'The Wolf of Wall Street'—Review

It was the week of Christmas, 2013. I had just completed my first semester of film school and because I was so busy studying the past couple of weeks, I decided to reward myself with a trip to the movies for four days in a row. American Hustle, Saving Mr. Banks, Anchorman 2, and on Christmas Day, after opening presents with family and friends, The Wolf of Wall Street. Now, I didn't really know what to expect and I was also extremely tired. Therefore, I wasn't the biggest fan of this movie for my first viewing. I thought it was extremely long (which it is) and I thought all the excess nudity, drugs and profanity was way too much. I had a hard time getting over all the craziness and seeing the actual story. However, there are some movies that I come across that I may not fully enjoy during my first viewing, but I can't stop thinking about it and give it a second chance where I end up loving it. The Wolf of Wall Street went from a three-hour snooze fest on Christmas morning, to one of my favourite movies.

A big reason for that is the Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese duo. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. These two talented gentlemen have teamed up for Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, and of course, Wolf of Wall Street. Martin Scorsese has only done this type of story before many times as well. Goodfellas, Casino, etc. Martin Scorsese knows how to tell this story and he knows how to tell it well. Not only that, but he brings all of his "Scorsese" tropes back again like tons of tracking shots with our main character breaking the fourth wall, tons of voiceover, tons of swearing, New York City, and a great soundtrack. Almost like Martin Scorsese's Greatest Hits. Too bad we didn't get to see a cameo of Robert De Niro or Joe Pesci, then it would have really been Martin Scorsese's Greatest Hits. As for Leonardo DiCaprio, he brings it. Like seriously, he goes f***ing nuts. Whether that be him screaming in every scene he is in, to go the extra mile by crawling on the ground f***ed up on Qualudes trying to get into his Ferrari and having a candle stuck up his butt. For all that effort, no Oscar. What's worse is that Matthew McConaughey, the man who won the Best Actor Academy Award that year, stops by to brag. Nah, but in all seriousness, that one scene might be my favourite scene in the movie. My two friends and I still quote it in our daily lives.

The rest of the cast is also fantastic. Jonah Hill isn't the fat kid from Superbad anymore, he is now... the fat guy from Wolf of Wall Street. Sure, a lot of his antics and acting style are the same, but it's just so funny to watch on screen. When he's tripping on Quaaludes and pulls out his penis to masturbate to Naomi (Margot Robbie) at a party, somehow Jonah Hill just seems like the perfect actor to pull a stunt like that. Margot Robbie is also wonderful. And no, that's not simply because she's a total babe, but because even though she was fairly unknown at this point in her career, she was able to hold her own with scenes with acting heavyweights like Leonardo DiCaprio. Plus, the way she says "Jordan" in that New York accent, (cue gif of Leonardo DiCaprio biting his fist while looking up to the heavens and mouthing "oh my god")

So along with the great cast and a well-told story by a director who knows how to tell it, this film is f***ing crazy. Boobs, drugs, swearing, more boobs, parties, more drugs, dancing, yelling, more drugs, more yelling, even more, boobs... you get the picture. It is so over the top, it's jaw-dropping. It's really a movie you need to see to believe. So entertaining, so well made, so well acted, and gets a perfect rating in my books. Just make sure you don't watch it with your grandparents.