great, but not good enough.

Rating: 7/10 (9 April 2014)

The Wolf Of Wall Street. Amazing. Incredible. Fantastic. HILARIOUS. Directionless. The Wolf of Wall Street is all these things, and more. However you cannot mistake that for all the things it is, it's also very meaningless. By this I mean, that the plot doesn't really show or do anything besides seemingly linked sketches of hilarious events occurring due to drugs. Nothing more or less really. The last half an hour of the movie is gripping and terrific, and has Scorsese all over it. This is how Scorsese would have done 'Wall Street'. Which is not to say the movie is bad, it's just not entirely gripping, and for the most part meaningless, like that strange mid-section in Django Unchained, where they sat around ate dinner and then shouted a little. However for a 3 hour movie the pace never loosens and unexpected of a Scorsese film, the humour never slacks. Leonardo DiCaprio's performance is amazing, yet the script's speeches feel somewhat empty and loose. It's Sorkin-esque but no cigar. For a short while your attention drifts as DiCaprio's head reddens, and your back in for the speech finale. Everyone else's performance is OK, and besides Jonah Hill, they're very forgettable, and as much as I hate to say it, especially Matthew McConaughey's. A word of advice, for the teens reading, DO NOT watch with the parents. And for the parents, vice versa. There is a serious amount of drugs and sex, but already know that. The style is cool, and the viciousness of DiCaprio's character is amazing. Although nominated for an Oscar. It's still not good enough. Slick, funny and really funny. It just isn't as strong as his other works. There's just no heart to be found, and nothing a general audience can emotionally connect with, with a lifestyle and characters that are just so cold. Fun while it lasts.
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