LEONARDO DICAPRIO’S JORDAN BELFORT AND HIS TEAM OF DEVOTEES DEFRAUD investors while engaging in a hedonistic lifestyle. The Wolf of Wall Street, released December 25, is a fun ride depicting Belfort’s rise and fall and rise again, provided that you don’t see the film with your parents.“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a stockbroker…” Who wouldn’t want to be a stockbroker in today’s lovely economic conditions?
It’s hard to imagine that there was a time when the United States was in an economic surplus in the late 1980s and 1990s.
People were high on the idea that they could make fast money and whatever drug they could find. The Wolf of Wall Street, which has been nominated for a slew of awards, does an incredible job of capturing the essence of that era.
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as protagonist Jordan Belfort, a young man who has always dreamed of being a stockbroker. Belfort has an insatiable sense of greed, wanting to live the picturesque life of the rich: filled with endless cash flow, cars, houses, and any woman he could want. Belfort joins forces with Donnie Azoff, played by Jonah Hill, to create an empire stockbroker business, Stratton Oakmont, scamming people out of their money while living a life of luxury, drugs, and sex with tons of women. Throughout the movie, which spans several years, the federal government investigates how Belfort and company gains wealth so fast. The Wolf of Wall Street follows Belfort throughout his journey from a lowly unemployed stockbroker to a multi-millionaire presence on Wall Street, to his arrest and subsequent job hosting seminars on sales technique.
There is so much to love about this movie, particularly its appeal to a wide range of audiences. Regardless of knowledge of the stock market, it’s still easy to understand how Belfort takes advantage of the system and customers to reap a profit. The humor in this movie varies from jokes that you need to think about to understand to extreme physical comedy; just about everyone will be laughing the entire movie. Tied in with the comedy is a little bit of drama and suspense. There’s constantly tension between Belfort and both his first and second wife and a seemingly never-ending plan to keep the federal agents at bay. So no matter what kind of movie you’re in the mood for, The Wolf of Wall Street is a standout choice. While there are numerous reasons to love this movie, it definitely does not appeal to many because of several controversial obscene elements. As many know, The Wolf of Wall Street has been said to use the F-word a total of 506 times if you include the variations of the word. In addition, the amount of nudity in this movie is astounding. Almost every scene had some part of a woman’s body exposed. There are even instances when you see male nudity (spoiler: there are some shots of DiCaprio that fans would be interested in seeing). Drugs also play a vital role in the movie. While drug use is something that most viewers are used to, it can definitely still be shocking to see the amount that these high powered “professionals” use while on the job. There is a sense of glorification of the lifestyle of that time. Long story short, this is not a movie that you would want to watch with parents solely because of the level of uncomfortableness.
The filmmaking is the reason that The Wolf of Wall Street is such a quality movie. The casting of this movie is spot-on.
Even though you know what Stratton Oakmont is doing is completely immoral, the characters are so well-crafted that you still want Belfort and Azoff to evade the federal agents. DiCaprio fits into the role of Belfort incredibly well, making me both adore him and want to slap him across the face for being such a greedy, chauvinist pig. Jonah Hill, who has been surprising me with his choice of movies recently, does a fantastic job of being that awkward sidekick to Belfort, but he also has the same greed and stupidity that I could only imagine is what got us into the economic downturn we are in now.
Even Margot Robbie, a small-time actress compared to her fellow cast members, certainly holds her own as Naomi, Belfort’s second wife. Her sultry wit and materialism only add to the cast that you love to hate.
Then of course, there is Martin Scorsese’s legendary directing. Scorsese and DiCaprio have a history of great films together, and The Wolf of Wall Street is no different. Belfort is portrayed as nearly a god to his employees, yet again another glorification of the lifestyle of the era. However, this isn’t necessarily a negative. This movie is filmed from Belfort’s view point, and while you don’t directly see what harm he’s causing to others, it doesn’t matter because you want Belfort to succeed.
Unless you’re going to the movies with family, go see The Wolf of Wall Street. There is never a dull moment throughout the entire three hours. You will be sucked in by the perplexing characters, pure hilarity, interesting plot, and excellent filmmaking. This film will make you question your own morals while entertaining and giving a glimpse of what the Wall Street lifestyle really means.