From the outset this film was something I wanted to watch with Leonardo Dicaprio as the leading man, but also as it is a Scoresese film.
The film for me was more than I expected and was quite grotesque from the opening scene, with naked women and men running around, I never thought that the finacial system was that choatic, with Drugs and Sex being some of the main themes.
The film is definately more aimed at men, and although I enjoy Leo's protrayel of main protagonist Jordan Belfort, I found myself cringing in places and not really enjoying the sexism that the film had throughout it with women being almost treated like objects rather than people. I know that as a woman I'm maybe reading to much into the film and the way women are treated. But in it's defence it was set in the 1980's.
The film won a Gloden Globe for best comedy, but like everything Scrosese does it has a deeper meaning to it and the film although full of funny moments, including Leo off his head on drugs shouting for someone to get off the phone in slurred manner I find that the underlying narrative is one that is dark, and that dark humour is something I love the most. Money is no object in this film and based on the true story, you see someone build up an empire, only through his own greed and recknessless have it all taken away from him with the FBI being involved, shopping in your closet friends and then spending three years in jail for that instead of twenty.
The other main thing that caught my eye is the way in which family matters didn't seem important with sex with prositutes before his wedding night and during the marriage with two children in the family unit.Punching his wife in the stamoch at one point in the end of the film.
Overall the film is a good watch, although long.... I think it's about 3 hours but if you have a nervous disposistion then do not watch this film as scenes are graphic from the outset.It's not my favourite Scorsese film of all time but it is a good film.
