A Fantastic Ride!

Rating: 10/10 (10 January 2014)

I only have praise for the script, the acting and the directing. I am really impressed, and as a screenwriter, my standards for excellence are usually high. The film balances perfectly between extreme humor & entertainment and biting socio-economic satire and criticism. And because Leonardo DiCaprio is such an eminent actor, he manages to imbue an otherwise dislikable character with much sympathy. Or at least humanity. The film is about a monster that lurks in all of us, only not all of us are thrust into circumstances that allow us to release it. The film does not preach, but it does hold up a mirror, and if one does not like the reflection, one most probably will not like the film, but this does not make it any less genius or courageous. I highly recommend it, but leave your illusions at the door, and be ready for a hilarious roller-coaster ride down the rabbit hole of excess and decadence. Plus, the three hour long runtime flew by. I never lost interest for a single second.