The glitz, the glamour, the lavish lifestyle, you’re immediately thrown into the roaring twenties, New York, money, cars, fashion, speakeasies, parties; it’s all there, and it’s all yours.  Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby invites viewers into the lives of socialites on the forefront of the party scene in 1920’s Long Island.

For those who have not read the novel it is a whimsical story of a man Nick Carraway, played by Tobey Maguire, a young man who moves to West Egg,  Long Island one summer in search of a new life different than the one he had back in the West.  Carraway’s neighbor is the mysterious yet dreamy Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) who throws extravagant parties all weekend every weekend, though no one seems to know Gatsby’s true story and how he managed to amass such an amount of riches.  Gatsby and Carraway become friends and Carraway is swept up into Gatsby’s excessive, high rolling lifestyle.  Gatsby requests of Carraway that he re-introduce him to his old girl, Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) who is Carraway’s cousin and this reunion ultimately becomes problematic for all involved.

Throughout the film, Luhrmann does not stray from the novel and the events that take place.  The characters remain true to their personalities in the book and Leonardo DiCaprio does a wonderful job of playing Gatsby, giving him a truly alluring, intriguing and mysterious feel, drawing viewers deeper into his life.

Luhrmann’s interpretation of the 1920s however is somewhat unrealistic.  The parties at Gatsby’s are almost too grand and too lavish to be true and though they are seemingly intangible in reality, their extravagance pulls moviegoers further into the film.  Freshman Molly Sullivan said, “I absolutely loved it!  It was awesome and I basically felt like I was at Gatsby’s parties!  I never read the book but the movie was the best!”

The music selection for the film has really gotten a lot of attention.  It is a combination of Jazz that would fit with the era and the roaring twenties and modern day rap.  Big time rapper and record label owner Jay-Z collaborated with many Jazz artists and groups to create the soundtrack for the film.  The music gives the story a fresh twist, making it more relatable and giving the film a new edge.

Junior Patrick Golden said, “I think that Baz Luhrmann did a nice job of staying true to the book which made the movie even better for me.  The way he incorporated hip hop and jazz together for the music was unbelievable and really cool.”

Being such a lengthy film clocking in at about two hours and twenty-five minutes, it wasn’t difficult to sit through.  At times, the outlandish portrayal of events appeared to be ghastly unrealistic and sometimes distracting from the overall plot and meaning of the film.

Overall, Gatsby fans can’t disagree that the movie holds true to the classic novel.  So go on and let Gatsby sweep you off of your feet and into a land of extravagance, dreams and love.