MovieChat Forums > The Great Gatsby (2013) Discussion > If I'm completely honest, this film is a...

If I'm completely honest, this film is a mockery

posted 9 years ago by roraio
3 replies | jump to latest

And I wanted to love this film; I wanted it to be my favorite! However, I could not turn a blind eye to the many gaffes! They turned a timeless classic into a modern-day rubbish fest. There's so much unnecessary overdone CGI my eyes started to hurt (it kinda reminds me of the CGI in the film 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' [2014]). If you look into the background of every scene you might get dizzy. Did they film 80% of the scenes against a green wall or something?

Then, of course, that surprisingly inappropriate soundtrack put me off. I mean, dreamy ballads by Florence + The Machine, The XX, Lana del Rey - they were all fine, but Jay Z, Kanye West and will.i.am in a film set in the 1920s is beyond tasteless and misplaced!

On the upside, I thought the cast was fortunately chosen, and the costumes were perfect. I could not help staring at how good the costumes looked on Leo DiCaprio, even the pink ones! I mean, who on earth looks good in 5 piece light pink suits without being ridiculous?! No one, except DiCaprio! He struggled to make the best Gatsby, but not even his serious acting and enormous talent could save this film from being an epic disappointment. DiCaprio would've made a perfect Gatsby, but in another film adaptation perhaps. Nonetheless, DiCaprio is somehow the only actor keeping this film afloat.

Call me old-fashioned, but I wish they did this film a CGI-free genuine drama, with darker, sadder vibes (which DiCaprio would've undoubtedly conveyed perfectly), instead of this cheery, ostentatiously box-office revenue-grabbing flick. I was living in London at the time this film was released and I remember all the city being flooded with 'Great Gatsby' displays and themed shops and merchandise, and hell they even transformed an underground station into a Great Gatsby ballroom/art deco advert!!!

[–] netmedia 9 years ago

You make good points, but I believe your the indictment in your subject line is a bit overstated. You can criticize many of the choices, as you have done here with good arguments and not think the film a mockery.

I was just glad they made the film as the book is my favorite, and it beats many of the comic book films that seem to dominate the box office.

[–] maniubao 8 years ago

Thank you for typing something well thought out and valid.
However, the extravagance is the whole point of the movie. When Nick first goes to New York it was a wonderful and splendid place: where he got drunk and partied for the first time. He bathed in the extravagance and the frivolity. However, when he met Gatsby he found the only man with a heart in New York. And when he got disillusioned at the end the scenes did get bleaker (especially in the deleted scenes). The whole overblown splendour and CGI fest was meant to portray Nick's wonder of first coming to new York and ignoring all the frivolity and selfishness of it all.
As for the music, how boring would it be if they just played Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue throughout the whole movie? The whole point is to entertain and create wonder. I agree with you to a certain extent though.

[–] ddariced1958 8 years ago

Might be irrelevant: I love "The Grand Budapest Hotel". There's an awful lot going on, including much humor not seen in this movie. Every time I watch I discover more stuff. The actors are great. I don't have any interest in seeing "The Great Gatsby" again. The only comparison is that at it's peak the hotel looks like Gatsby's mansion. Gatsby takes place in and around his mansion. Grand Budapest has action in places all over the world.