IMDb >
The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsThe Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 23 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 2) |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
21 December 1990 (USA)
more
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. more
Plot:
Financial "Master of the Universe" Sherman McCoy sees his life unravel when his mistress Maria Ruskin hits a black boy with his car...
more
| full synopsis
Awards:
5 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
User Comments:
Brilliant, under-rated movie
more (92 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for language.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
125 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Tom Killian is based upon Edward Hayes.
more
Goofs:
Continuity: Before cuckold Arthur Ruskin dies in the restaurant, his cocktail glass alternates from between his hands to outside his hands.
more
Quotes:
Sir Gerald Moore:
I was at dinner last evening, and halfway through the pudding, this four-year-old child came alone, dragging a little toy cart. And on the cart was a fresh turd. Her own, I suppose. The parents just shook their heads and smiled. I've made a big investment in you, Peter. Time and money, and it's not working. Now, I could just shake my head and smile. But in my house, when a turd appears, we throw it out. We dispose of it. We flush it away. We don't put it on the table and call it caviar.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Making of 'Carlito's Way' (2003) (V)
more
Soundtrack:
The Storm Is Passing Over
more
FAQ
What does the title mean?more
more (92 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Thank You for Smoking | Sunshine | Fury | A Face in the Crowd | Strangers on a Train |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |




(NB - I have not read the book.) Unfairly chastised by the press on release, and too easy to tar as a weak link in De Palma's ouevre, BOTV is better than Wall Street, Working Girl et al. and is still very relevant.
This is an OTT opera where every character is a cynic trying to work an angle, and every action (in a complex story about contacts, smear campaigns, politics and pawns) has an obvious and (most of the time) greedy motivation. BOTV also confronts sex, racism and class clashes with a frankness that most Hollywood movies run a mile from - it is suprisingly frank in it's depiction of these (The exception being that the New York judge had to be, of course, black [Morgan Freeman]. This is something dramatists do to make some of their social opinions seem less controversial since they are being spouted by a man of colour in a white forum.)
On par with His Girl Friday and The Sweet Smell of Success, and possessing an oddball universe Preston Sturges would've been proud of creating, this film is all the more powerful when you actually live in a world kind of like this (and I meet these kinds of people all the time - this is REAL!).
PS - Half an hour was lopped off by the studio after disasterous preview screenings. This movie deserves a DVD director's cut release.