The Great Gatsby is the story of a young millionaire in the 1920’s. The original story was written in 1925 by F. Scott Fitzgerald and is a staple in literary history. It’s basically a love story infused by the glamour and decadence of the roaring 20’s. Gatsby is somewhat reclusive, but, throws lavish parties in the hopes of getting his true love to attend. What follows is how the story unfolds…

Story: In this time of Hollywood blockbusters, I was quite happy to see a big-budget film that didn’t insist on blowing things up. The writer’s actually took the time to tell this story as accurately as possible. It was well developed from beginning to end with exception of the very beginning where I wasn’t 100% about what Tobey Maguire’s character was doing. But, that was just me not realizing that the story was being told in reverse…

Performances: Leonardo DiCaprio was outstanding as Gatsby. Perfect casting. I got that Gatsby is a bit eccentric and a lot insecure. Tobey Maguire’s character is solid as a wing-man and the narrator of this adventure. And Carey Mulligan is perfect in tone and pitch. For a modern, English girl, she hit the nail on the head for a woman in the 20’s. So did Isla Fisher. And Tom Edgerton dialed in a good performance as the blue-blood socialite cheater husband.

Visual: This is the standout for this film. EVERYONE was having a ball at these decadent parties. The entire film is a masterpiece of well tailored glamour. The parties are big, flashy, fast and loud. I found myself wishing I was at the party.

The houses were big and beautiful and the cars were too. All perfectly accurate for the time including the costumes. Especially the costumes.

Rating: The Great Gatsby gets an A. In some part, it gets an A because it was just so damn beautiful and fun, but, in some part, it gets an A because it spoke to me. Both as a writer and as a friend…

Tobey Maguire’s character found himself changed forever by his brief friendship with Jay Gatsby. If you’ve ever encountered a person who changed your life forever though your time was brief, this movie will speak to you. My thought is that everyone has had an experience like this – good or bad – and will be reminded of it by the end of this film.

We can call this one bittersweet…