Normally I don’t watch movies with scores of less than 70 on the Tomatometer. Gatsby got only 49. However, I just read the book and as usual, I actually enjoy the movie because it helps to flesh out the images in my head, about the scenes, the costumes and the characters.

The narrator of the story, writer Nick Carraway, is played superbly by Toby Maguire. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jay Gatsby, the enigmatic millionaire with a lot of strange habits. I enjoyed seeing the splendor of the parties and watching the depravity of the upper class. The contrast between them and the workers, servants, and clerks was drastic and shocking.

When I read the book I said I couldn’t identify with anyone sufficiently to enjoy the story, even though it was a masterpiece. Gatsby, the movie, was just like that. All the glitz and glamor, the affected behavior of the characters, and the silliness of their self-importance did little for me.

The caliber of the actors carried this movie. The acting was good, and all the rest just struck me as boring.

Rating: * 1/2