The Great Gatsby (2013)

Watching Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby is like reading the book on your phone while somebody sets off fireworks behind your head. It’s loud. Lines from the novel literally float across the screen like a karaoke video. Tobey Maguire narrates the whole thing as Nick, and he has the energy of a guy reading his own diary out loud at a party. The first hour is basically a music video with a reported budget somewhere between $105 million and $190 million. Then DiCaprio turns around holding a champagne glass while fireworks go off and, okay, fine. He was born to play Gatsby. The tea scene where he panics about seeing Daisy again is the best acting in the movie, and the second half finally slows down enough to hurt. Carey Mulligan makes Daisy more than a trophy. The movie.guru score is a 5.2. A 6.2 because DiCaprio is worth the noise, but the noise wins too often. $58.37 says you raise a glass at your next party and somebody does the DiCaprio face right back at you.

What works: DiCaprio’s nervous, hopeful Gatsby, especially in the tea scene, and Carey Mulligan giving Daisy real weight.

What doesn’t: The first hour is so busy with confetti, swooping cameras and modern music that the actual story gets buried under the party.

Who it’s for: Anyone who read the book in high school and wondered what it would look like as a giant party playlist.