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We have long been defenders of Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby. It’s big and bold and colorful and wild and FUN! Well, as fun as a movie about multiple affairs and vehicular manslaughter can be. And for some reason people poopoo on it. It’s like that Chris D*lia bit about when they hired Fergie to sing the National Anthem. Like you hired Fergie, you GOT Fergie. Luhrmann’s style oozes from The Great Gatsby and if they wanted it any other way they would have hired someone else.
If you don’t know or weren’t forced to read it in high school, The Great Gatsby is an American novel by F Scott Fitzgerald released in 1925 about excess and the American dream. Gatsby is a playboy millionaire conman and his lifestyle? Well it causes some probs. It’s written through the eyes of Nick, a New York journalist and cousin to sympathetic asshole and Gatsby love interest, Daisy. And spoiler alert, Gatsby famously dies at the end. It’s somewhat divisive as while Fitzgerald has a way with words, it isn’t particularly tightly plotted. Also, many teenagers are forced to read it to young and wind up hating it out of simple circumstance.
We do love this movie though. Luhrmann is one of the greats and we honestly are excited to see what he does with Elvis, even though neither of us give a shit about that guy. The Great Gatsby is an assault on all the senses from start to finish. Sure, that will rub some people the wrong way (like husband/editor Will), but for us it’s big fun.
So what do you think about The Great Gatsby? Do you recognize this impressive cinematic achievement? Or are you too stuck in the bad vibes you have from high school? Let us know on Twitter or in the Youtube comments! Since this really does split the audience, we really want to hear what you have to say. Come at us! For now though, grab some champagne, get in someone else’s car and settle in for today’s episode of So…I’m Watching This Show!
The Great Gatsby Shownotes!
Nick Ain’t Straight video essay
