Great Gatsby

[Griff Murphey]

A good film giving you the feel of New York in the "Roaring 20's" especially the upper crust. The film opens with a very vintage Warner Brothers black and white title. Great CGI, lots of opening scenes of vintage color film, which basically help set the stage. Gatsby is a mythic figure, a man no one knows very much about but who began as a second lieutenant in WW-1 and finished as a decorated major, although this is shown only in quick flashbacks. He throws wild parties for New York's elite, but his past is as murky as is the source of his considerable wealth. The film gives an idea of the debauchery of the 20's East Coast upper crust but there are no explicit sex scenes, only the suggestion thereof, and the language is squeaky clean.

Very excessive drinking is shown along with references to drugs, and some very irresponsible driving perhaps under the influence at times.

The film may be forgiven its pandering to modern audiences by interspersing Gershwin with rap and hip hop versions of 20's music. Everything else looked perfect, to me.

The film ended with quite a bit of applause from the audience. I would give it 4 stars.

[Col. Colt]

Thanks for the review, I think I can cross it off my list right now.

Hollywood deserves forgiveness for nothing, especially pandering to teenage idiots at the expense of accuracy.

If they can't do the 1920's without rap and HipHop, well, they don't need my money. I am very tired of Hollywood glossing over historical cultural reality for a commercial gain, and in this case, taking up my viewing time with modern, inferior/negative Crap music styles just to appeal to morons. Some truely great music came out of the 1920's - so let's preempt that with this stuff we are trying to sell. So the kids go home thinking great grandpa grooved to Rap? Instant approval "it's always been around!". "I saw it at the movies - Now I know my History!"

Reading other reviews, the adolescents do love it. The real critics, not as much.

And isn't the star one of the most virulent Hollywood Anti-Gun Elite? No Sale. Think I'll go by Barnes and Noble for a copy of the original version - less objectional, and a lot cheaper. CC

[rider]

Hollywood has always injected contempory melodies and language into "historical" films. It's entertaiment, not History class. Thanks for the review, GM.

[PKelly]

I was disappointed by this movie. The performances were a bit stilted and lacking in charisma. My wife called it "antiseptic" and I think that applies. They seemed to be trying too hard with the vernacular of the period. We had to see it in 3D as the 2D version was sold out. Neither of us care for 3D and it didn't help this movie at all. Many of the scenes seemed cartoonish because of it. Not a bad movie but it didn't live up to my hopes. The hip hop soundtrack? Meh. I don't regret seeing it but I have no desire to see it again.