Ideas have and will have consequences

Rating: 2/10 (20 January 2014)

t is with a long due that I am writing my opinion on "The Wolf of Wall Street". I first wanted to inquire a bit into the opinions of my friends, and check myself whether I am missing something. Seems that I did not. I approach the issue of Wolf of Wall Street (WWS) movie with the question what was the main point of the movie? When people do or create things, they usually aim to make a point, at least 95% of the cases, excluding those that are doing things just for the sake of it. Here we talk about a movie. Here are some of the possible points WWS (in this case its director Scorsese) tried to make, and whether the means he used to make the point, actually served its purpose. Even if one does not want to moralize the story and just watch, a couple of ideas yet are hinted.
According to the last part of the movie we might propose that the point was to learn how to sell a pen- first create a demand. This is I think quite a cheap point for an excessively long movie, since it is lesson 101 in each economy class. I wonder why this was depicted with the deep look in Belfort's eyes by the end of the movie when he was holding a seminar. I would have understood it as the starting point of an interesting, challenging money game that unravels throughout the movie, but this was basically it! Just make people believe they need this particular product! But hold on, this came only after he experienced personality transformation, got terribly rich by fraud and enjoyed sex, drugs and money to its fullest. Yet he has a lesson for us.
Second point might be that power corrupts. But did we really need to swallow all that nudity, promiscuity, and orgies to get this point? Many movies capture this perfectly by telling a story, describing a historical event, even great fiction, but not taping semi- porn.
The legal system holes. Probably movies can present realities, hence raise awareness of the issues with legislation and its paradoxes, the flourishing of corruption, and the easily corruptible heart of men (as Lord of the Rings clearly and nicely depicts). But by the sheer snugger to these facts, this movie says rather go get them than go fix them! I also wonder whether the point was to bluntly present reality of Wall Street. Then this is kind of a descriptive argument, for which I think a documentary rather then a classical movie is required. Why watch 3 hours reality of Wall Street, instead of watching a good documentary with a warning of the contaminating content it contains.
Good performance of DiCaprio? Yes, he is witty, courageously teaching us directly speaking to the camera, amusing us with the Lamborghini part performance but really, is there anyone who decided that this is this movie's take away lesson?
Additionally to these murky points, this movie also puzzles its audience with absurdity rather then cleverness. Has anybody noticed how on earth the nice looking young boy, just married, with a fuse to go work, earn, build a carrier and future, just in a second turns into fraudulent, tainted mind?
I also wonder whether the director at all cares about the audience of the movie. Probably not, but generally, young and ambitions people are drawn to watch the movie, learn some more about money making or find at least bits of explanations why the economic crisis happens. Of course many young boys come to see it since the trailer promises fun, young buddy enjoying girls, cars, and using his super intelligence to get rich. But I guess most thought this was simply the context of a grander narrative. Well no, this was it. And these young boys simply take away this message to be very cool!
I am not demanding a light at the end of the tunnel (the movie), but I expect myself to finish watching the movie, and have either an "aha" moment, or at least a question mark. This time my question mark really regards the very sake of making the movie, not the content itself. In this case, the end of the tunnel was the transformed Wolf teaching people how to sell a pen. If only they knew how this little trick has broader implications for turning the business world around them upside down and build them a temple to worship their deceit! The motives but foremost the point of this movie are entirely dubious.
Dear Hollywood and Scorsese, in today's culture, the last thing we needed was yet another glorification of greed- there is plenty of it, both in movies and reality. How about some counter action to the media, fashion magazines and shiny attractive starry skies of materialism? How about many many more movies on personalities that do not just grasp opportunity whatever the price, but act and strive for what is right? Even if the motive for the movie was simply depiction of Belfort's life, Scorsese and Belfort and whoever thinking the project was worthwhile, should also know that no matter how meaningless, ideas have and will have consequences. The movie sets lowers the bar of decency, and I wonder what will be coming up next out of Hollywood in this vein?