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‘The Wolf of Wall Street' With Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, and Ryen Russillo

December 3, 2019 · The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) · Biography · Comedy · Crime · 2:13:51

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Best Quote

Chris Ryan▶ 11:04Has 1,200 words copy and pasted from the movie, notes many lines happen as offscreen ad libs during camera cuts
Sean Fennessey▶ 17:07Jordan's drug consumption monologue: 'On a daily basis, I consume enough drugs to sedate Manhattan, Long Island and Queens for a month... I take quaaludes 10 to 15 times a day for my back pain. Adderall to stay focused. Xanax to take the edge off, pot to mellow me out, cocaine to wake me back up again and morphine well. Because it's awesome.'

Most Rewatchable Scene

Chris Ryan▶ 29:06Mark Hanna lunch scene emphasizing McConaughey's physical acting and the back-to-back sequence of great scenes including the Donnie diner scene
Ryen Russillo▶ 29:46Mark Hanna lunch scene focusing on McConaughey's performance and how it revitalized his career, calling every line 'so perfect'
Sean Fennessey▶ 27:27Jordan Belfort introduction scene with voiceover and fourth wall breaking, Mark Hanna lunch scene with McConaughey, and Donnie Azov diner scene where he quits his job

What's Aged the Worst

Chris Ryan▶ 1:08:30The limited take economy around the movie that demanded art be either moral judgment or celebration, with no room in between
Ryen Russillo▶ 1:11:47Agrees with the others about the problematic critical reception and adds that the runtime criticism is what's aged worst
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:08:21The takes that this was a celebration of wealth - those were bad takes and haven't aged well

Casting What-Ifs

Chris Ryan▶ 1:15:54Leonardo DiCaprio — Supports DiCaprio - argues Leo uses his handsomeness as an acting tool and can push boundaries because he's good to look at, which works for Jordan Belfort's character.
Ryen Russillo▶ 1:15:10Brad Pitt — Mixed on DiCaprio vs Pitt - thinks Pitt is better at darker roles and would look less attractive/more hateable, but acknowledges DiCaprio was needed for this specific character. Thinks Blake Lively would have been great but Robbie became a phenomenon.
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:16:52Leonardo DiCaprio — Prefers DiCaprio over Brad Pitt - doesn't think Pitt can reach the unhinged intensity DiCaprio shows in the microphone scene. Also thinks Margot Robbie being an unknown was helpful, though Blake Lively would have been fine.

Dion Waiters Award

Sean Fennessey▶ 1:23:31Jon Bernthal — Lists multiple candidates from least to greatest: Bo Dietl, Kristen Milioti as Jordan's first wife, Jake Hoffman as Steve Madden (calls it a 'cold check'), Shea Whigham as Captain Ted Beecham, Joanna Lumley as Aunt Emma, Rob Reiner as Max Belfort, and John Bernthal as Brad

Half-Assed Internet Research

Chris Ryan▶ 1:37:29Added context about Scorsese's development struggles and noted the poetic irony that the movie's corrupt financing mirrored the story being told about Wall Street corruption
Ryen Russillo▶ 1:34:53Provided detailed expertise on the Malaysian 1MDB scandal and Jho Low's story from 'Billion Dollar Whale' book, explaining how the stolen funds financed the movie and Low's relationship with DiCaprio and Hollywood celebrities
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:33:42Presented extensive trivia including McConaughey's improvised chest beating, the Malaysian 1MDB financing scandal, 450 VFX shots, Guinness World Record for swearing (506 F-words), actors snorting B vitamins as fake cocaine, and Christina McDowell's critical open letter

Overacting Award

Chris Ryan▶ 1:52:42Rob Reiner — Rob Reiner - 'fucking nuts in this movie, just screams the entire time'
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:52:35Rob Reiner

Apex Mountain

Chris Ryan▶ 1:54:43Titanic — Says Titanic is Leo's Apex Mountain because 'he's just the most popular person in the world', also suggests 'it might be for Jonah' (Hill)
Ryen Russillo▶ 1:54:38Argues against Leo having apex mountain, says there's 'not enough separation in the roles' and that Django is darker but not definitively better than other performances like Wolf of Wall Street
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:55:01Discusses Leo's career extensively, mentions his post-Beach filmography including Django, Wolf of Wall Street, but doesn't declare a definitive apex. Notes it's 'not clear enough' and considers business impact beyond just performance

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Chris Ryan▶ 2:07:15What in the movie is real versus not - car changing from red to white, plane crash scenes, unreliable narrator moments like waking up strapped to chair or finding cops at home
Ryen Russillo▶ 2:08:08How people gradually get into increasingly destructive situations - the psychology of how someone starts small and ends up risking everything, using examples of infidelity and dual lives
Sean Fennessey▶ 2:06:58Questions about real-life machinations, specifically Danny Porish rejecting the movie and wanting his name removed, leading to the character being renamed Donnie

Who Won the Movie

Sean Fennessey▶ 2:11:27Martin Scorsese — Scorsese - because he's the author of the whole project and this was a reminder that he wasn't done yet, returning to his signature style after Hugo

Movies Referenced (49)

Goodfellas (1990)

8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan▶ 8:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Irishman (2019)

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Ryen Russillo▶ 7:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Boiler Room (2000)

4 mentions · Ryen Russillo▶ 18:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Casino (1995)

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Ryen Russillo▶ 1:40:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dogma (1999)

4 mentions · Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan▶ 1:51:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Revenant (2015)

4 mentions · Ryen Russillo, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:54:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joker (2019)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Ryen Russillo▶ 5:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Margin Call (2011)

3 mentions · Ryen Russillo▶ 18:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Moneyball (2011)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan▶ 1:18:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Artist (2011)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:31:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Town (2010)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 14:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Body of Lies (2008)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:55:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (9)

Martin Scorsese

30 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan · Known for Taxi Driver, Killers of the Flower Moon, Mean Streets▶ 2:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rob Reiner

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Ryen Russillo · Known for This Is Spinal Tap, The Wolf of Wall Street▶ 7:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ryan Kilbourne

5 mentions · Ryen Russillo, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:29:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steven Spielberg

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Ryen Russillo · Known for Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan▶ 1:44:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ridley Scott

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for The Martian, Blade Runner▶ 1:22:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Christopher Nolan

3 mentions · Ryen Russillo · Known for Tenet, Interstellar, Inception▶ 30:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kevin Smith

3 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Clerks, Chasing Amy▶ 1:51:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Oliver Stone

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, JFK▶ 21:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Spike Lee

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It▶ 1:24:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (64)

Leonardo DiCaprio

74 mentions · Ryen Russillo, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Inception, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Departed▶ 2:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Matthew McConaughey

34 mentions · Ryen Russillo, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Interstellar, Dallas Buyers Club, Magic Mike▶ 7:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jonah Hill

18 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Ryen Russillo · Known for 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street, The Wolf of Wall Street▶ 7:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brad Pitt

17 mentions · Ryen Russillo, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Fight Club, 12 Monkeys, Mr. & Mrs. Smith▶ 57:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Margot Robbie

10 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan · Known for Suicide Squad, The Wolf of Wall Street, Barbie▶ 7:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jon Bernthal

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Ryen Russillo · Known for The Wolf of Wall Street, King Richard, Fury▶ 7:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Wayne

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Quiet Man▶ 7:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Blake Lively

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Ryen Russillo · Known for The Town▶ 1:20:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Matt Damon

5 mentions · Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Good Will Hunting, The Martian, The Departed▶ 16:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Christina Hendricks

4 mentions · Ryen Russillo▶ 44:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jean Dujardin

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Ryen Russillo · Known for The Artist, The Wolf of Wall Street▶ 1:31:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joanna Lumley

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Wolf of Wall Street▶ 7:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (5)

Jordan Belfort

43 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan · Known for The Wolf of Wall Street▶ 1:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jon Favreau

5 mentions · Ryen Russillo, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Chef, Iron Man, Swingers▶ 7:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Spike Jonze

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Ryen Russillo · Known for Three Kings▶ 33:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bill Dubuque

1 mentions · · Known for The Accountant▶ 51:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Auburn

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Proof, The Lake House▶ 43:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (2)

Michael Grantland

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Other Guys▶ 8:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rodrigo Prieto

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Brokeback Mountain, The Wolf of Wall Street, Killers of the Flower Moon▶ 7:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗