Animal House meets Goodfellas

Rating: 6/10 (27 October 2014)

I admit to having cackled outloud at several points in this movie, so it was definitely good for a laugh. Was it a great film? No, it was *very* derivative of Goodfellas: the tone, the direct narration of the central protagonist, the problematic (making the viewer sympathize with a loser criminal, etc.).
Many people have complained about the graphic and in some cases repulsive sex scenes in this movie, but I believe that the director was attempting to convey a reality of which most people are ignorant. Having watched Enron: The smartest guys in the room (which is a documentary, but very well done), I gather that the pervasive use of prostitution and drugs on Wall Street is no joke. Still, the opening seemed a bit gratuitous, and I imagine that it probably drove some theater-goers away.
To be honest, I did not know that the main character here was a real person (again, same as with Goodfellas--Henry Hill was/is (not sure whether he is still alive...) a real person) I actually felt that The Wolf of Wall Street story paralleled the Enron story and that the main character was intended to be a fictionalized version of the former CEO of Enron.
In some ways, this movie reminded me also of Animal House, what with the frat boy vibe and superficiality throughout. The sophomoric behavior of the traders and the scathing critique of the entire stockbroking profession are bound to upset some people. My half-brother happens to be a stockbroker. Is this what he does? Really????
All in all, The Wolf of Wall Street was somewhat entertaining and did shine a light on an unscrupulous group of greedy degenerates. Are stockbrokers always like this? Let us hope not, but Scorsese obviously does not think very highly of their profession. No harm done--and I did laugh-- but I will not watch this three-hour movie again.