Review of The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) by Miles H — 08 Apr 2008
Brian De Palma has to be one of the most unfortunate tragedies in recent Hollywood history. How to you go from "Sisters" and "Body Double" to "The Black Dahlia" or "The Bonfire of the Vanities"? It's a damn shame, and this film is one of De Palma's most abysmal failures.
The movie does boast a great opening sequence that gets you excited for further excellence to come. What De Palma delivers is a half baked, nonsensical, annoying, and blatantly racist piece of self-enamored trash that tries to pass as a socially provocative dark comedy.
I can see good intentions and the premise could have made for a decent film, but as Burt Dow would say, "Thar she blows!" De Palma seems to have fallen into bed with the low angle shot and the wide angle lens, and most of the time, his use of both makes little to no thematic sense.
The editor could have used a slap as well. The film is long, far too long, a tediously plodding thing that just refuses to die. Hanks, Griffith, and Willis give it their best, and they're not bad, but I mostly felt sorry for them.
It's always depressing to see actors expending so much energy into a piece of shit. Finally, we come to the racism. Those who say political correctness has become more suffocating than honest are right to a point, and it's obvious that De Palma and Co are working with that truth in mind.
Trouble is, they bully certain groups roasted here far more than others. The white characters come off as hilariously flawed but redeemed, while 99% of the black characters come off as...manipulative, unlearned, shameless preachers, hustlers, fuck-ups, whores, and choir ladies.
Surprise! I'm all for everyone getting their due, but you have to keep in mind the social realities pertaining to the power and treatment of all racial groups when creating good satire. In the eyes of this movie, there is no racism, but a bunch of people who've simply lost their moral guidance.
If De Palma thinks this, then I feel sorry for him, because that notion is just as stupid and insulated as Hanks's sheltered stockbroker.
This review of The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) was written by Miles H on 08 Apr 2008.
The Bonfire of the Vanities has generally received negative reviews.
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