A brilliantly absurd parody of greed, corruption, addiction and immorality

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2014)

"This movie contains graphic violence and sexual content," warned the young man at the ticket window.
"Do you have to give that disclaimer all the time now?" I asked.
"Only for this movie," the young man replied, shaking his head. "So many people are walking out and demanding their money back. I mean, what do they expect?" he shrugged. "It's an 'R'-rated movie." I nodded my head in agreement. Yes, The Wolf of Wall Street is an "R"-rated movie, I thought to myself. But not just any "R"-rated movie. It's an "R"-rated movie directed by Martin Scorsese, the man who brought us such controversial films as The Last Temptation of Christ and the ultra-violent Taxi Driver. That anyone would be surprised by the explicit content of one of his pictures - let alone one clearly marketed as a dark comedy about the hedonistic lifestyle of a wealthy stock broker - is slightly dumbfounding to me. To put it more succinctly, anyone who's easily offended should probably go see Walking With Dinosaurs instead.
Yes, the amount of nudity, drug use and foul language in The Wolf of Wall Street is a little excessive. But it's a movie about excess. It's an over-the-top parody of greed, corruption, addiction and immorality. And it's told using many of Scorsese's signature flourishes: tracking shots, a narrator speaking directly into the camera and a pop music soundtrack. It's Goodfellas in the stock market.
It's also the cap stone of Leonardo DiCaprio's self-described unofficial trilogy of movies, each set about 60 years apart, that focus on wealth and the lengths men will go to in order to "hold on to and achieve wealth." In Django Unchained, he played an evil southern plantation owner. In The Great Gatsby, he was the titular 1920s bootlegger. This time, he gives a full-throttle performance as real-life former brokerage firm owner Jordan Belfort, who made millions in the 1990s through so-called "pump and dump" stock schemes and high-pressure boiler room sales tactics.
Nearly all of Belfort's actions are despicable, destructive, immoral and irresponsible. The joke is that each one is worse than the one that preceded it. The three-hour movie could have made its point in less time, but the film never drags and is never dull. Instead, it constantly builds. Each (reportedly true) episode of debauchery and criminality is more absurd than the one that came before. Scorsese and screenwriter Terence Winter (Boardwalk Empire) don't exactly glorify Belfort's extravagant and sex-and-drug-fueled lifestyle. Rather, it's a cautionary tale. Partying may be fun for a while, but poor choices lead to poor consequences, if not remorse and regret. The sex scenes are all played for laughs, and very often, the joke's on DiCaprio's character. And the drug scenes clearly show that taking Quaaludes is a great way to wreck your expensive sports car.
The supporting cast is great. As Belfort's business partner, Jonah Hill gives the best performance of his young career. Matthew McConaughey (who's already likely - and deservedly - in the running for a 2013 Academy Award for his lead role in Dallas Buyers Club) steals a scene early on, playing Belfort's mentor. And Rob Reiner (who famously spoofed Scorsese in This Is Spinal Tap) makes a welcome return to the screen in a funny role as Jordan's dad.
There's been much criticism of the fact that Belfort's victims are barely acknowledged. But that's not surprising since the movie is told from Belfort's point of view. The real-life Belfort apparently never spent a single second thinking about all the lives he was ruining, so why would his on-screen doppelganger? The movie examines how people can lose compassion for fellow human beings when enormous sums of money are at stake. In the end, the movie forces the viewer to confront the unsettling question of whether we all secretly want to be Jordan Belfort.