Author’s Note: FYI, I am planning on making a best of 2013 list; however unlike most people who release them at the end of December, I will be releasing mine at the end of January (or beginning of February). Just like my mid-year list, the reason for this is because many great 2013 films are released around the very end of December to mid-way through January where I live (heck, Her and August: Osage County just got a limited release today!) So instead of making them 2013 leftovers for the 2014 year (which is what I’ve done before), I’m instead going to count January as a 2013 month; allowing me to see any late releases as well as catch up on noticeable films I missed seeing.
Now if I were to read a person’s self-written memoirs, I would assume it to usually contain a more pleasant (or sympathetic) outlook on their own life; making him or her more agreeable for the reader. If Jordan Belfort’s memoirs are anything like its adapted film The Wolf of Wall Street, then I’m just going to have to throw that theory right out the window. Here’s a man who is perfectly content with revealing just how warped, depraved, and insane he is without second’s hesitation; making him one sick individual whose story is a jaw dropping, astounding film of pure entertainment and hilarity.
Martin Scorsese’s black comedy dives right into the life of eccentric businessman and stock broker Jordan Belfort (played here by Leonardo DiCaprio) who tells the story of his own warped rise and fall. Learning from his own former boss Mark (Matthew McConaughey), Jordan starts his own successful (and highly illegal) stockbroker firm with the help of his partner Donnie (Jonah Hill) and several other friends. Soon his firm becomes a billion dollar company, yet the FBI are hot on Jordan’s crooked trail, forcing him to take several drastic (if not crazy) measures to try and stay one step ahead. The rest of the film deals with his attempts to keep himself and his company on top, while dealing with enough scenes of sex, drugs, and debauchery to make Satan himself feel dirty.
The Wolf of Wall Street is a twisted sort of fun; the kind of dark humor you know is wrong and immoral, yet laugh at it none the less. The utter insanity is the film’s major strong point; crossing that oh too easy to cross line then crossing right back…then jumping right back into the fire with another cross. Many, many times I found myself laughing at something that I really shouldn't be; and I don’t mean shouldn't be, I mean shouldn't be. Take for example the scene when they hire little people…to be tossed at a bulls-eye target while being bet on. The way they describe how little people think (which unless you’re an absolute idiot, know it’s no different from an average height adult) is so alarming that I felt (and deserved to feel) downright dirty when I laughed my ass off at their comments.
Did I forget to mention The Wolf of Wall Street contains extremely excessive amounts of drugs, sex and nudity to the point where it’s downright shocking that it wasn't rated NC-17...not that I’m complaining. In fact without those aspects this film would have been a lot less interesting/funny to say the least. The drug influenced scenes provide some of the best comedy this film had to offer (which to be fair was about 95% of it). By far the funniest scene involves powerful Quaaludes, cerebral palsy jokes, insane car driving, choking on ham, a telephone fight scene, and Popeye the sailor man (it makes more sense in context and is quite possibly one of the strangest yet effective combinations ever seen in film). Surprisingly the film’s only on-screen murder occurs when Donnie eats one of the ex-employees fish (though 3 people die in an off-screen plane crash according to Jordan).
Scorsese’s cinematography here is a mix of strange, surreal, and spellbinding. For instance the “morning ritual” scene, where Jordan’s trophy wife accuses him of cheating with another woman he called for in his sleep. Jordan denies ever hearing the name, which instantly cues in a scene from the night before where it becomes quite clear that he KNOWS the name, cutting back to the present with hilarious results. Scorsese takes advantage of the heavy drug use by adding surreal ideas and imagery to said scenes; such as Donnie moving in slow motion to classical music under the influence of some Quaaludes, or Jordan trying to crawl down five stairs that to his (and the audiences’) perspective looks to be an entire fleet of them.
By far one of the most peculiar yet entertaining cinematic techniques is how Jordan narrates. Throughout the film our villain-protagonist switches from outer-monolog storytelling, to breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the audience, to a more traditional inner-monolog; all depending on the mood of the scene and Jordan. There’s even a scene where his inner-monolog has a mental discussion with his Swiss banker (once again making more sense in context). This and other creative methods of cinematography provide The Wolf of Wall Street with a boost of entertainment to help skyrocket the acting, plot and comedy up to much higher levels.
My one major gripe with The Wolf of Wall Street is that the entire film resembles more a director’s cut than a theatrical release. Certain scenes can feel out of place; being either too dramatic or serious for a twisted black comedy. The majority of the main cast are otherwise scummy people (especially our main man) who still show redemptive qualities here and there; yet the film adds these slow, melodramatic scenes where one or more of the cast have a serious discussion (take for example the scene where it Jordan is leaving the firm). While nice, these scenes feel too out of place with the rest of the film’s insanity, slowing down the otherwise quick pacing. If you can tolerate these scenes however, and not get grossed out by the excessive debauchery, then The Wolf of Wall Street will provide some wickedly delightful entertainment and scenes of absolute hilarity for those who can enjoy a black comedy of this caliber.
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