The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)

After his mistress runs over a young teen, a Wall Street hotshot sees his life unravel in the spotlight and attracting the interest of a down and out reporter.

Director:

Brian De Palma (as Brian DePalma)

Writers:

Michael Cristofer (screenplay), Tom Wolfe (novel)

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith

1 win & 5 nominations.

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

Storyline

Financial "Master of the Universe" Sherman McCoy sees his life unravel when his mistress Maria Ruskin hits a black boy with his car. When yellow journalist Peter Fallow enflames public opinion with a series of distorted tabloid articles on the accident, the case is seized upon by opportunists like Reverend Bacon and mayoral candidate D.A. Abe Weiss.

---

Plot Keywords:

phone booth | telephone booth | telephone call | voice over | tire | 

---

Taglines:

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.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michelle Pfeiffer was reportedly the original choice to play the female lead by the studio and Brian De Palma. However, she turned the role down.

---

Goofs

When McCoy gets off the subway, we see he is riding the number 1 train and he gets off at 77th Street station. First of all, the number 1 train runs on the west side of Manhattan, no where near his Park Avenue residence on the east side, and second, there are no 77th Street stops on the number 1 line.

---

Quotes

Maria Ruskin: [while on Bronx] Sherman, I'm coming from the South and I'm starting to not like this very much!

---

Connections

Referenced in Vintage Video: Dressed to Kill (1980) (2020)

---

Soundtracks

That's Life
Written by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon

User Reviews

Under-rated

This film will probably be re-discovered in later years and be described as the classic--albeit flawed--that it really is. The script is excellent in places and neatly captures the irreverence and cynicism that this kind of satire needs. People have criticised this film merely on the basis of wanting to shoot down the successful careers of those working on it---but I suspect that Willis, Hanks, De Palma,et al, will be secretly pleased that they have this lost treasure in their back catalogues to be resurrected and discussed long after their more popular films might be.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Bonfire of the Vanities

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$47,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,216,063, 25 December 1990

Gross USA:

$15,691,192

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,691,192

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1