Did I ever tell you what ''doing a Rob Flynn'' means? Rob Flynn is a talented heavy metal musician, who spent the last two decade obsessed wth one idea: being the greatest heavy metal musician of all-time. The issue with that is that Rob Flynn's legacy took precedence over the quality of his music in his list of prorities, to his spent the majority of his career recording a mediocre, barely listenable pile of riffs rather than music his fans loved. The point I'm trying to make here is that Martin Scorcese's latest movie THE WOLF OF WALL STREET is doing a little bit of a Rob Flynn. It's a good idea with a steroids problem. A movie that's occasionally funny and quirky, but that's too long and too preoccupied with the Oscars to matter in the greater picture.
Jordan Belfort (Leonardo di Caprio) is your typical rags-to-riches all-american story, or almost. He pulled himself from humble beginnings and became the most controversial investment banker on Wall Street. His firm Stratton Oakmont is the only major firm dealing penny stocks, low profile and volatile stocks who gather up to a 50% commission on most transactions. The success of Stratton Oakmont is instantaneous and its nouveau riche CEO Jordan Belfort fosters a lavish culture of party and excess within the walls of his office and at home. The loud and proud Stratton Oakmont loves the attention its getting from the financial world, but it's not the only people who take interest in their activities. The FBI financial division is breathing down their neck, investigating their suspicious activities.
I know there is supposed to be an element of magic realism involved. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET is a first person narration and memory often are a place of surreal excess. My problem isn't really with the narrative, but with the way Martin Scorcese brought it up. The standout moments are rare. There is one of the most hilarious slapstick scene I've ever watched, involving quaaludes and a lamborghini, eerie throwbacks to GLENGARRY GLENN ROSS and funny jabs taken at the culture of success, but overall, there is very little standout material to THE WOLF OF WALL STREET. It is trying to get shock laughs out of you or it's coasting the events of Jordan Belfort's life (who is a real person, by the way) in an attempt to bloat the movie to an Oscar-size whale. The truth is a little more boring : the movie is too long for what it should be.
That amazing song that convinced you to go see the movie? It doesn't have anything to do with anything, but there's a killer mix during the end credit.
I wanted to love THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, I really did. But in ten years, it'll seem pale in comparison to the great Martin Scorcese movies such as GOODFELLAS, CASINO and THE DEPARTED. Because it is pale. It's not bad, but it's easy. It's like comparing Air Supply and Pink Floyd, one demands more involvement but it more rewarding. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET is trying to cover too much ground to get to its Oscar size and tries to compensate with a semi-bold approach to first person narration and shock. I mean, doing blow out of a hooker's asshole is funny once, but when it sets the tone for an entire movie, it becomes complacent. I'm not one to shy away from politically incorrect humor, but THE WOLF OF WALL STREET's use of sex and excess is devoid of purpose.
My review might seem harsh, but I didn't hate the movie. I was just disappointed by it. If we put the transcendent moments of THE WOLF OF WALL STREET back to back, we would get six or seven minutes out of three hours. Maybe it's pedantic of me, but I was expecting something more dynamic and engaging out of Martin Scorcese. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET feels like it's been made to bolster his legacy, more than to create the best movie he could. In five year, all we will remember from this movie is a hilarious quaaludes scene and the freakin' money chant. Don't go out of your way to see this one before the Oscars. It's pefectly capable to wait until VOD release.