MovieChat Forums > The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) Discussion > My biggest problem...

My biggest problem...

posted 16 years ago by Ribelin2000
3 replies | jump to latest

...with DePalma's Vanities is that it is way too dumbed-down, even stooping to bathroom humor in several scenes (i.e., lines about turds, yeast infections, pissing on shoes, etc.). I mean, Seth MacFarlane (the guy behind Family Guy, for those who don't know) could've easily had written the script! The party scene, in particular, where Aubrey Buffing is introduced and discloses that he has AIDS, comes off as rather tasteless (Wolfe's novel deals with this scene in a much more tasteful way).

I, for one, would like to see another adaptation of Vanities, but this time done right, with the right actors, the right director (P.T. Anderson would be perfect) and the right script. I also believe that Wolfe should be a consultant on the production this time.

[–] Dudley_Dawson 16 years ago

Agreed. I found the reverened in the book to be an intellegent and cunning foe, while in the movie he was just a parody of a parody of Al Sharpton. When we first meet him in the book, he so wonderfully explains to those men why they aren't getting their money back because he's basically given it away to theives and crooks. He explained this in such a great way that the men are almost convinced that their money being embezzled is a good thing.

Also I loved the character of Larry Kramer in the book. I think that's his name. He's the prosecutor who's only got one thing going for his manhood. He works in a dangourus arena putting away dangerous men. I love that scene in the book where he's having lunch with other couples and they get into an argument about law and order vs compassion and after he plays his manhood card, his wife has to rescue him. Contrasts nicely with Mrs. McCoy's cake crumbs speach to Cambell in the Hamptons.

[–] stevenackerman69 16 years ago

Right, why not make this film again? The problem is that no studio will spend the money again to do it.

[–] Ribelin2000 16 years ago

Yeah, that would be pretty obvious, especially since the first movie was such an embarrassing megaflop.