History Film / TheWolfOfWallStreet

** When Jordan sails his yacht into a Mediterranean storm of biblical proportions to get to Switzerland to save 20 million of his money, and then cares more about rescuing his supply of quaaludes than the safety of everyone aboard, not to mention the gigantic wave that's about to capsize the boat, the whole event implies that [[DivinePunishment even God wants Jordan dead]].

** Donny's, ahem, [[ADateWithRosiePalms public appreciation]] of Naomi's beauty.

* ADateWithRosiePalms:
** Recommended, at least twice ''daily'', by Mark Hanna as key to remaining calm enough to be a good stockbroker.
** Under the influence of Quaaludes, Donny openly masturbates to Naomi in front of a large group. [[MaleFrontalNudity We even get a brief shot of his half-erect penis,]] though it's PlayedForLaughs [[FanDisservice given the context]]].

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_0851.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll Sex, drugs]] and [[WhiteCollarCrime penny stocks.]]]]

A biographical film [[BasedOnATrueStory based on the memoir of the same name by Jordan Belfort]] and directed by Creator/MartinScorsese. It stars Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio, Creator/MargotRobbie, Creator/JonahHill, Creator/MatthewMcConaughey, Creator/JeanDujardin, Creator/JonFavreau and Creator/RobReiner, among others.

A New York stockbroker recounts to the audience how he made his fortune through shady (and outright illegal) stock manipulations, and the hedonistic drug/sex-fueled lifestyle he built with that fortune. [[RiseAndFallGangsterArc His downfall begins]] when he is investigated by the SEC and FBI, but he refuses to leave the life he has built.

* SpiritualSuccessor:
** Screenwriter Terence Winter and Martin Scorsese have essentially noted that this film does for White Collar crime what ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'' and ''Film/{{Casino}}'' does for organized crime. Indeed, in ''Scorsese on Scorsese'', [[Quotes/MartinScorsese the director]] predicted that there would be a film on white collar crime about fifteen years after Casino (he was off by three years):
--->It's an interesting dilemma for Sam and Nicky. They both buy into a situation and both overstep the line so badly that the destroy everything for everybody. And eventually a whole new city comes rising out of the ashes of what they've destroyed. Who knows the reality of UsefulNotes/LasVegas now, where you've gone from [[DevilInPlainSight a Nicky Santoro]] to [[TheManBehindTheMan Michael Milken]] [[TakeThat or a Donald Trump]]? Who knows [[CorruptCorporateExecutive where the money's going?]] But I'm sure it's got to be worth it, somehow, for those entrepreneurs to come in with the money. You'll probably see a film in fifteen years exposing what they're doing now.
---->-- ''Scorsese on Scorsese'' Page 202-203, 1996 Edition.
** The film has also drawn comparisons to ''Film/CatchMeIfYouCan''. Both works follow a charming white-collar criminal played by [=DiCaprio=] and who comes from humble beginnings to eventually live affluently off ill-gotten gains for a while.
** The protagonist commits audacious crimes, [[spoiler: goes to prison but finds that rather than punishment, he's found infamy and respect and is a sought after speaker with a book deal and movie]]. Is this Jordan Belfort or Rupert Pupkin from ''Film/TheKingOfComedy''? The final scene of Belfort giving a speech to the audience echoes the end of that film.

* {{Manchild}}: Jordan is incapable of keeping his emotions in check or repressing his appetite for sex and drugs. The few times someone manages to pierce his macho facade, he quickly resorts to screaming and violent outbursts to mask his vulnerabilities.

* FilmTheHand: When the FBI captures Jordan during a commercial shoot, one of the Feds puts his hand in front of the camera.

* AbsurdlyLongStairway: Invoked. Desperately struggling to reach his vehicle through a quaalude-induced "cerebral-palsy phase", Jordan perceives a set of stairs in his path as an intimidating incline of dozens of steps. More "objective" shots reveal a measly five steps (not that it makes it easier to traverse).

* AbsurdlyLongStairway: Invoked. Desperately struggling to reach his vehicle through a quaalude-induced "cerebral-palsy phase", Jordan perceives a set of stairs in his path as an intimidating incline of dozens of steps. More "objective" shots reveal a measly half-dozen steps (not that it makes it easier to traverse).

* ChekhovsGunman: Jean-Jacques Saure. [[spoiler: He gets busted by the FBI and rats Jordan out to save his own ass]].

* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: In the film, the root of Jordan's frequent drug use is pure hedonism. In his biography, he claims his quaalude dependence stems from it soothing chronic pain from a back injury (caused by Naomi's annoying dog). On the other hand, even after it's cured his rampant drug use continues unabated, so there's a chance it was merely an excuse; the film's Jordan at one point claims he takes quaaludes for back pain, but the sarcastic delivery hints at this interpretation.

** Robbie suggests Ardcliffe International as one of the IPOs Stratton Oakmont should take public during the Long Island Beach Party, though Steve Madden is chosen as the company for Stratton to take public later in the movie. Ardcliffe is mentioned by a Strattoniate during Jordan’s AsYouKnow narration about an IPO in a BlinkAndYoullMissIt moment, though.

* TheHeckler: When Steve Madden steps up to the microphone at Stratton Oakmont and holds up the latest model of his shoes, one of the female brokers calls out "They're fat girl's shoes!" The staff then start throwing stuff since Madden is not an inspiring speaker. Considering he's ''a client'' who's making the firm very rich, this is really pushing it.

* {{Jerkass}}: Everyone in this film with the exception of Jordan's parents, his first wife,Naomi to some extent, their kids, and Denham are jerks and not nice at all.

* WorldOfJerkass: Almost everybody is a selfish, greedy, or bastardly JerkAss. Not everyone, but most of the characters in this movie are.

* {{Jerkass}}: Everyone in this film with the exception of Jordan's parents, his first wife, his second wife to some extent, their kids, and Denham are jerks and not nice at all.

* MicDrop: Jordan does it during the pool party where he is going to meet his future wife.

* TheXOfY: ''The Wolf of Wall Street'', although, as noted in the film, Belfort did not actually operate on Wall Street when he and his business became famous.

* StreisandEffect: InUniverse, it's a hitjob in Forbes that kick-starts Jordan's career.

** Jordan Belfort's penny stock operation takes this UpToEleven, via a BatmanGambit of offering good stocks in blue chip companies and then unloading the dummy stocks and earning, thanks to lower regulation, even higher commissions than they would in the real stock market.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Jordan. [[spoiler: The FBI have him bang to rights, he has just fallen OffTheWagon and after hitting his wife, attempted to flee with his daughter. Jordan realizes how far he has fallen. Though, see IgnoredEpiphany above, it doesn't stick for long.]]

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: After being caught in the limo with his mistress Naomi, Jordan's first wife Teresa asks him if he loves her (Naomi).

* InnerMonologueConversation: When we’re introduced to Jean-Jacques Saurel, after a ton of small talk we get Jordan’s usual smug internal monologue but then we get Jean responding to him with his own, while giving a look that clearly gets the message across to Jordan.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Jordan. [[spoiler: The FBI have him bang to rights, he has just fallen off the wagon and after hitting his wife, attempted to flee with his daughter. Jordan realizes how far he has fallen. Though, see IgnoredEpiphany above, it doesn't stick for long.]]