'Great' deal of luxury in lieu of substance

Expectation can be a tricky thing.

Especially when Warner Bros. has been advertising the splendor and opulence of Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” like the holiday-themed five-course meal it is. Not to mention the film is based on what is arguably the single most important work of American fiction in the last century.

So yes, Luhrmann’s film embodies all the bells and whistles of a high-risk, high-reward cinematic opportunity.

For starters, Luhrmann has gathered the most able and talented cast imaginable. As the audience’s eyes gaze into the glamour and loneliness that is Gatsby’s Jazz Age, Tobey Maguire is a great everyman, his gaze full of the same wonder and charm that made him the perfect Spider-Man. Carey Mulligan, one of the best young talents working today, embodies Daisy Buchanan with equal parts allure and despondency. Why the men in her life fall head over heels in love with her is never in question. And of course, Mr. DiCaprio shifts seamlessly into the role of Jay Gatsby. No other actor could say “Old Sport” that often without it becoming mind-numbingly tedious.  

But with Baz Luhrmann at the helm, no-one expected this Gatsby to fizzle out quietly. Every frame is flooded with glitter and color, which is understandably not everyone’s idea of Gatsby. Surely not everyone’s idea of Gatsby involves a thumping soundtrack from the likes of Jay-Z, either.

But that’s the madness in Luhrmann’s nature. He’s right back in the realm of “Moulin Rouge!” and “Romeo + Juliet,” placing style over substance. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You won’t find more extravagantly staged party sequences in any film since, well, “Moulin Rouge!” If the point was to make me jealous I wasn’t attending parties at Gatsby’s, mission accomplished.

Unfortunately, this extravagance also extends to the metaphors Fitzgerald let creep into his words. Instead, Luhrmann throws the green light into the audiences’ faces, never letting it slip our minds that this all means something beyond the surface. He literally puts direct quotes from the novel in text on the screen, as if we couldn’t hear Maguire speaking them. It’s a little pandering, but then again this is the guy who doesn’t ever feel proficient unless it’s loud and proud.

“The Great Gatsby” is sometimes nothing beyond visual eye candy. We get beautifully acted scenes of intimacy where the cast is left to shine, but you feel like Luhrmann’s just aching to get to the next great party shot. Maybe I just got too much glitter and champagne in my eyes, but I bought into the whole mad mess. I respected how Luhrmann and his cast almost dared me to disapprove of the film’s majesty and gravitas. It’s far from flawless, but “Gatsby” ends up being pretty great.

By Dane McDonald