To get a point across quickly, DiCaprio should get an Oscar for this. End of story. Hill should be nominated. Scorsese will be nominated, could win. So now that the Oscar talk is out of the way, let's get started.
This movie has easily the best written dialogue in any film this year. DiCaprio's monologues are all bullshit, but they're inspiring at the same time. Belfort feels like a man in control of his own destiny. He feels like a representation of the American dream if that dream were to fuck bitches, get money, and do enough drugs to sedate New York for a month. He's a man that makes you feel like anything is possible as long as you have money. And for the most part, he's right.
Matthew McConaughey is in this movie for about 10 minutes. He gives one lengthy monologue, but everyone is so invested. He'll have you beating your chest and humming in that rhythm as you walk out of the theater. Jonah Hill is clearly at his best, comically and dramatically. You can tell he's still getting used to dramatic roles, but this was about 95% comedy for his character.
Like in most of Scorsese's films, everything comes together and is wrapped up nicely. The narrating lead character goes through changes and eventually deals with them. Belfort is a criminal that you can sympathize with. He may be victimizing less fortunate people, but he also helps people to whom he is the closest. He has troubles at home with his wife (Margot Robbie), and he has the worst drug problem depicted since Scarface, while there are better examples this one comes to mind.
If I had to describe this movie in terms of other movies, I would put it this way. It has the structure of Goodfellas, the quotability of Pulp Fiction, the setting of Wall Street, and the drug depiction of Scarface (maybe worse). I had a smile on my face for the first two hours of the movie.
It slows down in the last hour or so, because Belfort has built his empire, and he now has to sustain it. It doesn't get boring or tedious to watch, but it's significantly different from the first two thirds of the film. For some of my reviews, I take notes on what I like, dislike etc. But this film was gripping my attention so tightly for its entirety, that I couldn't bother to look down.
Many things are over-the-top and just louder about this movie. The trailer captures it fairly well. It's like The Great Gatsby except it probably deserves an NC-17 rating. Between the drugs, the language, and the amount of softcore porn, this film barely squeaked by the MPAA and it will make many couples uncomfortable. When you see DiCaprio blowing cocaine into the asshole of a prostitute, you know you're getting into something you weren't expecting.
Scorsese has mastered pacing long movies over the course of his career. This is a three hour movie that feels like two or two-and-a-half. He keeps you invested by keeping everything upbeat and fun to watch. Even in the film's darkest moments, you're still enjoying it. Jordan Belfort is the man that men should aspire to be in terms of attitude and ambition. This film will be winning Oscars come February. I suggest you go see it, just don't bring a date.
Rating: A+
