What's Up With the Wolf on the Wall?: A Critique on 'The Wolf of Wall Street'
- Therese Marie T. Ybañez
- Feb 10, 2017
- 5 min read
New York has always been a city that amazed me. With the premise “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere” in mind, it is one of the cities I know I will always have an affinity for. If you asked me what my Top 20 favorite movies and series of all-time were, about three-fourths of that list would probably be consisting of movies set in New York, such as ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, ‘Little Manhattan’, ‘That Awkward Moment’, ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S.’, and ‘Gossip Girl’. Somewhere on the top of that list would probably be ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, a 2013 screenplay by Terence Winter and directed by Martin Scorsese.
I know what you are thinking. It probably may not be the movie most suitable for my age, as it featured various scenes of drugs, lust, and so on. I remember watching it as a young girl, probably around 13 or 14 years old. For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in doing business my whole life, therefore, movies about business have always peaked my interest.
New York? Business? ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ just sounds like the most perfect movie for me. Putting all the vices aside, it was a movie that really got me going. It added to my burning desire to make it in New York and succeed in doing business. It showed how determined Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) was in succeeding as a stock broker.
Based on a true story, the movie follows Belfort through his journey and how he worked his way up to be one of the richest in his city. From living in a cramped apartment to an estate, from riding the bus to being chaffeured around in a private limousine or helicopter, from working for someone to being his own boss - you name it.
Most people would say this film is very much inappropriate because it showed the negative side of doing business. In the first few parts of the film, it shows Belfort having lunch with his boss (Matthew McConaughey) in the company where he is newly-employed as a stock broker, L.F. Rothschild. His boss tells him that being in the stock market is a very draining job - and teaches him how to deal with this. He is told that most turn to lust and drugs to find comfort, even taking a snort of cocaine right then and there. The two bond and Belfort is quickly drawn in.
This is not the only inappropriate part of the film, as the film intricately depicts how Belfort and his colleagues coped with the stress and demands of the stock market. There are various scenes of Belfort taking qualudes and cocaine. There was also a scene in which he breaks the fourth wall and tells the audience how he takes enough drugs in a day to sedate Lower Manhattan. In my humble opinion, I feel as if the vices in the film overshadowed what for me, made the film a great one.
The story alone, excluding the vices would have made a great film, albeit it would have been greatly boring. This is why I think that those aforementioned scenes cannot be taken out of the script. I do think though, that this should not be the only focus of the critics and audience. They should also look at the moral of the movie; if you want something, work for it. It does not matter where you come from, for as long as you want something and you are determined to do it, you will always be able to achieve your goal. Belfort’s natural knack in business showed that if you have enough love and passion, you will succeed.
At a very young age, Belfort had already built an empire. He had a great number of people wanting to work for him, and working for him. His great speech about ‘the little black box’ is something that to this day inspires me. Quotes such as “We will not put down the phone, until the client either buys, or dies,”, and “The only thing standing between you and your goal, is you and you bull excuse,” are classics that are enough to drive you to get through the day.
Knowing the director of the film, Martin Scorsese, alone, is enough to raise the standards for any movie goer. His other films include ‘Goodfellas’, ‘Shutter Island’, and ‘Hugo’, which are all award-winning. This instantly put a high standard on the quality of the film, seeing as it has a lot to live up to.
Besides being a Scorsese film, its lead actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, is very much renowned, as well. DiCaprio was very much able to capture Belfort’s personality - acting so greatly that you could act
ually picture him in the shoes of the businessman. That is, after all, the point of acting, and this is proof that DiCaprio was able to do his job ever so greatly. His interpretation of Belfort was a performance worthy of an award - quite literally, as for this film alone, he received thirty-three nominations, and eleven awards.
Overall, I feel that for this film to be able to cater to audiences of all ages and all preferences, the directors should not have over-glorified the lust, drugs, alcohol, and lies part of the movie. Sure, this movie would not have been as interesting as it could be, but they still could have included it without showing him snorting white powder every two seconds in the film. In fact, the vices of the film are what most criticized, stating that the film is an irresponsible glorification, rather than a satirical takedown (referring to Belfort getting arrested for embezzlement, leniency, and much more charges). Somewhat, it also glorifies corruption - which, especially to us Filipinos, is a very relevant and striking issue as of the moment. Excluding these parts, it is still over-all a great film. The cinematography, direction, and acts of the film were able to produce a chemistry so great, that in the end, made an almost perfect film. I am also not the only one to say so, as the film received very positive reviews, having a 77% approval rating, a score of 7.7/10, and even garnering the title of “third best film” of the Year 2013.
At the end of the day, ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ is still a movie that I would watch over and over again. Its way of bringing together humor and business is a magic on its own. It is a film perfect for any aspiring businessman or woman, or simply anyone who is looking for a laugh, but at the same time be inspired. I, personally, am very drawn to it as a student in ABM. The film had both award-winning performances in acting, as well as its production. Putting together the story, production, and crew, you could say it is a near perfect film. It gives us a sense of drive — it tells us that no matter what, as long as we really want something and we are willing to work hard enough for it, we will ultimately be able to reach our goal, no matter how hard it may seem.
Source:
No author. (n.d.). The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). Retrieved from: http://www.imdb.com/
title/tt0993846/
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