Last night, I went to see The Great Gatsby with some of my friends. My expectations were not very high, nor very low. I had previously read In the Washington Post about how the movie managed to quote the book as little as possible. But, I still had some hope that Leonardo DiCaprio could save the film.

The best I can give “Gatsby” for a rating is an okay. Sure, the movie does tell the story of Jay Gatsby’s (DiCaprio) never ending love for Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan). Gatsby’s tremendous parties are shown well on screen, and the soundtrack is modern yet 20’s style. But, some parts of the movie are either loose, or over-thought. For example, the story is told from the perspective of Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire). In the book, Carraway’s character comes to life, but is bland and boring on screen. The movie’s depth seems to be focused on just Gatsby’s loneliness. The excessive animated transitions from scene to scene cheapen the production, as well. I believe the picture could have been much stronger if the feeling from the book had been carried out well. A simplicity balanced with the extravagance of the time period would have been beautiful.

If you’re interested in seeing “Gatsby”, I still would. The movie is entertaining, and you can see it with your friends or your family. Even if you’re slightly disappointed, you’ll probably still be happy with the great music and the excellent costumes. As many negatives as there are, there still are positives.