Wolf of Wall Street

The story of Jordan Belfort is one for the history books. A young hopeful stockbroker turned billion dollar penny stock con artist is one that should never be forgotten, and Belfort made sure of that. He wrote a memoir about his poor choices and life lessons learned that was transformed into a provocative three hour long experience that is definitely hard to get out of your memory. Belfort was played by the brilliant Leonardo DiCaprio who was directed by the Oscar winning director Martin Scorsese. The movie follows Jordan from his very first day applying for a job on the market to his life after the twenty-two months he spent in jail when he began motivational speaking. Other great actors such as Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and Margot Robbie acted alongside DiCaprio really fulfilling the story. Hill plays Belfort’s best friend and co-conspirator, Robbie plays his gorgeous second wife, and McConaughey is his first mentor from the market who taught him all the tricks of the trade. The majority of the movie is spent focused on the scam that Belfort and his penny stock company pulls on the entire stock market. The success brought from Stratton Oakmont gave Belfort the opportunity for parties, women, and lots of drugs. The movie is a three hour long journey into the lifestyle of a greedy, selfish billionaire.

This film stands in a category on its own because never before has a movie so filled with drugs, prostitution, and profanity be nominated for Movie of the Year at the Academy Awards. When one thinks of an Oscar winning film they think Casablanca or Schindler’s List, not Wolf of Wall Street. Granted the movie was only nominated and did not win but the fact that it even got a nomination was a shock to everyone. Part of the reason it was critically acclaimed was because of its cast and director. Martin Scorsese is one of the best directors in the world with past movies such as Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, and Academy Award winner The Departed. Anything that Marty works on is sure to be entertaining, but this one was kind of out of his ballpark. DiCaprio says in an interview that he and Marty spent over ten years trying to get this movie approved to even be put into pre-production. That is how vulgar this movie is, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCarpio barely got it approved. But it blew the minds of everyone who saw it, it was three-hours of chaotic brilliance. This movie surpassed lots of peoples expectations, including mine, of just seeing a long and party filled movie but it was so much more. Martin Scorsese made this little project of his into a hard fought success story.

Hands down the best part of the film was Mr. Leonardo DiCaprio portraying a drug addicted, money obsessed, sex maniac who ends up putting himself in jail for twenty-two months. Leo has been in the Hollywood scene for decades now and has had many amazing roles but has remained Oscarless for all these years. After the ten minute scene where he becomes partially paralyzed because of all the drugs he is on and is forced to roll down the steps of his country club into his two-door Maserati and attempts to drive home, there was no way he wasn’t getting at least a nomination. The scene was one of his best ever it really showed that he is one of the best actors of our generation. He sadly did not win the Oscar, which made the internet very upset, but this movie proved that Leo still has it in him and he will get an Oscar even if it’s the last thing he does.

The supporting actors were also a big part of the movie being so successful. Jonah Hill started his career with joke movies like Superbad and Knocked Up, so when he was nominated for an Academy Award for Moneyball people began to respect him and that respect grew after his role as Donnie Azoff. He played Belfort’s right hand man and this eccentric character earned him another Oscar nomination. In her film debut the gorgeous Margot Robbie plays Belfort’s second wife Naomi Lapaglia who sticks by him through his rough patches, until he gets arrested in which she then files for divorce and sole custody of their children. This role was complicated because the character embody so many different characteristics and Robbie did better than anyone could have imagined. She was serious, sexy, and smart in a society when women were still objectified behind their men. These supporting roles helped complete the movie and made Leonardo’s performance even better.

This movie is definitely one that should be viewed by a select audience because of its graphic nudity and obscene profanity, but if you are in that select audience it is movie that you should see. It was an three hour escape into a world that I would never be in and I thoroughly enjoyed taking a mini vacation.