drop dead spectacular in vision which intoxicates your mind but fails to take your breath away as the heart doesn,t pound to the level as Luhrmann's over enthusiasm to please his dazzling `broadband' fanaticisms ends up in stealing those matters of `heart' that concerns..
The Story
Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald novel by the same name Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce start from wannabe writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) narrating this story set in the 1920's where America was loosening morals, in the company of bootleg kings with sky-rocketing stocks. Nick had left Midwest and landed in New York City to chase his own American Dream.
Nick stays in a rented house next to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan), and her philandering, blueblooded husband, Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton).
Nick is lured into this world of Gatsby who has `something' about him.. Gatsby frequently throws loud parties where movie stars, politicians, athletes and all rich and the famous of the town coming to have a time of their life.
Nick soon finds out that Gatsby who always had `something' about him and the mysterious ways how he got all the wealth once knew Daisy.
Rest is a mix of love lost and gain compelled by personal ambition and the great American dream..
What to look out for
It needs guts to even think of transforming America's widely read novel into screen in a `fashion' like this.. Baz Luhrmann gets all the credit for this visualization.. he is just superb in what he is famous for.Turning the screen into a great damn broadband theatre with all the Jazz.. like Moulin Moulin Rouge!.. apart from showing us the parties of the rich and famous Baz Luhrmann does succeeds in giving us some gem of moments like the peeping Gatsby from a window and the introduction Nick to the mysterious smiling Gatsby at his high profile party is just brilliant.. Leonardo Di Caprio is in complete command. The high tea sequence is just amazing. Tobey Maguire supports well. And yes the magnificent Mr. Amitabh Bachchan's most awaited Hollywood debut is amazing.. he is superb and steals the show in whatever time he gets.
Baz Luhrmann makes his technicians work overtime for fulfilling his broadband passion.. the production values are out of this world.
What not
Oh Boy.. You just missed some emotional connection.. Old sport. did `Australia' just happened Mr Luhrmann..
Baz Luhrmann flashiness steals the movie's emotional thunder.. the director who dared by using his over the top pop culture technique to sync the Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet in the 90's culture with Romeo Juliet and became a favorite.. `Australia' was high on drama and emotion which changed the general perception of Luhrmann to be a broadband devotee. but here Luhrmann and his screenplay partner Craig Pearce are guilty of not making the viewers feel for the characters.. the great impact made at the introduction of Gatsby to Nick doesn,t go any further.. the movie moves at an uneven pace and fails to register the required space. No matter how gorgeous the images turn out to be on screen but Luhrmann fails to make us go back to the 1920's.. the 3D effect works as a spoiler as the parties turn repetitive. The music is good while listening but doesn,t gel with the narrative and comes suddenly. Unfortunately Carey Mulligan as Daisy was a bad choice same for Joel Edgerton as his husband Tom Buchanan.
Conclusion: The Great Gatsby was a challenge daringly taken by Luhrmann who proved his credentials with `Australia' and as not just a sheer worshipper of Jazz. The novel which had all the ingredients for a for a great movie experience riding on solid emotions like ambition, love, mystery, jealously, lost, gain and hope.. but alas sometimes you just can,t get away with your first love and Luhrmann falls prey to his love for over the top extravagance which in all its glittery and sparkle fail to capture the `green light' for Luhrmann, his cinema and Hollywood as a whole. Anyways.. Decaprio and Luhrmann lovers will lap it up while Mr.Bachchan's followers might peep in for his Hollywood debut which may swell Warners business prospects in this part of the world.
Rating *** (for the love of broadband, jazz, Decaprio and of course Mr. Amitabh Bachchan's Hollywood debut).
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