![]() Like any great Scorsese film, the women are in full-force and given the opportunity to shine like the others. Stealing every frame and focus from DiCaprio in his ten minute screen time, McConaughey utilizes all his charm and spunk as Mark Hanna, the mentor to young Jordan as he started out. While his work in Dallas Buyers Club will bring him the acclaim and recognition that he deserves, The Wolf of Wall Street is a prime example of what he should be doing when he's not working or seeking out the strong, independent features that are geared for awards recognition. Matthew McConaughey, is one scene shy of winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. In Wolf, he relies on his own instincts, and his chemistry with DiCaprio, which has helped him before for his Oscar-nominated work in Moneyball opposite Brad Pitt. He's allowed to explore some of his comedic ticks and beats that he may not have ever had the opportunity to explore in films like Superbad or 21 Jump Street. As the magnetic and cheesy-minded right-hand man, Jonah Hill's performance as Donnie Azoff is another great turn for the 30-year-old actor. A sequence of DiCaprio crawling on the floor will probably be the scene of the year. It's a charming and adventurous turn that presents a conundrum to the audience as we find ourselves both enamored and loathing the pure essence of Jordan. This is the role of his career and something that the Academy Awards should look to for his long overdue recognition. ![]() When DiCaprio unleashed his talents in the mid-90's in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and later stole the hearts of tween girls everywhere in Titanic, who knew this is the role he'd been gearing up to play. In his breaking of the fourth wall, to his long but completely engaging monologues about life, money, and greed, it's the most assured and compelling work by the actor to date. I've never seen him truly "go for it" in a way that he exhibits as Jordan Belfort. A lot of the credit of the film's overall success has to be awarded to Leonardo DiCaprio. All of which seem to be having the time of their lives. Scorsese puts together an all-star cast to inhabit these beings that includes DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bernathal, and Kyle Chandler. They're like the frat pack group that sat in a corner on my college campus, being loud and obnoxious, and made terrible life choices that they still aren't aware of until this day. Scorsese keeps Wolf life-size, sprinkled with characters that are both geniuses and morons, but functioning morons. That's a testament to Scorsese's outstanding direction and Terence Winter's masterful screenplay. Natural comparisons will fly to Oliver Stone's Wall Street which is accurate but you can see subtle hints of films like Trading Places, Glengarry Glen Ross, and even American Psycho. ![]() The Wolf of Wall Street is a black comedy, giving hints of drama. ![]() Watching the destruction of Jordan acted as a documentarian's insight that felt like I was watching "Intervention" without the family that cares. In his tenure trading (and stealing), Jordan marries, divorces, does drugs, marries again, does even more drugs, makes solid friendships, and believe it or not, does a lot more drugs. Telling the story of Jordan Belfort, a young Wall Street broker that gets involved in drugs, money, and even more drugs during the 80's and 90's. Expertly paced with intelligent moral questions presented, The Wolf of Wall Street is one of the best films of the year. Much more than just laughs, it turns on the dramatic elements early enough in the film to warrant considerable reactions about the choices of our key characters. ![]() A comedic epic that studies the behavior and cultures of a time in America, feels like the uncovering of a time capsule that was buried and dug up to give insight into our current financial crisis. At one-minute shy of three hours, I was both engaged and hypnotized nearly the entire duration. It also presents Academy Award nominee Leonardo DiCaprio in possibly his finest acting performance of his career. His newest and most refreshing effort he's contributed to the world of cinema in years, The Wolf of Wall Street is a roaring thrill ride that is both absolutely hilarious and meticulously constructed. ![]()
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