[Originally posted on 6/01/13]
[Note: I had been traveling overseas and missed a few movies in the last couple of weeks. Hope to catch up soon!]
An aspiring writer (Nick Carraway, Tobey Maguire) finds himself living in a cottage next to a mysterious neighbor, a millionaire (Gatsby, Leonardo DiCaprio) famous for his lavish parties. The parties turn out to be a bait to hopefully lure his now-married cousin (Daisy, Carey Mulligan), whose shares a past with Gatsby.
Hyped up to be this dramatic story of love, betrayal and tragedy among the excess of 1920s New York, "The Great Gatsby" is surprisingly not-so-great. The expansive waterfront estates, sequined dresses and tuxes, endless champagne, party streamers, confetti and fireworks don't make up for the lack of depth in the characters. And Gatsby's object of affection really has no redeeming quality; one-note spoiled, vapid and deceitful that it's hard to root for.
The film sure is pretty, but it's flat (much flatter than Baz Luhrmann's previous works, "Moulin Rouge" and "Australia"). It just goes to show that all that glitter may not be gold.
DVD: http://tinyurl.com/k6yn572