HOT: Bonfire of the Vanities

Well, color me red. I have been dreading watching this film because for some reason I was getting it mixed up with War of the Roses, that Danny DeVito/Michael Douglas film that I have heard some horrible things about. Lucky for me, it wasn't.

Still not spectacular, but I got through it.

Tom Hanks stars as Stephan McCoy, a hot shot Wall Street investor who is married to Judy (Kim Cattrall) and has a daughter in Bonfire of the Vanities. He also happens to have a girl on the side, Maria (Melanie Griffith).

One night while taking his dog for a walk, McCoy makes a huge mistake that pretty much sends his life into a downward spiral. McCoy heads to a payphone to call his mistress, and by mistake calls his wife. Some innocent mistake that was the start of a very bad period for him.

Judy of course, is pissed that he is cheating, but doesn't leave him just sort of ignores him. This doesn't stop McCoy from seeing Maria though. He finds out that she is coming into town to visit and picks her up at the airport.

While 'fooling around' in the car they miss their exit and are forced to take the next one and turn around. They end up in the South Bronx and while trying to get back on the freeway, McCoy is forced to get out of the car to to move a spare tire out of the way. Two men approach him and as he tries to get away, Maria jumps into the driver's seat and McCoy jumps into the car.

After arriving at Maria's apartment, McCoy wants to call the cops to explain what happened, just in case one of the men was injured by the car during the escape, but Maria stops him.

This all just so happens to be happening about the same time as Abe Weiss (F. Murray Abraham) is seeking reelection for District Attorney and the African American community is up in arms due to the constant amount of African Americans getting locked away. So, they were searching for a white man to make an example (and a show) of.

This is where McCoy's life begins to fall apart. A writer, Peter Fallow (Bruce Willis) writes a piece on the accident, playing up the kid in a coma as an honor student. McCoy reads this while speaking an important client, and freaks out, losing a $6 million deal in the process.

Finally, McCoy is arrested and put on trial in front of Judge Leonard White (Morgan Freeman) for the hit-and-run accident. The courtroom is a circus as everyone is trying to make an example of McCoy.

And, that is where I will leave you. I won't let you know how the trial ends or what happens next. Watch it to see for yourself.

Was this a good movie? Maybe. But, it wasn't spectacular. Honestly, I really didn't like Hanks' character in the film, so that threw me off a bit. And, I have never really enjoyed Griffith - I can't think of a single role of hers I have enjoyed.

I just wasn't that interested in the film. I found it rather boring. I didn't hate it, it just was well nothing really.

Grade: