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Tom Hanks Calls Out His 'Crappiest' Movie Ever Made
3 Oct
Summary
- Tom Hanks considers The Bonfire of the Vanities as one of the worst movies he's ever made
- The 1990 film was a box office flop, earning only $15 million against a $47 million budget
- Hanks says he couldn't relate to his character and "bullshitting his way through" was impossible
As of October 2025, beloved Hollywood icon Tom Hanks has openly criticized one of his past films, calling it "one of the crappiest movies ever made." The unfortunate recipient of Hanks' rare venom is the 1990 flop The Bonfire of the Vanities, which was adapted from Tom Wolfe's hit 1987 novel of the same name.
Hanks, who starred as the unscrupulous Wall Street banker Sherman McCoy in the black comedy, has regularly called out the film as one of the worst of his career. Despite a supporting cast that included Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith, Kim Cattrall and Morgan Freeman, and with acclaimed director Brian De Palma at the helm, the movie was a box office disaster, earning just $15 million against a $47 million budget.
Reflecting on the experience, Hanks says he struggled to connect with his character and found it impossible to "bullshit his way through" the role. The increased scrutiny on the production also meant the film had to contend with higher expectations, which it ultimately failed to meet. Hanks, however, believes the experience taught him valuable lessons about his craft, stating that if he "hadn't gone through that experience, I would have lost out on something valuable."
