By 1990, Tom Hanks was best known for his comedic roles, with his final big screen titles being Turner and Hooch And The Suburbs. When he was invited to star in a film directed by Brian De Palma and based on the famous novel by Tom Wolfe, The pyre of the vanitiesso he accepted without hesitation and with great joy.
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The beginning of a nightmare for Tom Hanks
In the film, he plays Sherman McCoy, a big Wall Street broker who earns millionaire’s commissions. His life changes abruptly when, on his way to Manhattan with his mistress Maria Ruskin (Melanie Griffith), he takes a wrong turn and ends up in the Bronx.
It is in the famous New York neighborhood that he ends up running over a black man, which is the starting point of his fall and also the beginning of the meteoric rise of Peter Fallow (Bruce Willis), an unknown journalist. .
Years later, during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the actor finally spoke about his role in the film: “This is one of the most mediocre films ever made. And yet, if I hadn’t experienced it, I would have missed out on something precious. From the start, this film was a fascinating undertaking. He was larger than life, and for some reason he attracted enormous attention“.
“Even today, when I go to Germany, people say to me: ‘How come they don’t make films as good and as raw as The Bonfire of the Vanities? They have no idea what it means to be American and that this film has entered the national consciousness. The Bonfire of Vanities Taught Me That I Can’t Force a Connection“, added the actor.
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The film, based on a work much loved and cherished by Americans, was also the downfall of Tom Hanks. The actor admits that he “thought I could do it“, but it was clear from the start that this would not be the case.
In fact, when his name was announced, he was approached several times in the street by people who said, “You are not Sherman McCoy“and he admits that”I went against everything related to the character and even the storylinebut I kept saying to myself, ‘No, no, no… there’s a way to fit me in…’“.
A huge commercial failure
The Bonfire of the Vanities was marked by a huge commercial failure, grossing only $15 million in the United States at a cost of $47 million. The project, which on paper seemed to have Oscar aspirations, ended up being panned by critics – it has just 15% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes – and evidently received no Hollywood nominations. Academy Awards.
On the other hand, it received five nominations at the Golden Raspberry Awards, where it won the award for worst screenplay of the year.
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This isn’t the only time Tom Hanks has spoken about the Brian De Palma-directed film. In a conversation with The Blast, he did not hesitate to assess the reasons why the film was such a failure:
“When we made the film, it was huge. We couldn’t go anywhere in New York. Everyone was talking about it. Everyone was played by the wrong actor, especially me. Brian De Palma is more interested in iconography than cinema. He’s the most uncompromising filmmaker – in both good and bad ways – you’ll ever meet“.
The film had a 5 star cast though
In addition to Tom Hanks, The pyre of the vanities starred Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith, Kim Cattrall, Morgan Freeman and F. Murray Abraham, who demanded not to be credited due to a dispute over the placement of his name on the film’s poster.
The film also marked the debut of Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man) as Campbell McCoy, the daughter of the main character, Sherman McCoy (Tom Hanks).
Article written in collaboration with our colleagues from Adorocinema.
