Lenny (film)


Lenny is a 1974 American biographical drama film about the comedian Lenny Bruce, starring Dustin Hoffman and directed by Bob Fosse. The screenplay by Julian Barry is based on his play of the same name.

Plot

The film jumps between various sections of Bruce's life, including scenes of when he was in his prime and the burned-out, strung-out performer who, in the twilight of his life, used his nightclub act to pour out his personal frustrations. We watch as up-and-coming Bruce courts his "Shiksa goddess", a stripper named Honey. With family responsibilities, Lenny is encouraged to do a "safe" act, but he cannot do it. Constantly in trouble for flouting obscenity laws, Lenny develops a near-messianic complex which fuels both his comedy genius and his talent for self-destruction. Worn out by a lifetime of tilting at establishment windmills, Lenny Bruce dies of a morphine overdose in 1966.

Cast

Lenny opened at Cinema I in New York City on November 10, 1974 and grossed a house record $14,981 in its first day.

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 88% based on 25 reviews. On Metacritic it has a score of 61 out of 100, based on 9 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
One of the less enthusiastic reviews came from Roger Ebert stating "Unless we go in convinced that Lenny Bruce was an important performer, the movie doesn't convince us."
In 2012, British film critic Mark Kermode put Hoffman's performance as Lenny Bruce at number eight in a top-ten video of Hoffman's best performances.

Accolades

Although nominated for six Academy Awards in 1975, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography, Lenny did not receive an award.
Valerie Perrine won the award for Best Actress at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival.

Home media

Lenny was released to DVD by MGM Home Video on April 1, 2003 as a Region 1 widescreen DVD and by Twilight Time as a Region 1 widescreen Blu-ray Disc on February 10, 2015.