Every actor has had movies in their career that they consider a misstep. Tom Hanks has commented on such a film in his career.
Tom Hanks has made many films in his career and received two Oscars. One of them was for running across the country. But this is not what this point is about.
The film that Tom Hanks has spoken about is The Bonfire of the Vanities
. It was released in 1990 and is based on the novel of the same name by Tom Wolfe.
Besides Hanks, the film featured many other big actors, such as Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith, and Morgan Freeman.
But despite the quite prominent cast, the film was not exactly a financial success. And for Hanks, it was one of the most mediocre films ever made
.
You can see the trailer for one of his most successful films here:
Low Earnings, Bad Feedback
What is the film about? In the film, Tom Hanks plays a prominent Wall Street broker who accidentally takes a wrong turn while driving to Manhattan with his lover and hits a person of color.
This tragic event sets off a series of other events that ultimately lead to the broker’s downfall.
What does Tom Hanks say about the film? Previously, Hanks was mainly known for his comedic roles in films like Bosom Buddies
and Turner & Hooch
. Therefore, he saw the role in The Bonfire of the Vanities
as a possible stepping stone in his career.
Although the film is, in hindsight, one of the worst films for Hanks, he does not want to miss the experiences from the film. He says:
This is one of the most mediocre films ever made. And yet I would have missed something valuable if I hadn’t had this experience. The film was a fascinating endeavor from the very beginning. It was larger than life and, for one reason or another, attracted enormous attention.
Even today, when I come to Germany, people say to me: ‘Why are there no more films being made that are as good and raw as ‘The Bonfire of the Vanities’? They have no idea what it meant to be American and that this film entered the national consciousness.
Tom Hanks in an interview with Oprah Winfrey
Tom Hanks also commented on the cast of the film. He said: When we made the film, it was huge. We couldn’t move anywhere in New York City. Everyone was talking about it. Everyone was miscast, especially me.
How successful was the film? Overall, the film also did not perform well. With production costs of 47 million dollars, the film only made 15 million dollars in the USA.
The film was also not nominated for the Oscars. Instead, it received the Golden Raspberry for the worst screenplay of the year.
The press wrote about the film that it is a bland adaptation of a thoughtful book
, poorly marketed and lacking the crucial sense of irony of the original material
.
The rating on Rotten Tomatoes reflects this as well. The film has a tomato meter rating of 15% and an audience score of 26%.
Do you know the film? If so, what is your opinion on it? Do you see the film as critically as Hanks himself does? Or is it perhaps one of your favorite films? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. Another film by Tom Hanks can also be found in our list of 5 Movie Mistakes in Hollywood Films.
