I came across this open letter written by one of the (alleged) victims of the The Wolf of Wall Street and it was an interesting read. I did watch the film and thought it had its moments but having read this it's disappointing to see how they made the people in the movie look like.
Thoughts?
| +84 | Zoomers are doing life wrong | 27 | 1h | |
| +52 | How to get rid of prestige obsession | 24 | 1d | |
| +44 | How to develop a thick skin? | 22 | 3d | |
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I haven't seen the movie and refuse to do so as it seems extremely douchey. Even if I thought it may be a good film I would side with the author. It's sad how the American public lionizes crooks so long as it is in the good name of fun. I cringe at the thought of young dorky financial advisors packing the theatres to see this razzie worthy film and reporting back to the office on Monday emitting a continuous stream of tasteless one-liners. That being said I'm sure this one will go down as a classic with the film critics raving about Leo's performance and the witty humor of Jonah Hill. I believe H.L. Mencken was correct in saying nobody has ever lost money betting against the intelligence of the American public.
Although I do understand the investors that were defrauded, I can't seem to sympathize with a spoiled rich girl who ran out of coke money. I also can't understand why she puts so much blame on Scorcese. Besides, I'm pretty sure some of the proceeds from the film would go towards restitution.
I can picture young Northwestern Mutual FAs at the theater. The joke is on them!
I thought it was pretty funny and a neutral and sufficiently accurate portrayal of reality. White collar criminals don't do real time and don't incur real punishment. That's just the truth. It's not Scorsese's place to glorify or condemn characters in a biography.
I tend to agree with the author. These guys were crooks and going to the movie will line Belfort's pockets a little more.
Unfortunately, whatever message Scorsese tries to convey will be lost on a large part of the audience. Many of the reviews talk about how fun the movie was, which obviously ignores how the funds to party were obtained. I don't think the reaction would be the same if it was Bernie Madoff doing the partying. People would be pissed off that he was having a good time with stolen money. Most reviewers fail to mention this.
Maybe we will see a Madoff version in a few years. ;) I think it would have been nice if during the credits they interviewed the victims and kinda downplayed the movie in that regard.
Movies are an escape from reality, why would I want to watch a flick that throws me right back in reality.
The Godfather didn't show the American people how bad the mafia is, it glorified it, it is a fucking movie! This isn't a documentary revealing the criminals in the financial industry. It's a god damn movie! I saw on Bloomberg a couple anchors were talking about how they will never watch the movie because it glorifies criminals and doesn't show the victims and how they were hurt..... What a joke.
In that case, why didn't the directors of Wedding Crashers interview the women who were "played" by the wedding crashers. Those poor women who got banged after meeting some guy at a wedding, who turned out to be a serial wedding crasher.
You realize you the Wolf of Wall Street was based on a true story, right?
There are certain criminals I find amusing, like Frank Abagnale/ "Catch Me if You Can" types. That's amusing. But Belfort can die in a fire.
Catch Me if You Can was a good movie. At least that guy turned into an FBI informant to help catch other cheque fraud.
I must have been the only one who felt like Scorsese/Leo/Jonah were issuing their own condemnation of the activities they portrayed with just how over the top they took it?
Sure, there were parts where the entire theatre was laughing -- but there were at least as many moments where the audience audibly cringed at the callous/elitist/chauvinist stuff taking place on screen.
A previously rich girl blaming another man for her father's moral failures and the ensuing pain she had to suffer?
Maybe she should've addressed that letter to her dad instead.
Wait, did I get this straight? Is this post really suggesting that we should be worried about Wall Street criminals being glorified?
Have you been reading the news for the last 6 years?
Belfort will profit from the film, however he will be turning over all of the proceeds to the government to pay for his restitution. Supporting this film is supporting the victims of the crimes actually. I mean, what is Belfort supposed to do to pay back $100 mil when he cannot do much in the way of finance again?
From the L.A. Weekly :
I feel for the victims, but this previously rich chick's complaints aren't making me feel the least bit bad for her. Sounds like she was living the life portrayed in this movie while in high school and is bitter she can't anymore. Seems a bit hypocritical IMO.
A far, far better film:
//www.youtube.com/embed/8Y-NqShTj5w
Wonder if this girl would be complaining had she continued to enjoy the pleasures of daddy's money?
Seriously cry me a river, daddy's not rich anymore... plenty of wives/families know of unethical deeds being committed to provide for them and they all happy turn the other way to enjoy its gains...
Good movie, not his best, but a great laugh and gratuitous amount of of pussy cats...
It's nothing wrong with being entertained by crook/mob/gangster movies. In my opinion the things in those movies that we are attracted to are the very same things that attract us to wall street. Yes, Belfort was a crook, but we all(most) want to attain that level of success. That's what makes those kinds of movies so interesting.
Not a big fan of the flick.
"Christina McDowell currently lives in Los Angeles. She volunteers with InsideOUT Writers, a nonprofit for children impacted by the criminal justice system, and is currently writing her memoir."
LOL! I'd think she were more sincere if she wasn't clearly looking for publicity. So she works for a "nonprofit", and is writing a memoir while she's in her mid 20s? "My Life as a Community Organizer Who Was a Victim My Whole Life" was already done by Obama, that genre space is getting really crowded now.
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