MovieChat Forums > The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) Discussion > Did you like the book AND the movie?

Did you like the book AND the movie?

posted 18 years ago by yisraelharris
7 replies | jump to latest

This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life. But I did read the book first, and the book is one of my favorites. So I was extremely disappointed in the movie.

I have seen many people on these boards say that they like the movie -- but many of them state that they did not read the book.

So my question is: is there anyone who read the book before seeing the movie, and thinks this is a great movie? That would be interesting.

(And I don't entirely buy the argument that the movie should be judged by its own merits: when you make a movie based on a book, presumably you do attempt to replicate on the screen some of the strengths of the book. In that regard, this movie failed miserably.

Contrast with the Godfather: when you see the movie after having read the book, you definitely get a sense that the book's merits come through in the movie.)

One final note: I would be fascinated in getting the reaction of someone who saw the movie first and really liked it, and THEN read the book -- does reading the book afterwards affect your opinion of the movie?

[–] logjammin-- 17 years ago

I've read the book. Loved it!
I LMAO a dozen times while reading it..

The movie I haven't seen yet. Should I?

Does this place look like i'm *beep* married?
The toiletseat's up, man!

[–] saugoof 17 years ago

I saw the movie first. Thought it was fairly average but not terrible. I then read the book and thought it was brilliant, which just devalued the film even more. Just knowing that there was this great source material available and they end up with such a lacklustre film does not speak well of the makers. It's certainly not the shining star in Brian DePalma's CV.

If you're like me, it's possible you're a clone generated from my stolen DNA

[–] gadfly132 17 years ago

I read the book first. I like Wolfe's work in general, but I was hugely disappointed by the book. I felt it was trite, over-written and essentially a tedious, one-trick pony.

Later, I saw the movie. I would say that BOTV makes "Ishtar" appear to be gripping narrative.

The direction was choppy, the acting was stultifying, the art direction was wonderful, the script was hackneyed and the overall effect was of watching a long "Lives of the Rich and Famous" commercial. Everybody phoned it in.

gadfly132

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] banddirector23 16 years ago

i saw the movie and thought it was rele great, maybe a little cheesy at the end, scratch that, DEFINATLY REALLY cheesy at the end, to the point of almost killing the movie, but up until morgan's speech i really loved it.

then i read the book and loved it as well. the ending was sufficently better, and the characters of peter fallow and kramer were sufficently different. besides the ending and a few charactersthough , i didnt really think they were that much different(sure the book was more detailed but books always are)

that being said, i havent seen the movie since ive read the book, and maybe if i watch it again, all the differences will come out

but at this point, i do love them both, yes

"I yearn for you tragically. A. T. Tappman, Chaplain, U.S. Army."

[–] DoctorFell 12 years ago

i liked the movie, not a lot, but i liked it. I read the book after & thought it was much better

trashing books is like the Special Olympics even if you win & burn them all you are still a retard.

[–] cookiela2001 12 years ago

I liked the book alright, certainly more than the movie! The book has an interesting situation but probably too many characters to carry over into a film.

For instance, there's a scene in the book where some seasoned repairman is telling a couple they need to redo all their plumbing, and on top of that, they have to use expensive copper pipes (so they won't burst when freezing.) There's really two conversations going on in the scene, because the husband, as a "guy," gets what the repairman is saying while the wife is shocked about the cost and doesn't understand the proceedings.

So, the book is filled with stray scenes like that which are very vivid...but are more part of the general Manhattan landscape than feeding into a really dynamic central plot. I don't know how this movie should have been made...or really, if it was necessary to attempt it at all.