Money is the Ultimate Drug

Rating: Null/10 (20 December 2013)

I thought Scorsese owed me one after Hugo, which I really hated. TWWS only partly repays the debt of the two hours I lost to that previous film. It is a much better film than Hugo, but only a little more than half as good as The Departed, which, to be fair, was pretty darn close to being a masterpiece. TWWS is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio a broker who made a fortune selling penny stocks, which are stocks sold for companies so far down on the corporate food chain that they cannot get listed on the stock market. These stocks are appealing to a man who is as addicted to money as Belfort is, as they bring the prize of a fifty percent commission, though it comes at the expense of people who maybe cannot afford it as much as the more well-heeled whales of Wall Street. Along with his right hand man, Donnie played by Jonah Hill, Belfort makes a killing and lives the life of debauchery that his wealth affords him, which includes drugs, boats, houses, cars, and of course, women. His long rise and subsequent downfall at the hands of a dogged federal investigator, played by Kyle Chandler form the narrative arc of the film, which is fairly profanity laced and full of sex and rampant drug use. The performances from Leo and Jonah are excellent, and it is good to see Dicaprio finally in a movie where he actually escapes a sinking ship.
A couple of problems I had: this movie is WAY too long. Because it goes three hours, it is of course not possible to maintain the level of energy it kept in the first half. I give a little bit of a pass now that I realize it is based on a true story. But still, it could really have benefited from a few less sales speeches from Belfort or a few less examples of bad behavior while on drugs. Speaking of the drugs: After the first few drug scenes, you start to get the point. Belfort is an addict. He does funny things while on drugs. But after a while, it starts to feel like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, with the "look what I'm doing while I'm on drugs!" punch line. It just seems like not all of these scenes were absolutely necessary. And much like other movies about somewhat unlikeable people (I'm thinking maybe Raging Bull), it is hard to root for anyone here. The characters give us an entertaining show, but at the end of the day, I have a hard time loving a film that I am not rooting for someone. This film is sure to earn nominations for Best Actor, Best Director, Best Picture, and I don't have a good argument for why that shouldn't happen. But that doesn't mean I have to love it.