This movie is made in the spirit of the grand old epics such as “Gone with the Wind”. From the sweeping views of New York City, grand viewpoints from the homes of the rich, to the opulence and finery of the wealthy, this film is big with a capital B. It is well acted with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton and Carey Mulligan.

The movie begins with a narration by Nick Carraway (Maguire) and he talks about the wealth of the 20s and the booming stock market. The movie for a time is shot after shot of the rich and their parties and fashions of this time period before the Great Depression. The champagne flows and unbridled lust is rampant. Carraway tells us about Gatsby for a time and the movie builds and keeps us waiting before we finally get to meet Mr. Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio). DiCaprio plays the emotions so well in this film, the love he has for his lost love Daisy, to the anger at the prospect of losing her again after she re-enters his life, to acting like a little boy when he is finally in her presence again. He is a mysterious man to a great extent until the end of the movie.

Gatsby is a tragic figure and the partying gives way to death and tragedy as the end approaches. The movie includes more than one violent death, with two of them being seen while one is off-screen except for the dead corpse afterward. The picture features strong language too and more than one married person having a sexual affair. For these reasons we are unable to award the movie our Dove Seal for family friendly viewing.