Cannes 2013: The Great Gatsby Review

rating:3

Baz Luhrmann could never be accused of ever being knowingly understated: if there's one thing the Australian auteur knows, it's flamboyance and visual opulence, and following the colourful successes of his Romeo & Juliet, and Moulin Rouge (and less so Australia,) his latest big screen number drips opulence. Yes, it's vulgar and a tad over-cooked, but that's sort of the point with this particular auteur. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Muligan, Joel Edgerton and Isla Fisher, The Great Gatsby focuses on the story of a group of young hedonists, swirling through life from one extravagant party to the next, enjoying the looser morals of the 1920s. The story, adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, more specifically follows Nick Carraway (Maguire), who moves into the neighbourhood of the mysterious and seemingly legendary Gatsby (DiCaprio) and is immediately gripped by his world and life. But for all its superficial prettiness, is Luhrmann's latest actually any good? Critics will point at the mishandling of the source - some great details are missed out entirely, to fit in Luhrmann's giant creative agenda, and that comes at some cost to the vitality of the film, which is odd given how much energy is on display. Typically, the film is all sparkle, and the showmanship is inevitably wonderful from its creator, who seems to be keeping a spirit of a forgotten world of movie making alive single-handedly. It is a beautiful film, no question, but unfortunately for Luhrmann, there is something missing in the substance of the movie, so we're left with an entertaining but faintly disappointing piece of art. The editing is a little amateur, and at times is as subtle as a car crash, and though the love story is told incredibly well, and as a result is wholly infectious, other emotional sequences lack depth, and the finale is a touch flat. Luhrmann aimed to make an enticing and engaging beauty, and sadly, what we actually got is a supermodel of a film: brilliantly gorgeous, but lacking something beneath the surface. The story is an enduring one - of course - and despite the frivolous creative licence over the source, the underlying themes are all gripping, and the messages of love and love lost, as well as the portrayal of the American dream are carefully painted, and shine through even the most ornate of sequences. The cast is fantastic on paper, though the performances aren't all quite up to reputations, as some of the talent balk at having to wrestle for screen focus with their director's creative vision. That might have caused over-acting in others, but here, some of the lesser characters disappear without so much as a whimper, including Carey Mulligan who is reduced to a fairly uninspiring sidenote, when her story with Gatsby should have driven the emotional heart of the film. Leo DiCaprio is utterly faultless - channelling Orson Welles for his Gatsby, and utterly captivating the audience throughout, even as his co-stars, including most notable Mulligan and Maguire fail to offer a gripping account of themselves. It's glitzy and glamorous yes, and Luhrmann fans will be delighted with its staging, including the occasionally over-zealous music, but there are a few more misfires in here than they might be used to. There's no problem with the style, but like Australia, the substance is a little lacking, even despite the quality of the source.