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The Bonfire of the Vanities

Play trailer Poster for The Bonfire of the Vanities R 1990 2h 6m Comedy Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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15% Tomatometer 54 Reviews 26% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
In this adaptation of the Tom Wolfe novel, powerful Wall Street executive Sherman McCoy (Tom Hanks) is riding with his greedy girlfriend, Maria (Melanie Griffith), when she makes a wrong turn and winds up in the Bronx. There, she runs over a black boy and drives off without reporting it. When alcoholic tabloid reporter Peter Fallow (Bruce Willis) discovers the story, he knows it will be scandalous and riles up New Yorkers with his coverage of the case, which soon goes to trial.
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The Bonfire of the Vanities

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Critics Consensus

The Bonfire of the Vanities is a vapid adaptation of a thoughtful book, fatally miscast and shorn of the source material's crucial sense of irony. Add it to the pyre of Hollywood's ambitious failures.

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Critics Reviews

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Jay Boyar Orlando Sentinel If you're interested in a faithful visual adaptation of Wolfe's novel, be assured that this isn't it. Rated: 3/5 Jun 28, 2013 Full Review Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer What a mess. Rated: 1.5/4 Jun 28, 2013 Full Review Peter Travers Rolling Stone On film, Bonfire achieves a consistency of ineptitude rare even in this era of over-inflated cinematic air bags. Jun 28, 2013 Full Review Ernece B. Kelly The Crisis An exaggerated tone pervades, and it confuses. Nov 27, 2023 Full Review Terry Francis Southern Voice (Atlanta) Destroys the form of the original alright, but it also destroys the book's themes in their entirety. Rated: 0/4 May 9, 2023 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) The film is totally deranged. [Full review in Spanish] Nov 30, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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redskin s As a journalist for almost 30 years this movie hits painfully close to the mark...this is how it actually works. A brilliant effort by DePalma, one of his best works Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/09/24 Full Review John A Discombobulating adaptation of an 80's best-selling novel. The magnanimous cast and Brian De Palma make this fascinating thematic bonfire of sorts watchable but it is still an ambitious... Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/20/23 Full Review Lory J Ever hear of movies that were so bad, they were good? This isn't one of them. Must be the WORST movie I have ever seen. Long, dragged out dialogue between nonsensical characters, unbelievable characters too stupid to exist, poor script, scenes out of a confusing dream....I mean, DAAAMMNN! I could only through 1/4 of it-- a quarter of my life I'll never get back. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I used to watch this film on VHS when I was in my early teenage years...An all star cast...Hanks, Willis, Griffith, Cattral even Morgan Freeman & yet they were horrible, some scenes made me laugh but still it's a disaster. 1 of the worst movies I've ever seen. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review J P Worst movie I've ever TRIED to watch; tried 5x and couldn't get through the first part and then fell asleep. 5x Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/22 Full Review Audience Member Excellent movie. Great dialogue, excellent acting and very well directed. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/19/22 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Bonfire of the Vanities

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this adaptation of the Tom Wolfe novel, powerful Wall Street executive Sherman McCoy (Tom Hanks) is riding with his greedy girlfriend, Maria (Melanie Griffith), when she makes a wrong turn and winds up in the Bronx. There, she runs over a black boy and drives off without reporting it. When alcoholic tabloid reporter Peter Fallow (Bruce Willis) discovers the story, he knows it will be scandalous and riles up New Yorkers with his coverage of the case, which soon goes to trial.
Director
Brian De Palma
Producer
Brian De Palma, Chris Woods
Screenwriter
Michael Cristofer
Production Co
Warner Bros.
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2007
Runtime
2h 6m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
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