The Bonfire of the Vanities

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The Bonfire of the Vanities

R

1990

2h 6m

Comedy

Drama

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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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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

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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

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Horror fan 4

Even with an all Star lineup of stars couldn't hold up this movie from eventually sinking. The satire was good but the comedy was hit and mostly miss. Tim Treakle

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/25/25

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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

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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

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

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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

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Audience Member

Excellent movie. Great dialogue, excellent acting and very well directed.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/19/22

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Brian De Palma

Director

Tom Hanks

Sherman McCoy

Bruce Willis

Peter Fallow

Melanie Griffith

Maria Ruskin

Kim Cattrall

Judy McCoy

Saul Rubinek

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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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