Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, the nouveau riche Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.
A literary adaptation that continually begs detrimental comparison with the novel, this relies too much on appearance, making little attempt to explore behind the beguiling '20s facade.
– Derek Adams,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
rotten:
Director Jack Clayton seems overawed by the opulence of the production as well as by the mythic presence of Fitzgerald -- and the result is a film of shimmering surface brilliance and almost complete lack of focus or substance.
– Don Druker,
Chicago Reader,
26 Jul 2007
rotten:
The Francis Coppola script and Jack Clayton's direction paint a savagely genteel portrait of an upper class generation that deserved in spades what it got circa 1929 and after.
– Variety Staff,
Variety,
26 Jul 2007
rotten:
In sum this picture is a total failure of every requisite sensibility. A long, slow, sickening bore.
– Stanley Kauffmann,
The New Republic,
6 Mar 2013
rotten:
The film is faithful to the letter of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel but entirely misses its spirit.