Baz Luhrmann movies in a nutshell
I was reflecting on three movies, by Baz Luhrmann, that are actually pretty much the same; the rom-flics Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rougue and The Great Gatsby.
We start of with the main trope characters (SPOILERS duh): - The aspiring romantic youth™️ (you can say Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway are this role combined in The Great Gatsby). He's the tragic dreamer who ends up broken or even dead by the end of the movie. All because he is also the hopeless romantic who fights for the love of his life
- Beautiful and sad grrl™️. "She's so lucky, she's a star but she cries cries cries" and oh she CRIES. She's soooo beautiful and everybody thinks she got it all but she's all alone and used by her surroundings. The main hero makes her the happiest but they don't end up together in the end. It's often because the hero ends up in trouble and it's often because of problems aka other men she deals with (Juliet’s cousin and marriage, Daisy’s marriage and Satine’s Duke). Actually (Jay Gatsby is also included here because he's Nick's "perfect god"...)
- The third wheel. There's always this third party involved in the story. And he claims our main heroine because he's a rich and popular bachelor™️. He doesn't have to necessary actively claim her or be a douchebag (In Romeo + Juliet the heroine is forced by her parents and Paris is actually trying to be sweet) but he's the main reason to the couple’s demise. Is goofy at times.
- Goofy but sad friends. They are funny, they are charming, they like to party but they always end up sad or dead. You can say Nick Carraway had this role also together with traits from The aspiring romantic youth™️. Also Jay Gatsby shares these traits because in the other movies it's the "goofy but sad friends" who starts or drags the main character to the PARTIIIIES✨.
- "Bitch I'm Fabulous 😎". In Romeo + Juliet it's Juliet's mom. In The Great Gatsby it's Jordan. In Moulin Rougue it's Nini. They're sassy, they're fabulous and bitchy. Cares mainly about their own self interests. More interesting than the main heroine tho. Could have had so much more potential but dissapears to leave room for the tragedy.
- "Include POCs but pretty much don’t give them too much room for the fabness". They are charismatic, funny and often the Goofy but sad friends. They catch your eye but in the end these characters are hardly explored and always surrounds the tragic pair-plot. *sips coffee not surprised* 🙄 ☕
- The XTRA-everything scenery. It’s big and it’s bold. Perfect for PARTIIIIES✨ But it is actually not that xtra-glam once it alls becomes tragic and shit.
With the key trope characters we can start with the plot and how it envolves; It starts with an introduction about the XTRA tragical end which lies ahead in the movie. You've been warned. Then The aspiring romantic youth™️ being introduced and it's all light hearted and funny. The aspiring romantic youth™️ is focused on their aspiration (Nick Carraway takes the role in this one in Gatsby) But he is dragged by "Goofy but sad friends" to extravaganca PARTIIIIES✨. GLITTER, MUSIC AND GLAMOUR BABY. There is the spark, one way or another, for the hush hush-romance between the main tragedy-pair to begin. (We all know Nick crushed badly on Gatsby okay.) And somewhere in between is also Beautiful and sad grrl™️ being introduced. It's important to show how extraordinary beautiful she is and also how tragic she is btw. The aspiring romantic youth™️ becomes or (in Jay Gatsby's case is) completely starstruck and enarmoured by the Beautiful and sad grrl™️ and he pursues her like there's no end to it. Beautiful and sad grrl™️ has their doubts first (not much tho) and gives in to The aspiring romantic youth™️. Then begins the hush hush-romance phase. The couple is so IN LOOOOOOVE and sooo HAPPY. It's just OH MY GOOOD. ❤❤ But then people stop being so oblivious to it and realize hey "that's forbidden fruit mister". And then begins the "US AGAINST THE WORLD"-part. The tragic pair faces opposition from EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE (more or less). Even the Goofy but sad friends are like "it's cute and all but you're screwing up everything idiots" (Poor Mercutio...). The hero has a breakdown phase. The heroine has a breakdown phase. Their love is threatened. He rages and cries. She cries and cries and cries. Lots of shouting or loud singing and angsty af. Then comes the calm before the storm. The couple decides to fight for their love. But ofc it ends up all shitfaced even more screwed up and angsty than before. Anyway in one way or another the couple is so close ending up with each other (Jay & Nick in this case ok good...) but then there is the "Death did us part" moment where one or both lovers dies. And it's all back to the sad intro. Everyone is sad. Love is dead. The ones who are left are nihilistic and sad. And the world is horrible. The end.
I regret nothing