Baz Luhrmann’s acid-trip trailer for ‘The Great Gatsby’ released: awful or interesting?

For whatever reason, my expectations for Baz Luhrmann’s version of The Great Gatsby were quite different than the realities presented in this new trailer, the first for the film. I guess I thought Baz’s acid-trip-style had mellowed with age and that this was going to be an impeccable costume drama, authentic in every way. But… from the first few seconds of the trailer, I was instantly reminded of the party scene in Romeo + Juliet, and how much Baz Luhrmann likes to churn up the psychodrama of a party scene. In the end… I’m kind of disappointed.




Some nice things: the scene with all of Gatsby’s shirts – that looks like it’s done really, really well. It was always my favorite bittersweet scene in the book, and I love the look of Gatsby’s two-story closet. I guess I should say something about the actors? Carey Mulligan is such a fine actress. She’s one of my favorites of the new girls, and I think she was a splendid choice for Daisy, and maybe one of the best actresses to portray the Daisy character ever. It seems a bit like she’s in another movie, though – like she thought she was making a more sedate, period, costume drama.
As for Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby… um, he looks really good. I don’t see any bloated face, and he manages to avoid looking ratty too. Probably because Leo as Gatsby is kind of perfect casting too – who else could really play Gatsby amongst today’s actors? Only Leo, really. I didn’t catch sight of Isla Fisher at all, right? She’s not in the trailer? She plays Myrtle. Joel Edgerton plays Tom Buchanan, and Elizabeth Debicki is Jordan Baker (incidentally, when I first read the book, I thought “Jordan Baker” was THE most sophisticated name for a woman ever).
Anyway… it looks okay. I do want to see it, but I think I need to lower my expectations a bit.



Poster and stills from ‘The Great Gatsby’.

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