Mixed Bag

Rating: 7/10 (3 January 2014)

First, DeCaprio is magnificent and it was nice to see Rob Reiner again, in a "meaty" role (no pun intended). Not knowing much about Belfort before the film, it was educational and at the same time quite unbelievable, but then these people are genuinely larger than life.
I soon became quite tired of the constant use of the "f-word"--not surprised to read in the Trivia section that this movie ranks second for the most use of that word. That, along with so much nudity and fornication (NONE of it was "making love") was a real distraction from the story.
There is also a lot of drug use, and I CAN believe that went on, but I was uncomfortable that so many people in the theater laughed throughout the segment when Jordan and Donnie get dangerously high. I don't think Sorcese's intent was comedy at that point, but I could be wrong.
I think this could have been an excellent movie with a little more depth and a lot less f---ing. Women are portrayed poorly, and we see very little of the damage done to personal relationships in the wake of the greedy climb to the top. Leo deserves an Oscar nod but the film itself needs to go under the (editing) knife.