The Great Gatsby (2000 film)

Did You Know?

• A&E launched a marketing campaign for the film that included sweepstakes sponsored by US Airways and Waterford Crystal, with displays in 12,000 libraries and acting contests at 23,000 high schools and colleges.
• An in-flight featurette titled The Making of the Great Gatsby played on US Airways during the holiday season.
• Fitzgerald based Jay Gatsby on bootlegger and former World War I officer Max Gerlach, who used the phrase 'old sport' in letters to Fitzgerald.

Plot

Nick Carraway, a young bond salesman, rents a cottage on Long Island near the mansion of wealthy recluse Jay Gatsby. Gatsby, originally a poor man named Gatz, fell in love with Daisy Buchanan before World War I. Though Daisy married Tom Buchanan, Gatsby enlists Nick, Daisy's cousin, in his plan to win her back.

Cast

Paul Rudd plays Nick Carraway, a Yale graduate and World War I veteran from the Midwest who works as a bond salesman and moves to West Egg. He befriends his neighbor Jay Gatsby, becoming intrigued by his wealth and mysterious past. Mira Sorvino plays Daisy Buchanan, a warm, flirtatious, and selfish married woman from South Kentucky who reunites with Gatsby through her cousin Nick. Martin Donovan plays Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband, who has an extramarital affair with Myrtle Wilson. Francie Swift appears as Jordan Baker, Heather Goldenhersh as Myrtle Wilson, and Matt Malloy as Klipspringer.

Production

Initially planned for Ottawa, the production shot in Montreal, Quebec, as Ottawa could not handle the short-notice schedule. Filmed in less than thirty days in September 1999 with a $5 million budget, the film was a collaboration between A&E Cable Network and Granada Productions. The music score was by Carl Davis, cinematography by Guy Dufaux, and production design by Taavo Soodor.

Reception

The adaptation received negative reviews upon broadcast. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 27% approval rating, and on IMDb a score of 5.7/10. The New York Times dismissed it as flat-footed, The Guardian called it uninspired, and The Boston Globe described it as mediocre. Critic Matthew Gilbert called it a crass attempt by television executives to mine a literary classic. Caryn James of the New York Times praised Paul Rudd as brilliant but criticized Toby Stephens' performance as rough-edged and unconvincing. Mira Sorvino's performance was widely criticized; Natasha Joffe of The Guardian wrote that her Daisy was abysmal, and John Crook of The Fremont Tribune said she was seriously miscast.