The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013) Review

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2014)

Are you sick of the good guy always being televised? Are you tired of the hero always getting all the glory? Does it sicken you when the hero always defeats the villain? Do you feel that the bad guy deserves the spotlight for once? Would you like to avoid positive messages being jammed down your throat? Do you like the unlikable, the scumbags, the assholes, the men who put fun first, and the law never? If you answered "yes" to all these questions, than "The Wolf of Wall Street" may be the movie for you.
Based on the real life of Jordan Belfort, who did most of the exact same things minus extra exaggeration and an added dose of craziness, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a character of the same name. I personally feel Leonardo has one of the best track records in Hollywood when it comes to starring in high regarded films, and this one did not disappoint getting a mostly positive reception overall.
Leonardo reunites with director Martin Scorsese, in what is the raunchiest, scummiest film of the year. Naked bodies everywhere, drugs left, right and center, swear words coming at a fast rate, and downright chaos on screen at every given second of the films run-time. I read that this movie uses the word, "fuck", a number of five hundred and six times. It features a bad guy, and many bad people who are willing to put down others for the greater good ofthemselves. Still Interested? Well, as I've already said, this movie is for you.
Instead of taking the usual approach plot wise, it features Jordan narrating certain parts of of the story, and jumps to the important events in his life.
Jordan befriends a man named Donnie Azoff, played by Jonah Hill. The two create a firm together called Stratton Oakmont, and give jobs to friends and family. Soon enough, it turns into a billionaire company. What did he convince the hard working class to buy into? Penny stocks. The answer is penny stocks. Yes, you heard that right, penny stocks.
He was not concerned with breaking the law, having morals or staying faithful to his first or second wife. What fun is in that? Him, along with his firm, broke the law on the daily, screwing countless people out of countless money. Morals? That was forgotten after endless snorts of coke, or four or five Quaaludes. Staying faithful? Jordan can have hookers or any girl he wants basically any day of the week, so that was out of the question in his eyes.
The Wolf of Wall Street is part biographical film and part satirical black comedy. A lot of the characters in this film such as Donny or his wives for example, are based off people that the real life Jordan Belfort knew. Some of the parts used for comedy are even based off real life truths. For example, Donnie gets made fun of for marrying his cousin. Truth is, the man he is based on actually did.
The comedy elements of this film hit home runs. I laughed out loud multiple times, along with the majority of the theater. Jonah Hill was hilarious, and it is one of the best roles he had in quite some time. Matthew McConaughey makes an extended cameo as Jordan's first boss and mentor. Explaining that cocaine, hookers and masturbation are essential to the life of a stockbroker was the bulk of his appearance, and he embraced it passionately. Knocked it right out of the park when it comes to laughs.
This film is the rise and fall of Jordan Belfort. So as I've pointed out in the intro, it is more of a straight feature on the man himself and does not feature many messages one can take away as a positive. It does show how money can turn a person originally decent and controlled to greedy, unstable, and corrupt. It does highlight the consequences and sloppiness drugs or alcohol can cause. It is exposed that the American dream gained through illegal activities can just as easily be taken away when caught.
The acting across the board is top notch. Every one of the countless actors and actresses featured in this film contributed a good performance and had presence on-screen. Leonardo DiCaprio was a shining star as expected, and his charisma was out of this planet. I still remember the motivational speeches he gave at the firm, and they were extremely fun to listen too. Oh yes, that is another thing, this film was full of fun quotes that I'm sure people will be repeating over dinners, parties or casually in conversation.
I only have one major complaint, and that is the run time. This did not have to be three hours. It would have been a crisper film if it stopped at two. A lot could have been trimmed to make that possible.
My advice, if everything I said sounds like something you would enjoy, run out and see this. Be cautious of the long run-time, make sure to use the washroom before and go light on liquids. And go with people who enjoy raunchy, crude humour and would enjoy something where the day is not saved in the end, and where bad holds its ground against good. Those easily offended, or overboard righteous minded may not enjoy this, but anyone who understands entertainment is entertainment will likely get a kick out of it.
Watch it ASAP