The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers (WGA):

Michael Cristofer (screenplay)
Tom Wolfe (novel)

Release Date:

21 December 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Take one Wall Street tycoon, his Fifth Avenue mistress, a reporter hungry for fame, and make the wrong turn in The Bronx...then sit back and watch the sparks fly.

Plot:

Financial "Master of the Universe" Sherman McCoy sees his life unravel when his mistress Maria Ruskin hits a black boy with his car...

Plot Keywords:

Tabloid | Journalist | Mistress | Accident | Elevator

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Sherman McCoy
Bruce Willis	...	Peter Fallow
Melanie Griffith	...	Maria Ruskin
Kim Cattrall	...	Judy McCoy
Saul Rubinek	...	Jed Kramer
Morgan Freeman	...	Judge Leonard White
John Hancock	...	Reverend Bacon
Kevin Dunn	...	Tom Killian
Clifton James	...	Albert Fox
Louis Giambalvo	...	Ray Andruitti
Barton Heyman	...	Det. Martin
Norman Parker	...	Det. Goldberg
Donald Moffat	...	Mr. McCoy
Alan King	...	Arthur Ruskin
Beth Broderick	...	Caroline Heftshank

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Sweden:11 (video rating) | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

346 E 59th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Kim Cattrall dieted for over two months to slim down to a size four to play the emaciated Judy McCoy.

Goofs:

Continuity: While Reverend Bacon is accusing District Attorney Abe Weiss, the TV remote control that Weiss is using switches hands between shots.

Quotes:

Peter Fallow: If you're going to live in a whorehouse, there's only one thing you can do: be the best damn whore around.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Golden Girls: The Monkey Show: Part 1 (#7.8)" (1991)

Soundtrack:

Serenade in G (Eine kleine Nachtmusik)

Clever and interesting and not a little funny

Too many people have slagged this film without good reason. Firstly Bruce Willis reprises the type of character we remember from moonlighting. Tom Hanks plays his part well and it's only Melanie Griffiths whiney southern accent that spoils her role.

The story has plenty of irony and twists as well. This isn't action, this isn't slapstick, this is an American soap with humour, pathos and a reasonable story.

It annoys me when you get dire twaddle like "The Blair Witch Project" being touted as genius and a decent film like this being panned. Take the time to watch this and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.