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The Bonfire of the Vanities

  • 1990
  • R
  • 2h 5m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
28K
YOUR RATING
Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, and Melanie Griffith in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer2:08
2 Videos
60 Photos
Dark ComedySatireComedyDramaRomance

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

  • Director
    • Brian De Palma
  • Writers
    • Michael Cristofer
    • Tom Wolfe
  • Stars
    • Tom Hanks
    • Bruce Willis
    • Melanie Griffith
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    28K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Brian De Palma
    • Writers
      • Michael Cristofer
      • Tom Wolfe
    • Stars
      • Tom Hanks
      • Bruce Willis
      • Melanie Griffith
    • 187User reviews
    • 47Critic reviews
    • 27Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 5 nominations total

    Videos2

    Bonfire of the Vanities
    Trailer 2:08
    Bonfire of the Vanities
    What Roles Has Tom Hanks Turned Down?
    Video 3:22
    What Roles Has Tom Hanks Turned Down?
    What Roles Has Tom Hanks Turned Down?
    Video 3:22
    What Roles Has Tom Hanks Turned Down?

    Photos60

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    + 52
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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Tom Hanks
    Tom Hanks
    • Sherman McCoy
    Bruce Willis
    Bruce Willis
    • Peter Fallow
    Melanie Griffith
    Melanie Griffith
    • Maria Ruskin
    Kim Cattrall
    Kim Cattrall
    • Judy McCoy
    Saul Rubinek
    Saul Rubinek
    • Jed Kramer
    Morgan Freeman
    Morgan Freeman
    • Judge Leonard White
    John Hancock
    John Hancock
    • Reverend Bacon
    Kevin Dunn
    Kevin Dunn
    • Tom Killian
    Clifton James
    Clifton James
    • Albert Fox
    Louis Giambalvo
    Louis Giambalvo
    • Ray Andruitti
    Barton Heyman
    Barton Heyman
    • Det. Martin
    Norman Parker
    Norman Parker
    • Det. Goldberg
    Donald Moffat
    Donald Moffat
    • Mr. McCoy
    Alan King
    Alan King
    • Arthur Ruskin
    Beth Broderick
    Beth Broderick
    • Caroline Heftshank
    Kurt Fuller
    Kurt Fuller
    • Pollard Browning
    Adam LeFevre
    Adam LeFevre
    • Rawlie Thorpe
    Richard Libertini
    Richard Libertini
    • Ed Rifkin
    • Director
      • Brian De Palma
    • Writers
      • Michael Cristofer
      • Tom Wolfe
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The 330-second Steadicam shot of Peter Fallow arriving at the Palm Court of the Winter Garden was a tour de force for operator Larry McConkey. He had to track backwards, get on a golf cart, ride it for 380 feet, get off of it, track backwards 234 feet, get into the elevator, get out, and track for another 250 feet.
    • Goofs
      When McCoy gets off the subway, he is riding the number 1 train and he gets off at 77th Street station. The number 1 train runs on the West Side of Manhattan, nowhere near his Park Avenue residence on the East Side, and there are no 77th Street stops on the number 1 line.
    • Quotes

      Judge Leonard White: [to court room] Racist? You dare call me racist? Well I say unto you, what does it matter the color of a man's skin if witnesses perjure themselves. If a prosecutor enlists the perjurers. When a district attorney throws a man to the mob for political gain, and men of the cloth, men of God, take the prime cuts? Is that justice?

      Judge Leonard White: I don't hear you...

      Judge Leonard White: Let me tell you what justice is. Justice is the law, and the law is man's feeble attempt to set down the principles of decency. Decency! And decency is not a deal. It isn't an angle, or a contract, or a hustle! Decency... decency is what your grandmother taught you. It's in your bones! Now you go home. Go home and be decent people. Be decent.

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Havana/Mermaids/The Sheltering Sky/Awakenings/The Long Walk Home (1990)
    • Soundtracks
      Pennies From Heaven
      Written by Johnny Burke and Arthur Johnston

    User reviews187

    Featured review

    Good Movie!

    This was a good movie. I have read many reviews that people thought it was awful but in my opinion it was good. There was great casting. Bruce Willis was great as the almost always drunken reporter, Tom Hanks as the having an affair type husband that gets mixed up in a hit and run accident. Beth Broderick was good too even though this movie allowed her a small role it was a very crucial role. Melanie Griffith was irritating at times but that was the way of her character, so she was great at that role. This is a movie I would recommend for teenagers and adults only considering that there is cussing and the overall moral of the movie.
    • PATH309
    • Mar 1, 2002
    • Permalink

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    FAQ21

    • How long is The Bonfire of the Vanities?Powered by Alexa
    • What does the title mean?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 21, 1990 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La hoguera de las vanidades
    • Filming locations
      • NBC Building, Rockefeller Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $47,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $15,691,192
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,216,063
      • Dec 25, 1990
    • Gross worldwide
      • $15,691,192
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 5 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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