As helmed by Fosse and interpreted by Dustin Hoffman, Lenny is too fragmented and episodic to illuminate the controversial comedian but it's a personal, prophetic film, offering insights into the real life and death of Bob Fosse as a filmmaker.
Lenny (1974)
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Reviews Counted:16
Fresh:16
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.1/10
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Director Bob Fosse (CABARET) brings his characteristically scathing commentary on the entertainment biz to this biopic about the controversial comedian Lenny Bruce. Bruce's career was brought to a... Director Bob Fosse (CABARET) brings his characteristically scathing commentary on the entertainment biz to this biopic about the controversial comedian Lenny Bruce. Bruce's career was brought to a dramatic halt just years before this film was made, when he was found dead of a drug overdose on the bathroom floor of his home. He was 40 years old. Lenny's sexual and narcotic misdemeanors are graphically portrayed. The film is shot in black-and-white, and the story of Bruce's life is told in flashback interviews with prominent figures from his life. Valerie Perrine's performance as the stripper Bruce married garnered her an Academy Award nomination (in addition to five others for the film in 1975). Dustin Hoffman transformed himself into an erratic anti-hero to play Bruce, giving a multi-faceted, riveting performance that truly depicts the demise of a legend. LENNY was Fosse's first and only non-musical film, and its innovation rivals the best of those works. [More]
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Valerie Perrine, Jan Miner, Stanley Beck
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Valerie Perrine, Jan Miner, Stanley Beck, Gary Morton, Rashel Novikoff, Guy Rennie, Mark Harris
Director: Bob Fosse
Director: Bob Fosse
Producer: Marvin Worth
Screenwriter: Julian Barry
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Reviews for Lenny
His performance may feel too Actors Studio at times, but he radiates his broad-spectrum intensity until Lenny becomes something of a Dustin Hoffman film festival in miniature.
A bravura turn by Hoffman, plus Fosse's kinetic direction make this an unforgettable biography.
Dustin Hoffman succesfully transmits to screen some of the rage of Lenny Bruce, a hard role to digest and project.
A movie that trades on the word "hip," Lenny has a lot to show for itself twenty-eight years later.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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