The Bonfire of the Vanities was adapted for a film, released in the winter of 1990, directed by Brian DePalma, best known for his Hitchcock homages (such as Obsession) and violent crime epics like Scarface and The Untouchables.

Tom Hanks plays Sherman McCoy, with a supporting cast that includes Bruce Willis as Larry Kramer, Melanie Griffith as Maria Ruskin, Morgan Freeman, F. Murray Abraham, Kim Cattrall, and Saul Rubinek. The playwright Michael Cristofer wrote the screenplay from Wolfe's novel.

The filming itself aroused considerable controversy. Under pressure from community groups that vehemently objected to the negative way in which the Bronx is depicted in Wolfe's novel, filmmakers agreed to photograph footage showing more positive features of the Bronx: its zoo and botanical gardens, for example.

Yet another controversy arose when Wolfe appeared with Spike Lee, the author and director of Do the Right Thing, on a panel sponsored by...