Movies: The Wolf of Wall Street

Score:  **** out of ***** (A-)

Long Story Short:  Martin Scorsese's latest collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio hits theaters, a wild ride through the life of a Wall Street bandit.  DiCaprio puts you right in the thick of Belfort's explosive life, fully earning the film's R-rating with plenty of sex, drugs and language.  In addition to serving as a look at the man's life, though, these aspects actually generate quite a bit of humor, using a somewhat light-hearted tone.  If you can handle it, go see it and let DiCaprio's performance knock your socks off.


Here it is:  my last review of a movie released in 2013.  There were some films that I was tempted to see in the theater but decided not to; many of them I have now seen via Netflix, but not all.  It was a record year of filmgoing for me, which I'll get into more detail in another post.  Next week I'll have my own nominations for various awards (mostly acting), and the following week will be my top 10 of 2013, along with brief reviews of what I caught on Netflix and some miscellaneous awards (underrated, overrated, etc.).  I already have my eye on a few new 2014 releases, but first, The Wolf of Wall Street.  This went under the radar for me until recently, despite being a Scorsese film.  I've enjoyed other Wall Street/financial industry films, and I've enjoyed DiCaprio-Scorsese collaborations, so the decision was made.  The Wolf of Wall Street was directed by the aforementioned Martin Scorsese, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill.

Narrated by the main character, Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio), the "Wolf" is introduced at the height of his power for a few minutes at the beginning.  The rest of the film shows his rise, reign, and trials.  An eager, earnest youngster, Belfort shows up in New York City in the mid-1980s hoping to strike it rich on Wall Street.  He starts at the bottom, working for broker Mark Hanna (McConaughey), a man Belfort soon aspires to emulate.  Belfort works his way up fast thanks to hard work and natural sales man skills - but the firm he's working for goes under due to 1987's "Black Monday".

Belfort is almost resigned to letting his old dream of riches die when he finds a little office selling penny stocks.  At first scornful, Belfort begins to realize that there is an even easier way to the riches he so desires.  Working with neighbor Donnie Azoff (Hill), a fellow salesman, and a few others, Belfort begins to live his dream and shows all the decadence, lust, abuse, power, control - and yes, even humor - that went with it.

The Wolf of Wall Street has an impressive cast list - but make no mistake, this is Leonardo DiCaprio's movie.  Since this film is about his character's life, there's only one substantial scene, and less than ten minutes overall, that I can remember without him in it.  So if he stunk, the movie would, too.  Fortunately, Leo knocks it out of the park as scumbag Jordan Belfort.  He really throws himself into everything, from the business aspects to Jordan's personal life to his seedy - OK, immoral - leisure activities (the joy seemed so genuine, in fact, that I started to get a little worried about the actor's own personal life).  A good bit of his performance is showy - but remember, he's playing one of the most arrogant, power- and wealth-hungry individuals in the country.  He gives stirring speeches, gut-busting comic scenes, and even some moving emotional parts.  Bravo, Mr. DiCaprio.

The next biggest part (which is much, much, much smaller) is Belfort's friend and business partner, Donnie (Jonah Hill).  As with Moneyball, Hill shows some real acting chops - and he's also much funnier here than in his recent straightforward comedies like This Is the End.  I'm not sure Hill is a good choice for many leads, but in this kind of supporting role, he is dynamite.  The parts start to get quite small here on out, so here are some brief notes:  Kyle Chandler is likable and believable as Belfort's FBI hound (especially in a scene on a yacht)... Margot Robbie, besides being stunning to look at, does a nice job acting as Belfort's trophy wife... Rob Reiner is excellent and, unsurprisingly, hilarious as Belfort's dad... and McConaughey has basically one scene but it's a powerful one.

Wow, I was not prepared for what this film would be like.  If you find lots of graphic sexual content (much of it pretty crude), copious drug use, and/or lots of swearing (broke the record for number of F-bombs in a mainstream non-documentary film, according to Wikipedia) to be deal breakers... well, you should probably skip this.  In Wolf's defense, the tone is similar to American Hustle:  if they aren't going for a laugh every time, it at least doesn't get too dark or gritty.  Beyond the R-rated nature of the film, it seems to have two main objectives:  to show the audience the mindset of a self-made gajiollionaire and to make you laugh.  It succeeds on both levels.  I've already told you about DiCaprio's great performance but there are a lot of other interesting aspects from the way people around him act to the financial industry culture.  I don't believe every Wall Streeter is a Belfort in hiding, but it is easy (and scary) to believe that many succumb to what Belfort (the film is based on his memoir) did.  Even though some of the humor was a little too crude even for me, most of it was hilarious, even funnier than American Hustle.  Scorsese's trademark soundtrack also is present, but here Russell out-Scorseses the man himself in Hustle.

***

As I've already hinted at, there are plenty of comparisons between The Wolf of Wall Street (WWS) and American Hustle (AH).  While I prefer this film to AH, there are also some things that keep it from an "A" score.  The plot details of WWS and AH are significantly different, but both boil down to main characters making a living from cheating other people.  WWS is able to focus on just one man, where AH gets diluted by four main parts (two of which eventually spin out of control).  Both have a similar "let's have fun!" tone, although AH, especially by the end, is certainly the more optimistic/positive of the two.  WWS's superior script and more even performances are ultimately what put it ahead for me.  Still, I should mention that, while WWS is gripping throughout, it's also long:  a full three hours.  There aren't any particularly weak spots that needed to be cut, but for the good of the whole it should have been 2.5 hours at most.  And while I commend WWS's focus on Belfort's rise and fall, it nevertheless kept the film somewhat limited in its results (i.e.: the brain over the heart).  Those caveats aside, The Wolf of Wall Street is a great film.  If you can tolerate the R-rated stuff, I highly recommend it.