The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
After his mistress runs over a black teen, a Wall Street hotshot sees his life unravel in the spotlight; A down-and-out reporter breaks the story and opportunists clamber to use it to their advantage.
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Yes, it doesn't do the book justice. Yes, people in the Bronx don't wear, nor have ever worn, such clothes. Yes, Peter Fallow is English in the book. Yes, you could say Melanie Griffith overacts. But you could also say that she a) plays herself like she behaved on the job and b) De Palma wanted her to do it that way. The point is that Da Palma did a brillant job. You simply must not compare this film to the book, but watch it in his own right, as a comedy from 1990. If you manage that you will find that it's great film. It is entertaining, it looks great (for the time, and it's a pity that there is still no really good Blu-Ray remaster), it is acted very well right across the board, it holds your attention, and it has even aged well. Bashing De Palma for it was simply never fair - it was en voue back then for many reasons. Read "The Devil's Candy" by Julie Salamon if you are a film freak and/or really interested what went on then. If not, and if you haven't read Wolfe's fantastic book, don't listen to the naysayers, the Tom Wolfe fanboys and over-intellectualizing critics. Just sit back enjoy a wonderful film from that time and of that genre. And if you have read the book (which is fun after watching the film, as it elaborates on so many points, if you will), seriously ask youself: How would you have done the film?
The mistress of Tom Hanks does a hit and run and Hanks becomes the fall guy, when he wasnt even driving the car. Smack in the middle of upcoming elections, politicians and media are feeding on this hit and run story because Tom Hanks' character is a rich WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant). The ideal man to prey on for publicity. Will Tom Hanks get convicted of a crime he didnt commit?"Bonfire of the Vanities" is an hilariously funny parody. The characters are larger than life. Their flaws are blown up beyond proportions, but for effective comical reasons. Everything from editing to soundtrack to supporting actors (Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis) is just topnotch! In the end I think this is truly one of De Palma's masterpieces, but because it is an hilarious comedy it will never be regarded as one. That's the eternal curse ALL comedies have to bear. I dont mind, I just can't stop laughing everytime I see it. Must have seen it dozens of times and I still can't get enough of the disastrous but hilarious situations people can get themselves into because of their vanities...Nice Story. Great Acting. Hilariously funny. Endnote: camerawork by legendary Vilmos Zsigmond, who shot the longest one take scene in history in the opening sequence of this movie. Just as a puzzlegame please try and count how many minutes in a row, the camera films Bruce Willis WITHOUT ANY cut. (Check Imdb Trivia for the answer). I just wanted to point out with this technical example that "Bonfire of the Vanities" is truly an artistic gem, which is higly underrated because of critics who compare this great comedy with a novel they adore. Never compare movies to books. This movie has stood the test of time. It has gained great popularity after its release in Europe. And I truly believe it is Brian de Palma's comedy masterpiece!
Before I watched The Bonfire of the Vanities, I read Tom Wolfe's novel and Julie Salamon's The Devil's Candy which was about the making of the movie Maybe this colored my perception of the movie, but I think the movie stands in its own right, and didn't deserve the trashing by critics. Still, it could have been better and even a contender. Perhaps a reboot can redeem this movie?
This will be a short review. I had not watched this movie for over 20 years. When I originally watched it I thought it was a fair to good comedy but way over the top. Watching it in 2016 it no longer seems way over the top but a movie grounded in today's reality.Network, The Hospital, and The Bonfire of the Vanities are all movies that are 25+ years old. Yet all 3 of them seemed over the top when they were released but now they all seem clairvoyant about what would become the reality of 2016.It is interesting how at times life ends up imitating art. One wonders what other movies will be seen as over the top today but in 20+ years clairvoyant...