Chock full of drugs, money and sex, “The Wolf of Wall Street” is a thrilling ride from start to finish. The movie, which was nominated for several academy awards, follows a young stock broker named Jordan Bellford (Leonardo DiCaprio) who dreams of making the big time. After being fired from his job at the bottom of the totem pole at a big stocks company, Bellford gets a job selling penny stocks and learns that they can be used to make huge commissions because they aren’t regulated. He starts his own company in an old autoshop along with a waiter he met at a diner named Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) and calls his company Stratton Oakmont.
Stratton Oakmont quickly becomes one of the most successful firms on Wall Street. Bellford is called the Wolf of Wall Street in a magazine article which makes his firm the most attractive to up and coming stock brokers. Bellford goes on to illegally make millions of dollars and then smuggle his money into a Swiss bank account to hide it from the nosy FBI. Throughout the movie Bellford struggles with drug abuse and adopts a very dangerous lifestyle. He considers selling the company in order to avoid an FBI investigation, but ultimatly decides that the company is his home and he can’t bear to part with it. Bellford’s world comes crashing down at the end of the movie when he is left by his wife and child and sentenced to prison.
Bellford’s drug and sex addiction make for a wild and unpredicatable adventure. The movie is filled with many twists and turns, crazy parties and the hilariously arrogant actions of Jordan Bellford.
Although the movie is entertaining, it is also wildly inappropriate. Scenes are filled with nudity, swearing and tons of cocaine. The movie also set a record for most uses of the ‘f word’ in one film, so it might not be perfect for family movie night.
The movie centers around money, and the way that it can take talented and driven individuals, and turn them into snobby jerks addicted to sex and drugs. Jordan could easily be the villian in any other movie as he constantly uses illegal means to take money from the common people and transfers it into his own enourmous bank account, but this movie portrays him as a hero. This unique perspective personalizes the greedy businessmen who are torn apart in today’s media.
Often times the movie lacks actual plot, but is more just a collection of crazy experiences throughout Bellford’s life, but it is carried along by DiCaprio’s fantastic acting and his hilarious chemistry with Jonah Hill. The three hour long movie would quickly grow repititive if not for its fantastic actors.
I appreciate the way the movie is largely entertaining and provides and provides a fresh perspective, all while not taking itself too seriously. Jordan will often stop the movie to talk directly to the camera and explain Wall Street terms to the audiance. This movie is sure to entertain anyone as long as you don’t take it too seriously.
