Back to Back

Well, I was able to make the drive and sit through The Wolf of Wall Street" without issue.  And that's after discovering that the movie is even longer than I'd been told, three hours.

It's very good, but too long for my taste, and too self-indulgent.  Yes, I know that's the point of the film, but about two and a quarter hours in I got tired of hearing Leonard DiCaprio's voice.  Also, unlike many reviews try to suggest, no, I didn't get sucked into loving the main character and being complicit in his extravagance.  I was fascinated by how the story played out, but almost from the moment he came on screen, I wanted him to get his comeuppance, and when Kyle Chandler appears as an F.B.I. agent, he became my favorite character to root for.

The writing is smart, the direction vibrant, and most of the acting terrific.  I'll single out one, even thought its a very tiny role, because I loved the actor and didn't learn who it was until afterwards.  It's the character who runs the cheesy boilerroom that sells penny-stocks to saps -- and the actor (who was wonderful) wasn't played by an actor at all, but rather director Spike Jonze.  It was also nice to see Jean Dujardin, who won the Oscar for The Artist, and he was wonderful