The Wolf of Wall Street

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is The Wolf of Wall Street.

Directed by Martin Scorsese.

Written by Terence Winter.

Based on the book "The Wolf of Wall Street" written by Jordan Belfort.

Review #241

MPAA Rating: Rated R for sequences of strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language throughout, and for some violence.

Run Time: 180 min

Hulk Spoils Hollywood Podcast Page

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio...Jordan Belfort

Jonah Hill...Donnie Azoff

Margot Robbie...Naomi Lapaglia

Matthew McConaughey...Mark Hanna

Kyle Chandler...Agent Patrick Denham

Rob Reiner...Max Belfort

Jon Bernthal...Brad

Jon Favreau...Manny Riskin

Jean Dujardin...Jean Jacques Saurel

Joanna Lumley...Aunt Emma

P.J. Byrne...Nicky Koskoff ('Rugrat')

Kenneth Choi...Chester Ming

Brian Sacca...Robbie Feinberg ('Pinhead')

Henry Zebrowski...Alden Kupferberg ('Sea Otter')

Ethan Suplee...Toby Welch

Everybody's got a favorite Scorsese film and if you don't, I suggest you acquire one. Depending who you ask there's not a wrong choice. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Casino, The Departed, and of course Goodfellas. The list goes on but among the many classics this man has treated us to, there have been some stinkers. The Aviator and Shutter Island come to mind. What do the last two films I mentioned have in common? They both were headlined by Leonardo Dicaprio. I'm not suggesting that it was his fault those films underperformed but it can't be overlooked. This duo regained some of their mojo with The Departed (their 4th collaboration) but I think beyond a shadow of a doubt The Wolf of Wall Street has proven that the 5th times a charm.

Plot

Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.  

This film scores high marks on so many levels but the one area where it really hits home for me is how it felt like watching Goodfellas. There were many elements in this movie that remind you of Goodfellas. From Dicaprio narrating most of the film like Ray Liota. Scorsese uses this a lot in his films but in the middle of a scene he will freeze a shot and let the voice over play under the image. He uses this tactic here too but for some reason it felt more reminiscent of Goodfellas than any of his other films. The main point is if I'm comparing this film to Goodfellas then I'm paying this film a very high complement.

This movie deserves it.

The one thing this film does right off the bat is sensationalize the life Belfort made for himself and his company. A lot of it seemed like pure Hollywood fiction but according to interviews Belfort has done after the films release and people who read his book, a good portion of the hijinks and debauchery were accurate. Regardless of whether or not you believe what your eyes are seeing, it doesn't stop the reality that these people were scumbags that deserved to be executed with the rest of the Wall St. cronies responsible for the 2008 economic collapse.

What gives this film the ability to suppress pure unadulterated hatred for these characters is the tone it takes. The Wolf of Wall Street is a black comedy at it's roots. The recipe for a good black comedy is the capacity to inject humor in scenarios where laughter is an inappropriate response. The scene pictured above is self explanatory. What isn't is a moment later told in flashback showing Belfort and his crew planning the dwarf tossing extravaganza. The way they talk about these people is reprehensible. None of these men recognize that the dwarves are human beings. They refer to them as "things". It's an unapologetic racial, stereotypical round table filled with backhanded, derogatory  comments. You should be appalled by the lines flying out of these people's mouths but instead your laughing. Why? Because of the witty writing and the stellar performances of the cast. They force you to focus on the hilarious instead of the hideous.

That is the mark of something special. Dicaprio and company are spectacular in this film. Would you expect anything less from Leo. This guy has come a long way and his performances have become more sophisticated with the roles he takes. It doesn't hurt that he also aligns himself with some of the world's finest directors. Combine that with his natural talent and it's no surprise that he's getting the Oscar buzz and nomination for his performance in this film. That being said, he's not the only player that deserves kudos.

Jonah Hill has unquestionably shed his jack ass, comedy guy stereotype. You have to take him seriously as a ranged actor. By trade he's comedic so the majority of his roles and performances contain laughs but he's gone a different way recently and it's paying off. The man can act and he shows off big time here. I realize I just gave this guy huge props for steeping away from the clown characters he's known for playing. The massive irony here is that's exactly what he plays here and it was brilliant.

In all of it's over the top-ness.

If Dicaprio's Jordan is the calm before the storm then Hill's Donnie is the storm. Don't get me wrong, the film doesn't play favorites concerning these two and the morality of human beings. Both of these people are scumbags who are lucky to be still breathing without the use of machinery. Scorsese does what every great director does. He gives his people the freedom to go off the cuff and make magic. That requires a lot of trust and gravitas as a film maker to let the inmates run the asylum for a bit. However, when handled properly, the end result could be something like this movie. The Wolf of Wall Street is in no way, shape or form a study of improvisation. It's a shining example of what you can get when you let your talent display their capabilities.

It also shows you how superbly written Terence Winter's script is. If you don't know who this man is then it's time you did. He used to produce and write for The Sopranos and is the co creator and show runner of a little thing called Boardwalk Empire. He and Scorsese got BW off the ground and was the perfect choice to adapt this script. The man can write and this kind of story is right up his alley because it's full of debauchery, criminal behavior and finally the fall of the proud. He's found his footing with this kind of material and crossed boundaries from the fictitious to the factual. Like Leo and Hill, Winter being nominated for his screenplay was not surprising.

It was necessary. However, the film isn't perfect.

At a shade over 3 hours. The Wolf of Wall Street could have used a trim or ten in the edit room. It's not a deal breaker though because the film doesn't play like a 3 hour epic. That is once again a testament to the well paced script and tight direction. The film does a decent job moving around from moment to moment without being too stagnant in one particular area. That being said this movie (like it's characters) indulges itself too much with all of the fun everyone's having. The effect of that is a bit of overkill and a been there done that feel.
Overall, The Wolf of Wall Street is one of Marty's finest films in quite a while and if he keeps up this level of integrity and panache with his future projects. The man could be looking at more gold statues in his future.

On the 5 star scale. The Wolf of Wall Street gets 4 stars with a "Worth Every Penny!" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today.

Until next episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"