Leonardo DiCaprio is undeniably one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, a guaranteed butts-in-seats ticket seller, and a certified leading man – but that doesn't mean he can't also be a meme. A great frequenter of memes, at that.
When The Great Gatsby came out in 2013 it was immediately greeted by pretty tepid reviews – people weren't necessarily won over by Baz Luhrmann's bombastic interpretation of the famous Fitzgerald novel. Still, it's endured in the public consciousness thanks to one all-important GIF – Leo's Jay Gatsby raising a glass in a toast, with fireworks behind him.
Just watched The Great Gatsby again for the first time in about 5 years. The visual style is just incredible 👌Also, it birthed my all-time favourite GIF... pic.twitter.com/enOPKe1bTUNovember 19, 2021
Now you've got a deadline if you want to catch the film on Netflix – even if just for the shits and giggles – as it's leaving the service (which currently ranks a noble second in our list of the very best streaming services overall) at the end of May.
That little animated image has accompanied so, so many viral posts down the years, congratulating people in both sincere and sarcastic ways – like all the best memes, it's highly adaptable to the situation.
In fairness, it's also a pretty representative snapshot of the movie itself, which very much goes big on the spectacle, revelling in enormous parties and stunning costumes and sets.
It's arguable that The Great Gatsby actually suffers from that excess, losing the room to really deal with the interiority and insecurity that are so key to the novel's enduring popularity and influence.
There's a reason it sits on a 48% score on Rotten Tomatoes, after all – critics were heavily divided on whether it fundamentally worked or didn't. It seems more thought not than did.
Still, for DiCaprio fans the attraction is obvious. And there are pretty solid turns from the likes of Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton, too. The film's protagonist, Nick, is played by a bright-eyed Tobey Maguire, in probably his biggest role since retiring as Spider-Man (and before reprising that costume for Far From Home).
So, go into this one with your eyes wide open, because we're not promising you'll love it, but if you like Moulin Rouge! or Elvis then you'll probably find something to enjoy here. Just do it by 31 May, though, because that'll be your last chance to catch it on Netflix before it goes... although the internet will still be rife with easy-to-find associated memes, no doubt.
If you're adding The Great Gatsby to your watch list, meanwhile, be sure that you check it out on the best OLED TV you can – it's a movie with some amazing night-time party scenes, which really make those deep, inky OLED blacks all the more worth it. So let's raise a glass to that.
