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According to Hollywood stereotypes, Wall Street stockbrokers are loud and aggressive and, for the most part, crooked. They take advantage of their clients—and, in the process, they make a whole lot of money, which they blow on huge houses, designer suits, fast cars, and expensive champagne. But none of the Hollywood stereotypes can come close to the real-life indulgence depicted in Martin Scorsese’s latest, The Wolf of Wall Street.
Based on the true story of the rise and fall of Wall Street stockbroker Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), The Wolf of Wall Street opens as the ambitious young man takes his first job on Wall Street, making phone calls for a couple of top earners. His first boss, Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey) is quick to teach him about the keys to Wall Street success: cocaine and prostitutes. Those lessons stick with him as he gets his license, loses his job to a crashing market, and builds his own firm. But it’s not long before his various vices (and the FBI) start to catch up to him.
The Wolf of Wall Street is a three-hour exploration of excess and depravity. Jordan may start out as a straight-laced and even naive young Wall Street hopeful—one who would never dream of ingesting illegal substances during the work day or cheating on his high school sweetheart—but the transformation from young and impressionable to completely out of control takes approximately five minutes. The rest of the film, then, is an endless procession of drugs, hookers, and shady business dealings. It’s no wonder that Scorsese had to do some extra trimming to get the film down to an R rating—and it’s often surprising that he managed to talk the MPAA into letting some of this stuff slide.
Admittedly, the film’s excesses can be overwhelming—and even exhausting—at times. In fact, this is the kind of film that would benefit from a half-time intermission—because it would be nice to get a break in the middle, so you can decompress and clear your head before going back for more. It’s one long, intense film—and there’s rarely a break in the sheer insanity of it all.
That said, though, Belfort’s story is a fascinating one—and while the extreme debauchery may often make you cringe, it’s hard not to get caught up in the madness. At times, it’s wildly hilarious—like award season’s answer to The Hangover. And the remarkable cast makes it even more fun. Though McConaughey is only in a couple of short (but key) scenes, he’s one of the film’s comic highlights. And DiCaprio couldn’t be much better as the hard-partying young millionaire. He’s charismatic and compelling—almost like a young Jack Nicholson. And despite the fact that Belfort spends his days lying, cheating, and stealing, DiCaprio makes him such a charming and fun-loving character that you can’t really hate him—no matter how much you’ll want to.
The Wolf of Wall Street is excessive in just about every way imaginable. It’s long and vulgar and generally obnoxious—and, for that reason, it’s sometimes difficult to stomach. But this stranger-than-fiction Wall Street bio is so completely outrageous—and its characters so compelling—that it’s worth the effort.
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