Movie Review: "The Wolf of Wall Street" (Martin Scorsese, 2013)

DRUNK ON MONEY: THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF BEING

“THE WOLF OF WALL STREET” by Mo Shaunette

 Above: Leonardo DiCaprio is Jordan Belfort in Martin Scorsese's new movie

 

What’s weirdly appropriate about “The Wolf of Wall Street” is that, like most of its protagonist’s life, it feels like a drug trip.  It starts off slow and sober, with sharp up-and-coming stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) stumbling onto a genius money-making scheme and roping his friends into it.  But what follows is a solid two hours of wretched excess and debauchery, fueled by an entire mountain range of alcohol, cocaine, and prescription pills.  Then, the last half hour creeps in and the movie becomes a sobering come-down as we face the reality of who Belfort is and how his insane true story really ended.  As of writing this review, I saw the movie an hour ago and I still feel like I have a hangover.  

And yet, I think “The Wolf of Wall Street” is a terrific and hilarious film.  As will surprise absolutely no one, Mr. DiCaprio is mesmerizing as Belfort—he makes the man charming, clever, despicable, pathetic, and at the end of the day, funny, particularly in the film’s most memorable sequence: an extended set-piece in which Belfort attempts to navigate the journey from his country club to his home, while incapacitated by high-potency Quaaludes.  Of course, the supporting cast (which includes Jonah Hill as Belfort’s slick but unstable partner and Margot Robbie as Belfort’s equally clever wife) is fantastic as well, but at the end of the day, it’s Mr. DiCaprio’s show to steal and he does so with gusto.

            Meanwhile, the other stars of the film are screenwriter Terence Winter and director Martin Scorsese.  Mr. Winter’s dialogue (with some ad-libbing from the cast) is sharp and snappy and makes you realize how much fun it must be to be a wealthy, white-collar criminal mastermind (special mention has to go to Belfort’s asides to the audience, which explain the finer points of his enterprises before hand-waving them off as “very immoral, pretty illegal, and ridiculously profitable”).  In addition, Mr. Scorsese is equally on-point—he makes the film feel fluid and kinetic, despite its three-hour runtime.  Yes, “The Wolf of Wall Street” is longer than “The Hobbit,” but whereas Peter Jackson’s film bolsters its length by expanding events, Mr. Scorsese depicts nearly every major milestone in Belfort’s decade-long scheme.  Twice the movie threatens to end Belfort’s career in stocks and twice it keeps it going by adding even more insane fuel to add to an already ludicrous fire.  But the weird thing is that “The Wolf of Wall Street” is never boring—the movie always manages to hold your attention with another wrinkle in the story, another hitch in the plan, and another development in Belfort’s madcap life. 

Of course, in the end there are some easy-to-pick-up statements that the film has to make about the nature of stock broking and Wall Street business (it’s not difficult to see an inherent message as Belfort’s sales team is stocked with scummy Long Island drug dealers taught to speak like professionals).  But whether you want some sharp satire on American finances or just a madcap comedy romp made madder by the fact that it’s mostly real, you should check out “The Wolf of Wall Street” because above all, it’s an insanely enjoyable ride.