Review of The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) by James C — 20 Jan 2017

I saw this movie yesterday on HBO. At first, I did not like the movie. It felt painful to watch because it was easy to know that the lead characters (and everyone else) was making poor judgment and none would secure a good outcome.

But the movie proved to be morally tugging. On my third try, I stayed on long enough to see a twist in the plot and, from that moment on, the movie became cathartic. Yes, it is a cynical movie about greed, lust and vanity.

But there is an equally subterranean belief and decency and goodness has intrinsic value. Morgan Freeman's performance is superb. I can see that the movie was a flop. Perhaps it only illustrates how we want instant excitement and become less and less willing to wait till the plot (and life) unfolds.

Learning is a slow process too. Wait a little longer and don't walk away too soon.