"The Wolf of Wall Street" Sparks Controversy
Ashley Turner
Staff Writer
Once in a while, a movie comes along that shocks audiences and creates incredible controversy. “The Wolf of Wall Street” just happens to be one of those kinds of films.
Filled with explicit language and graphic sexual content, this movie is definitely not a family movie. And it just so happens to be based on a completely true story.
The year is 1987, and newly hired Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) is just starting out in the stock market. After his boss Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey) advises him to take up a lifestyle of drugs and other vices in order to succeed in the market, Belfort decides to take his Series 7 Exam, which is an exam to get one’s stock broker license. However, after he earns his license, his company completely flops in the market, leading the agency to close indefinitely.
After starting at a small firm in Long Island, Belfort meets Donny Azoff (Jonah Hill). Belfort hires Azoff and soon they begin to build their empire. But, after his wife (Cristin Milioti) catches him cheating on her with the much younger Naomi (Margot Robbie), she divorces him. Soon after the divorce, being the complete idiot that he is, Belfort proposes to Naomi. They marry and shortly after have a daughter, Skyler.
After the marriage, Belfort starts to run a giant Ponzi scheme and also becomes addicted to cocaine and Quaaludes, a type of stimulant. Eventually, his outrageous behavior leads to a divorce from Naomi and his arrest.
The moral of this story? Don’t let money and possessions get the best of you. Oh, and don’t be an idiot and get into extreme drugs. Plain and simple. As for the genre of this movie? I would classify it as a dark comedy and drama hybrid. The entire movie is filled with dark humor and intense suspense.
Even though I would recommend this movie to certain audiences, “The Wolf of Wall Street” has a tendency, hopefully non-intentional, to glamourize drugs and other illegal behaviors. With over-the-top debauchery and adult language in almost every single scene, this movie is definitely not a movie you should see with your parents. If you’re sensitive to adult content or you have friends not comfortable with it, do not see this movie. “The Wolf of Wall Street” was originally slated to be NC-17. The producers had to cut out many scenes to earn their R-rating.
Is it worth seeing? Yes. The actors in this movie beautifully portrayed the characters, no matter how well known they might be in Hollywood. This is not a family-appropriate movie, however, I would definitely see this movie again.
