Going to see the Wolf

I'm going to see the Wolf of Wall St. tomorrow, and at first I thought going to see this movie was something of a capitulation tio a long lost love for Scorsese, and I really don't like carrying the torch for directors who've seen their best days. On Xmas, I saw American Hustle instead of The Wolf, thinking that was the movie everyone was going to be talking about, that would send shockwaves through the culture, and that the Wolf would be another forgotten Scorsese film from his later period, that only future movie junkies watched to understand the arc of a great director, even if the movie sucked, but boy was I wrong. The Wolf is the movie everyone is talking about and it seems like it is a far greater seismic digit counter of where our culture is at than American Hustle, which was a fine movie, but a little top heavy with plot, and a love story that didn't quite gel, in spite of great performances all the way around.

I'm not saying the Wolf Of Wall St. is going to be a good movie, or that I'm even going to like it, but it seems to have quickly gone to a place better than good or bad. This week I read that Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill, the two stars, gave press conferences saying that the protagonist's behavior was vile, and Leo went onto say "he's everything that's wrong with America." Politically, I couldn't help but think both of these actors were distancing themselves from the movie even as it is still out, and well reviewed for the most part and in all of my years as a movie junkie I don't think I've ever seen the two main actors do this. Usually, it is the movie's job to explain its moral implications and Leo's statements were very strange both defending Scorsese for making the picture and getting a conversation started, but seeming a little confused as to the director's intent for the film, if not his artistry, and I believe this is often the case with movies, that get made quickly. I think they were reacting to the fact that audiences seem overwhelmingly disgusted by the protagonist, giving the movie a bad rating on rotten tomatoes, or something like that, and I read another story that investment bankers absolutely loved the Roman debauchery of the film, and were cheering the protagonist on. I do think some of the most interesting movies are those with unintended consequnces, and this may be one of those rare finds. Stay tuned.