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IMDb > Lenny (1974)
Lenny
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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   4,622 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Bob Fosse
Writers:
Julian Barry (play)
Julian Barry (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Lenny on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 November 1974 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama more
Tagline:
Lenny's Time Has Finally Come!
Plot:
The story of acerbic 1960s comic Lenny Bruce, whose groundbreaking, no-holds-barred style and social commentary was often deemed by the Establisment as too obscene for the public. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 8 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Steve Zahn: The Hollywood Interview
 (From The Hollywood Interview. 16 May 2009, 3:00 AM, PDT)

Scenes We Love: Lenny
 (From Cinematical. 19 February 2009, 4:15 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Well Made But Dismally Depressing more
US TV Schedule:
Thur. July 234:35 AMMAX   

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Dustin Hoffman ... Lenny Bruce

Valerie Perrine ... Honey Bruce
Jan Miner ... Sally Marr
Stanley Beck ... Artie Silver
Frankie Man ... Baltimore Comic
Rashel Novikoff ... Aunt Mema
Gary Morton ... Sherman Hart
Guy Rennie ... Jack Goldstein
Michele Yonge ... Nurse
Kathryn Witt ... Girl (as Kathie Witt)
Monroe Myers ... Hawaiin Judge
John DiSanti ... John Santi
Mickey Gatlin ... San Francisco Policeman
Martin Begley ... San Francisco Judge
Mark Harris ... Defense Attorney
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
111 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
UK:15 (video re-rating) (2003) | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) | New Zealand:R18 | Iceland:L | Finland:K-16 (1987) | Finland:K-18 (1975) | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:18 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Australia:R | Spain:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:18A | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | UK:X (original rating)
Filming Locations:
Miami Beach, Florida, USA

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Raquel Welch was offered the role of Honey Bruce. She turned the part down, because she thought she could not play it. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: During the movie's opening monologue, Lenny says that it's 1964 and then references the MDA Telethon, which debuted in 1966. more
Quotes:
Lenny Bruce: The problem is we always expect women to be a combination sunday school teacher, and $500-a-night hooker! more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004) more
Soundtrack:
Tempus Fugit more

FAQ

How does it end?
more
8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful:-
Well Made But Dismally Depressing, 9 July 2007
7/10
Author: brocksilvey from United States

This biopic about shock comedian Lenny Bruce was Bob Fosse's followup to his well-received 1972 film "Cabaret." I'm pretty sure that "Lenny" was a financial bomb, and I'm not surprised. It's a relentlessly depressing and ugly film, despite the stylish polish Fosse gives it. Anyone who has seen Fosse's last film, "Star 80," knows just how nihilistic this director could be, and "Lenny" shows evidence of that.

It is a fascinating film though, in its own way. Fosse uses a documentary-like approach, complete with black and white photography and a narrative device in which we see Bruce's long-suffering love (played heartbreakingly by Valerie Perrine, Lex Luthor's bikini-clad girlfriend in "Superman" [1978]) telling Bruce's story to a filmmaker while the actual events themselves are played out as flashbacks. Fosse was fond of this confessional type of storytelling and would use it again in "All That Jazz" (1979). Dustin Hoffman is simply sensational as Bruce; he utterly disappears into this caustic character until no trace of Hoffman the actor is left. Technically, everything about the film is highly accomplished, but it's so desolately grim as to be off putting.

Grade: B+

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Lenny (1974)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Valerie Perrine was a very underappreciated actress Kalamata
the picture at the end? mr_pink999899
Sherman Hart utfilmmike
Classic Hoffman, Classic Fosse, Lenny Bruce was a trailblazer! stalzz64
R? Seanniek
dustin hoffman as harvey milk Iceman6599
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