![Tom Hanks slams one of his own films](https://doyouremember.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Tom-Hanks-slams-one-of-his-own-films-702x367.jpg)
Fame and respect as an actor doesnโt mean a starโs every film has been a hit. Just ask Tom Hanks, who names one of his own films as the worst movie ever put to screen. The film with that backhanded honor is The Bonfire of the Vanities, directed by Brian De Palma.
Actually, this designation proves several times over a talented actorโs resume wonโt be made up entirely of successes. Thatโs because it features a star-studded cast, including not just Hanks but also Melanie Griffith, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and Kim Cattrall. So, what doesnโt Hanks love about this film?
Heading to the bonfire of vanities was an uphill trek
On paper, The Bonfire of the Vanities has all the ingredients for critical acclaim. The 1990 film was a screen adaptation of the best-selling โ87 novel of the same name by Tom Wolfe. It boasted a budget of $47 million, of which it madeโฆ $15 million back. Hanks would give it that price value or less.
RELATED: Tom Hanks Isnโt Happy With One Of His Most Popular Films
Part of the problem, Hanks argues, was his inability to relate to his character, Sherman McCoy, an amoral Wall Street banker who helps his mistress cover up the murder of a Black teenager she hit with her car. The end result had Hanks saying of the film, โItโs one of the crappiest movies ever made.โ Speaking with The Oprah Magazine in 2001, Hanks also admitted that because he could not relate to McCoy, even โbullshโing his way throughโ was not doable.
Lessons in the lesser things
Ultimately, though Hanks doesnโt have a glowing review for The Bonfire of the Vanities as a film, he does see value in the experience it gave him. โYet if I hadnโt gone through that experience, I would have lost out on something valuable,โ he shared. โThat movie was a fascinating enterprise from the word go. It was bigger than life, and for some reason, it had a huge amount of attention on it.โ
He continued, โI can go to Germany, even now, and people will say, โHow come you donโt make good, gritty movies like The Bonfire of the Vanities anymore?โ They have no concept of what it meant to be an American and have that movie enter the national consciousness. Bonfire taught me that I couldnโt manufacture a core connection.โ
Did you see the movie, and do you agree or disagree with Hanks?