Eeshani Kharshikar - The Great Gatsby Film Review

 

The Great Gatsby (2013) is a movie based on the eponymous novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, detailing the wild lives of rich people in the Roaring Twenties of Eastern America, and inevitable consequences carried out after their reckless actions. It stars Leonardo Dicaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, and Elizabeth Debicki. I found the casting of the movie to be one of the best parts. I was worried that for all the ways Fitzgerald described Tom as a physically formidable man, they were going to cast someone untrue to the character, a la Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. I was really glad to see they cast someone who had the physical stature that Buchanan’s character commanded, since it was really important to the story. Along that vein, I also appreciated the casting of Dicaprio as Gatsby, because he has that charm about him, and Debicki as Jordan, for the youthful but edging on corrupt golf player, who she played very well.

As someone who has read the book, I recommend the film because it takes what the book has and translates it to film very well. Even when details are changed or omitted, they are done so carefully, so the story is not lost in the details. Additionally, the film brings across a few things exceedingly well: the symbolism Fitzgerald uses in images, like Dr. TJ Eckleburg’s eyes, and the madness and chaos of the Twenties themselves, both through carefully crafted imagery and filmwork. The movie also takes Fitzgerald’s idea a bit further by turning the story into a flashback from Nick’s perspective in a rehab facility. All of these points contribute to my recommendation of the film, both to the initiated and those who have read the book and are looking for an elaboration.