Love IN all that Jazz. Review on The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is the story of a man who defies all odds to materialize his dream. It is a story of materialism clashing with this dream. So, we have the man in love and the razzle dazzle of worldly success. Leonardo di Caprio in  hyper-pretty surroundings..........I bought it!

The film has a lavish production to put it mildly and I can imagine some people being put off by the ostentation. Everything glitters. I was happy to be dazzled by it all. But I was even happier with the performances. di Caprio as Gatsby, Tobey Maguire as the narrator, Carey Mulligan as the woman who is loved and Joel Edgerton as her husband. Each performance was pitch perfect. I especially liked Edgerton's performance. Completely revolting character, a classic "villain"!

Leonardo as the Great Gatsby proves once again that he is probably the most deserving Hollywood star. The dramatic hyperbole that marks his introduction in the film never once seems misplaced. As the unbelievably good Hero, he delivers complete credibility. The audience will feel strongly for him. His characterization is old school, like much of the film. He keeps saying "old sport" at the end of a sentence and asks if anyone would mind, "terribly". It's really so nice to watch him on screen.

When the people around this sincere, lovable person are "careless", it is quite infuriating. But the problem with the film is that it depends too much on di Caprio. The callous rich should have been better criticized by the director. While the performances are good and the sets are superb, there is no directorial nudge to the story. There is the flourish in the signature and that's it.

The dialogues, some of which must be from the book, hit home at times but do seem contrived at others. The sense that you are watching an opulent drama interferes with complete involvement.

Grand visuals can be terribly distracting or entertaining. For me, The Great Gatsby was the latter. I loved the bollywood style look of the film with grand sets and gorgeous colors. The period setting of the film was especially conducive to such spectacles. And mostly, I enjoyed watching di Caprio in a good, old-fashioned love-story!