Wolf of Wall Street (2013) is a well made movie. I cannot believe how many people were complaining about it being too raunchy. It makes me think that maybe some people have not watched anything on HBO, which I honestly think has displayed much raunchier scenes. Unfortunately, there are women out there that put themselves in demeaning positions to earn money. Just because this film showed this does not mean that anyone involved with the film was glamorizing Jordan Belfort or his lifestyle. In fact, I felt it did the complete opposite. It properly showed how greed can consume a person, yet, because he had money, he basically only got a slap on the wrist for ripping off so many people. Prison for Jordan was like going off to a nice country club, but that's how our society works. Yes, it's disgusting, that was the point of the film.
The acting in Wolf is so well done. I still think Leonardo DiCaprio deserved the Oscar this year. Yes, Matthew McConaughey was amazing in Dallas Buyer's Club (2013), but Leo has constantly been ripped off and he should have finally been given the Oscar. McConaughey has only just started showing that he is a serious actor and not just a 'Pretty Boy'. Leo, however, has been showing he's not just a Pretty Boy for years. He deserved an Oscar all the way back in 1994 for his performance as Arnie Grape in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993). He should have been nominated for his performances in Django Unchained (2012), Inception (2010), Titanic (1997), Catch Me if You Can (2002), and The Departed (2006). Hell, he was even impressive in Basketball Diaries (1995), look at his heroin detox scene! He carries the films he's in and always chooses ones worth seeing. I cannot say the same about McConaughey with him being in bunch of awful movies: Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009), Fool's Gold (2008), Failure to Launch (2006), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) and The Wedding Planner (2001). Leo has never been in movies this bad and has always given brilliant performances, so I think he deserved an Oscar win before McConaughey. I'm happy to see that McConaughey is taking acting seriously now because I sure do love True Detective, but I am mad at the Academy for not giving Leo an Oscar that he's been deserving since the 90s! Come on! He's the best of his generation. Joaquin Phoenix is another one who is always ripped off. Oscar snubs have been going on for years. Look at Judy Garland, Alfred Hitchcock, Deborah Kerr, Joseph Cotten and Claude Rains. Maybe it's a twisted compliment to Leo and Phoenix to not give them Oscars?
My main complaint about Wolf is that it was a bit too long. I was really entertained for a while and then it got kind of lost around the time just before the Lemmon taking. If they had cut the film by about 30-40 minutes, it would have been perfect. I am surprised how much I enjoyed a movie where I disliked practically all of the characters, it was still entertaining. The fact that this is based on a real guy makes it so interesting. I cannot stand Jordan, he's just a drug addict who happens to be an incredibly charismatic. He's the perfect con artist, so it's only fitting that he'd turn to motivational speaking now. Sadly, there are still people out there who will pay to listen to him feed them a bunch of bullshit. They deserve to lose their money if they're going to be that dumb and he knows it.
