This is better than most movies you will see coming from Hollywood as of late. Compelling story, solid acting, lovely cinematography, and costumes to die for. The dance numbers delight, too. Sure, they strayed from the book a bit (F. Scott Fitzgerald), but most movies do. I’m perplexed why Rotten Tomatoes gave it a harsh review. I’m usually something of a snob with movies, or maybe I expect too much, but again I found The Great Gatsby floors above the usual trash churning out of Hollywood these days.
Leonardo DeCaprio is a charming, attractive fit as Gatsby, much like Robert Redford was in the 1974 version. And Carey Mulligan, splendid at playing the vulnerable, sweet beauty, succeeds in slowly twisting these attractive qualities into the darker “carelessness” and “retreat into wealth” qualities that so mark the book and movie.
