#wolfofwallstreet A Review

So on the last day of 2013, I went to see The Wolf of Wall Street.  I tweeted my main impressions and thought I'd expound on those tweets in this post.

@Amused0472 Cocaine is a hell of a drug.  As is greed. #thewolfofwallstreet

The Wolf of Wallstreet tells the true story of Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who in the 1990s built an empire on shady stocks and slick salesmanship.  Given the amount of drugs in this movie, you'd think you were watching a movie about a rock star rather than a Wall Street stock broker.  In fact, I think there were more drugs in this movie than Traffic, Blow, and Scarface combined.  Money, drugs, and prostitutes--the whole movie is a study in excess. Gordon Gekko has nothing on Jordan Belfort.

@Amused0472 5 minutes of screen time and gives the best performance of the movie. Matthew McConaughey is a beast. #wolfofwallstreet

WARNING This movie is almost three hours long (so time your bathroom visits accordingly).   Playing Mark Hanna, a stock guru and mentor to Belfort, Matthew McConaughey only appears at the very beginning of the movie,  But in those few minutes, his performance is so brilliant and bold that it sets the tone for the entire movie, his presence resonating throughout.  I thought Michael Fassbender had a lock on the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 12 Years a Slave, but I think McConaughey may be stiff competition.

@Amused0472  Jonah Hill has serious acting chops. (Pun intended.) #wolfofwallstreet

In this film, Jonah Hill sports the biggest set of prosthetic teeth I have ever seen. Avert your eyes, ...if you can.  As Belfort's business partner Donnie Azoff, I was really impressed by Hill's performance in a more dramatic role.    He and DiCaprio also made a really a good team, playing off each other with a seamless chemistry.  More drama, please, Jonah, because you really are superbad!

@Amused0472  Leo as a dude on Lemmon 'ludes was priceless. #wolfofwallstreet

There's a scene in this movie where DiCaprio's character has taken so many Quaaludes that he can barely move, but he has to get to his car and drive home in order to avert a crisis at home.  The physicality it took for DiCaprio to pull off this scene was amazing.  You just have to see it to believe it.  Bravo, Leo!

@Amused0472 I think that may have been better than The Departed. Thank you, Mr. Scorsese. #wolfofwallstreet

I loved The Departed, but it was so very dark. Although The Wolf of Wall Street is a bit of a cautionary tale and has serious emotional moments, it is told in a tongue-in-cheek fashion that makes it more clever than preachy.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself.