Sex, drugs, and... penny stocks

Rating: Null/10 (26 December 2013)

It's safe to say this wasn't what I expected it to be. I did not go into this movie expecting it to be as comedic as it was, so I was a little thrown off when (without giving away any details) it drew laughs during some of the most dramatic sequences. I also was not anticipating it to be quite so obscene (it does not go 20 minutes without showing breasts nor 30 seconds without saying "fuck.")
What I was expecting was more of a typical, up and down drama in which Dicaprio bends but does not break under pressure as he methodically conquers his enemies. Sure, some of that is there, but this is not a movie about up and down action. Almost all of the three hours focus on the "up," and rightfully so. It seems that the idea was to take the audience on a fun-filled ride like the one the main character is experiencing- with very few thoughts of consequences and plenty of debauchery. The Wolf of Wall Street is over the top and apologetically so, and the mood and pacing fit the message that it ultimately conveys.