Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

I went to see this Scorsese film at 11:30PM and was concerned I’d get tired and fall asleep. It is a long film at 180 minutes. Nope. That was one of the most entertaining films I saw all year long, a bold dramedy that had me beaming with enjoyment the entire time. Leonardo DiCaprio is a sensation, giving his best performance in his career, at least in my opinion. The true (yet very much exaggerated) story of Jordan Belfort’s dance with debauchery and investment greed during the late ‘80s and ‘90s is nothing more than a brilliantly-crafted enlightening cautionary tale. Some might criticize this film for celebrating and glamorizing greed and infidelity and drug-use. It doesn’t, it warns society why we need to regulate our financial institutions because there are predators out there just like these creeps who will take advantage of anyone they can. Jonah Hill is also incredible, transforming into a loud-mouth devotee and partner of Belfort that is not like any other character he has played. There’s so many memorable parts, scenes that will stand the test of time as being classic. Scorsese really out did himself, proof again that age is meaningless when it comes to creative output. If you are easily offended, you probably should avoid this one. But for the rest of you out there, be prepared for a really good movie. Grade: A