What makes “Wall Street” the movie different from the real Wall Street? Many things, but then nothing. Both follow the same business, they trade, one for money the other as well, the big difference however is, if the financial crises would have been as predictable as the movie “Wall Street” many of us would have been better off. Was the movie bad? No, one could not talk of a bad movie, which movie is bad anyways and who decides what makes a movie bad? It was simply predictable. For some that might not be a bad trade, but for many it would be. We go to a movie to be entertained, though this one might have been different. Given our current circumstance in the business world, in which all of us are involved, maybe we all hoped for some more depth rather than repetitive images in a fictional world, borrowed from the real one. Further on the question whether the movie was about Wall Street per se or about the strong but yet fragile relationship of the main characters, stays alive. One could say the movie was 20% about Wall Street and 80% about the drama between between the two lover’s and a father. For a movie that asks so many questions it also answers them very fast. Not a moment goes by and people who are familiar with Gordon Gakko’s character, might already know the plan of his, others who might not have watched the first part of “Wall Street” might not feel the same way, but still the movie does not really make a secret out of it. My theory is, the first movie (meaning in this case Wall Street from 1987) is always better then the follow ups, which simply follow to cash in some extra bonus. Though in the case of “Wall Street” it could have been different, since the theme was a very accurate one, but it seemed like Hollywood saw the opportunity to cash in some extra money, that was cut during the financial crises, instead of making a movie that would give us something more, like an enlightenment of the situation and happenings. Their aim was to make some income with this movie for their benefit, rather then a movie with a detailed explanation of how we came to the point of crises where we are right now. So as far as we can tell, the movie Wall Street is not at all so much different from the actual Wall Street, we all care about money and we all want to get married to it, even in the art sector, Hollywood once again proved its point.
A. O. Scotts review in the New York Times, sums up the movie with the right words: “This movie is by turns brilliant and dumb, naïve and wise, nowhere near good enough and something close to great.”
Nothing more could be said about it. It is a 133 minute long contradiction that we get to watch, and do we get answers? No, then what do we get out of this movie? Please watch and figure it out for yourselves, because I for sure did not make any sense of the movie, rather then figure out it solely for entertainment.
Where is the Oliver Stone, who once was keen on targeting topics that would make us rethink our position rather then retell a happening that we all are a vivid part of , adding an ornamentation through a love story. Why not raise questions that make us rethink our position in the world and about money?
Now we know that Wall Street people like Gakko, do not have a heart, but do have one? Which one is it? Maybe the answer is first comes the money and then everything else.
However there was one good part in the movie, that might save the rest of the remaining minutes of the movie from a total failure, which is the speech Gakko gives in a university before he meets his future son in law . That speech actually gets you thinking and makes a point for us youngsters out there.
To sum up, “Wall Street” had so much potential yet they flashed it down the toilet. Maybe the biggest disappointment was the expectation people put into the movie and the disappointment that followed, rather then the fact that the movie was actually bad.
There is one thing Forbes magazine was right about, when they wrote, that Shia LeBouf is Hollywood’s best actor for the buck. The movie made $19,011,188 (USA) on its opening weekend in the US alone. Which proves the point. Lets see how the numbers will add up.
Maybe one citation by Gakko will help us live our lives better and sum up this review, just too bad he didn’t believe in it himself until the end: “If there’s one thing I learned in prison it’s that money is not the prime commodity in our lives… time is.” Good luck with overcoming your love for money!
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