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| Scene from The Wolf of Wall Street |
Welcome to Alternative to What: a weekly column that tries to find a great alternative to driving to the multiplexes. Based on releases of that week, the selections will either be thematically related or feature recurring cast and crew. The goal is to help you better understand the diversity of cinema and hopefully find you some favorites while saving a few bucks. At worse, this column will save you money. Expect each installment to come out on Fridays, unless specified.
THIS WEEK:
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
- Alternative To -
War Dogs (2016)
This weekend marks the release of War Dogs: the latest comedy that seems set on exploring political themes with reckless abandonment. Of course, this is something that could be expected from director Todd Phillips, whose work tends to explore frat boy lifestyles and encourages bad behavior. Speaking as this is his first film outside of The Hangover franchise in quite awhile, one can only wonder how successful it will be in making a point beyond guys sitting around and staring in awe at the destruction that they have made. However, those wondering if a film like this could be made successfully, one doesn't have to look that far back. In fact, you only have to go back to 2013 to see a film that may have unintentionally inspired the recent boom of political comedies, including The Big Short.
The Wolf of Wall Street is a film that was divisive at the point of its release, but should be reconsidered for what it inevitably did. One can look at the imitators since and notice that nobody has done political comedy quite as successfully as Martin Scorsese. With help from writer Terence Winter, the story follows Leonardo DiCaprio as he goes from optimistic new stock broker to the dirtiest crook in the game. He gets a rush from ripping people off, and his greed can be found in his choice of activities as well as what he chooses to buy. He is an unreliable narrator, though that may just be because he's a bit intoxicated at all times.
It's a lengthy film, and one that requires some dedication to get through. However, it is a commentary on excess culture as well as the stock brokers who are in the game simply to get money. There's no point where DiCaprio's behavior is necessarily rewarded, or at least with long term consequences. However, it is a film that chooses to be honest and suggest that even if he ends up in trouble by the end, he still stays busy. It's a film that doesn't shy away from its high points, choosing to glorify them for the reckless fun that they definitely are. It's also significant that their bad behavior makes for some shocking lows, making the fun more impressive just because of how they survived it.
The thing is that the film is so dedicated to the fun and excess that those turned off by capitalistic instincts may have initial trouble enjoying the film. It is bloated for a reason. It wants to exploit the good times, but also serve as a cautionary tale for those who may never be rich enough to experience it. Bad things will happen, and it's just a part of the process. It's a great political comedy because it shows how murky the modern landscape is. Most of all, DiCaprio's biggest downfall isn't greed, but an addiction problem that only hinders the partying to be done while sober. Still, he's selling the product at the end of the film, and that's pretty horrifying as is.
It may be tough to distinctively tell that The Wolf of Wall Street has any influence on modern cinema yet, but considering Scorsese's track record - it wouldn't be that far off from the truth. In this case, it's easy to see, especially as Jonah Hill is involved with both. While both are guaranteed to be crass and violent, it may be tough to imagine the director behind frat boy cinema to hold quite as much gravitas as Scorsese. It could be good, maybe even fun. Yet it would be difficult to think that any film really comes close to capturing the exploitative magic and danger of The Wolf of Wall Street in any capacity. The film comes from a master who has been working for decades. That isn't something that just happens overnight.
The Wolf of Wall Street is a film that was divisive at the point of its release, but should be reconsidered for what it inevitably did. One can look at the imitators since and notice that nobody has done political comedy quite as successfully as Martin Scorsese. With help from writer Terence Winter, the story follows Leonardo DiCaprio as he goes from optimistic new stock broker to the dirtiest crook in the game. He gets a rush from ripping people off, and his greed can be found in his choice of activities as well as what he chooses to buy. He is an unreliable narrator, though that may just be because he's a bit intoxicated at all times.
It's a lengthy film, and one that requires some dedication to get through. However, it is a commentary on excess culture as well as the stock brokers who are in the game simply to get money. There's no point where DiCaprio's behavior is necessarily rewarded, or at least with long term consequences. However, it is a film that chooses to be honest and suggest that even if he ends up in trouble by the end, he still stays busy. It's a film that doesn't shy away from its high points, choosing to glorify them for the reckless fun that they definitely are. It's also significant that their bad behavior makes for some shocking lows, making the fun more impressive just because of how they survived it.
The thing is that the film is so dedicated to the fun and excess that those turned off by capitalistic instincts may have initial trouble enjoying the film. It is bloated for a reason. It wants to exploit the good times, but also serve as a cautionary tale for those who may never be rich enough to experience it. Bad things will happen, and it's just a part of the process. It's a great political comedy because it shows how murky the modern landscape is. Most of all, DiCaprio's biggest downfall isn't greed, but an addiction problem that only hinders the partying to be done while sober. Still, he's selling the product at the end of the film, and that's pretty horrifying as is.
It may be tough to distinctively tell that The Wolf of Wall Street has any influence on modern cinema yet, but considering Scorsese's track record - it wouldn't be that far off from the truth. In this case, it's easy to see, especially as Jonah Hill is involved with both. While both are guaranteed to be crass and violent, it may be tough to imagine the director behind frat boy cinema to hold quite as much gravitas as Scorsese. It could be good, maybe even fun. Yet it would be difficult to think that any film really comes close to capturing the exploitative magic and danger of The Wolf of Wall Street in any capacity. The film comes from a master who has been working for decades. That isn't something that just happens overnight.
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