The Bonfire of the Vanities
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.
1990 | 125m | English
Popularity: 3 (history)
| Director: | Brian De Palma |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Tom Wolfe, Michael Cristofer |
| Staring: |
| 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. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 21, 1990 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Brian De Palma |
| Writer: | Tom Wolfe, Michael Cristofer |
| Genres: | Comedy, Drama |
| Keywords | journalist, success, lovers, bad luck, broker, social satire, yellow-journalism, stock broker |
| Production Companies | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $15,691,192
Budget: $47,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jul 29, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Kurt Fuller | Pollard Browning |
| Adam LeFevre | Rawlie Thorpe |
| Richard Libertini | Ed Rifkin |
| Andre Gregory | Aubrey Buffing |
| Mary Alice | Annie Lamb |
| Robert Stephens | Sir Gerald Moore |
| Marjorie Monaghan | Evelyn Moore |
| Rita Wilson | P.R. Woman |
| Kirsten Dunst | Campbell McCoy |
| Troy Winbush | Roland Auburn |
| Patrick Malone | Henry Lamb |
| Emmanuel Xuereb | Filippo Chirazzi |
| Scotty Bloch | Sally Rawthrote |
| Hansford Rowe | Leon Bavardage |
| Elizabeth Owens | Inez Bavardage |
| Malachy McCourt | Tony - Doorman |
| John Eric Bentley | Bill - Doorman |
| William Clark | Eddie - Doorman |
| Jeff Brooks | Bondsman |
| Brennan McKay | Bondsman |
| Don McManus | Bondsman |
| James Lally | Bondsman |
| Marcia Mitzman Gaven | Bondsman |
| William Woodson | Gene Lopwitz (voice) |
| Nelson Vasquez | Pimp |
| Fanni Green | Prostitute |
| Roy Milton Davis | Latino |
| Shiek Mahmud-Bey | Lockwood |
| Stewart J. Zully | Court Clerk |
| Helen Stenborg | Mrs. McCoy |
| Timothy Jenkins | Billy Cortez |
| Sam Sorbo | Fox's Assistant |
| Vito D'Ambrosio | Intercom Man |
| Paul Bates | Buck |
| Camryn Manheim | Poe Picketer |
| J.D. Wyatt | Poe Picketer |
| Eyde Byrde | Poe Picketer |
| David Lipman | Poe Picketer |
| George Merritt | Poe Picketer |
| Kirk Taylor | Aide |
| Richard Belzer | Television Producer |
| Oliver Dixon | Lawyer |
| George Plimpton | Well Wisher |
| Connie Sawyer | Ruskin Family Member |
| F. Murray Abraham | D.A. Abe Weiss (uncredited) |
| Sharmagne Leland-St. John | Woman in Restaurant (uncredited) |
| Terry Farrell | Party Guest Listening to Aubrey Buffing (uncredited) |
| Geraldo Rivera | Robert Corso (uncredited) |
| John Blyth Barrymore | Restaurant Manager (uncredited) |
| Ted Otis | Photographer (uncredited) |
| Renna Bartlett | Party Guest (uncredited) |
| Debbie Lee Carrington | Crying Midget (uncredited) |
| Dave Droge | Bond Floor Trader (uncredited) |
| Cynthia Elane | Court Officer (uncredited) |
| Sarah Essex | (uncredited) |
| Gary Jones | Waiter in Elevator (uncredited) |
| Doris McCarthy | Park Avenue Lady (uncredited) |
| Michael Merton | DMV Informant (uncredited) |
| Jack Mulcahy | Newspaper Reporter (uncredited) |
| Denise Nelan | Attorney (uncredited) |
| Kariim Ratcliff | Photographer (uncredited) |
| John Reidy | Broker (uncredited) |
| Joey Sontz | Courtroom Extra (uncredited) |
| Daisy Alexandra Sylbert-Torres | Ruskin Family Member (uncredited) |
| Curt Truman | Head Waiter (uncredited) |
| Ron Turek | Trial Attendant (uncredited) |
| Clinton H. Wallace | Latino Kid (uncredited) |
| Judith Burke | French Restaurant Patron |
| Adina Winston | Female Guest |
| Barry Michlin | Funeral Director |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Tom Wolfe | Novel |
| Michael Cristofer | Screenplay |
| Dave Grusin | Original Music Composer |
| Vilmos Zsigmond | Director of Photography |
| Bill Pankow | Editor |
| Lynn Stalmaster | Casting |
| Ann Roth | Costume Designer |
| David Ray | Editor |
| Beth Jochem Besterveld | Editor |
| Richard Sylbert | Production Design |
| Eric Schwab | Second Unit Director of Photography |
| Scott H. Eddo | Makeup Artist |
| Robert J. Anderson | Unit Production Manager |
| David James | Still Photographer |
| Brian De Palma | Director |
| Jeff Okabayashi | Second Second Assistant Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Peter Guber | Executive Producer |
| Jon Peters | Executive Producer |
| Christine Forsyth-Peters | Executive Producer |
| Brian De Palma | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 18 | 29 | 12 |
| 2024 | 5 | 17 | 26 | 11 |
| 2024 | 6 | 18 | 39 | 8 |
| 2024 | 7 | 17 | 29 | 9 |
| 2024 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 9 |
| 2024 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 8 |
| 2024 | 10 | 13 | 27 | 7 |
| 2024 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 6 |
| 2024 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 8 |
| 2025 | 1 | 14 | 27 | 10 |
| 2025 | 2 | 11 | 19 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 11 | 934 | 934 |