Fun but deceptive

Rating: 4/10 (4 January 2017)

I appreciate a good motivational speech. I also appreciate the success driven ideologies North American society has taken in younger generations; I think it's a quality often overlooked.
Then there are societal issues that are real life problems this movie only manages to exhibit and encourage.
To begin with the movie was fun and entertaining. Nobody enjoys Bradley Cooper more than when he's a sad underdog with a soon-to-be new outlook on life. Very decent acting. Enjoyed the screenplay. Story was interesting. Robert De Niro was in it. Brought attention to the stock market and to business. What could be wrong with that?
The idea that fame and fortune is ENTIRELY luck based, which it's not (entirely). The idea that dirty business is only the practice of old, old fashioned men. We all of course know it's not. Robert De Niro was made a fool. I didn't personally enjoy that. The idea that by participating in politics can somehow change the world for the better. The message of ,"If you're not extroverted you're probably too stupid to socialize" was made apparent in the first fine minutes which is excessively offensive and harmful to a society that relies heavily on often (but not always) introverted tech. geniuses. Another message I got from this movie is, "If you're addicted to drugs, don't worry. You can get off it as soon as you become rich."
The list goes on of how this movie could've easily been taken too seriously and a bit discouraging.
There are points that I did appreciate and felt were on some level, realistic enough to relate to. There's a very fine line between illegal and legal business practice, and it's not always obvious. Politics and business are very close relatives. If you're not successful with what you thought was your calling, perhaps it's not your calling. Sometimes it takes an altered mindset to find and get what you want. Don't give up. Don't forget your goals. Have a backup plan.
And so on with more motivational mumbo jumbo. Enjoy the movie but keep in mind it's no biography with scientific backing.