6. The Great Gatsby (2013) - Baz Luhrmann's Shallow, Misguided Adaptation Of A Classic Novel
When I first learned that Baz Lurhmann would take on F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel The Great Gatsby - often hailed as the greatest American novel ever written - in a new big screen adaptation, my gut reaction was to panic and become super irritated. Which I did, for a while. And then I resolved to actually giving the man a chance. After all, though his obnoxious, Broadway-esque style might have appeared too flashy and too self-conscious for something like Gatsby, there was no doubt - given its stature - that he'd take care with such a treasured work. Right? Wrong. Sitting down to Gatsby on release day proved one thing and one thing only: Baz Luhrmann was perhaps the most inappropriate director choice imaginable for this movie. Despite the presence of a great, talented cast (especially Leonard DiCaprio) and some stunning visuals, Lurhmann's style just doesn't match up to the material, which is ultimately a sad, subtle and sophisticated book, and not the Las Vegas show-floor that Luhrmann insists on here. Worst of all, he fails to make us feel anything in the emotional department - everything is too big and too operatic. There's no slightness or affection. But, of course, what did we really expect?