Lenny Bruce's troubled life came to celluloid with the Late/Great Bob Fosse's 'Lenny', one of the most well-reviewed films of its time. And like any-other Bob Fosse film, 'Lenny' is imperfect & uninhibited, with two leading-performances that will sweep you off your feat.
'Lenny' Synopsis: The story of acerbic 1960s comic Lenny Bruce, whose groundbreaking, no-holds-barred style and social commentary was often deemed by the Establishment as too obscene for the public.
Lenny Bruce's sense of humor was no-holds-barred & hence he was a controversial figure of his time. 'Lenny' captures his undeniable talent for humor that raised laughs & questions. This biopic also captures his rather sad personal life & his relationship with his stripper wife & her troubled journey with drugs. And some of this is actually affecting & also inspired stuff.
BUT, The Screenplay by Julian Barry isn't entirely engaging. The Writing is brave in parts and unappealing in parts. As acidic as Lenny's stand-up shows turn out, the Writing can never match up to its outspoken, thought-provoking hero.
Fosse's Direction, like always, is driven by human-emotions. And the filmmaker captures Lenny's life with complete honesty. Cinematography & Editing are finely done.
Performance-Wise: Dustin Hoffman & Valerie Perrine are brilliant. Hoffman portrays Lenny as a man with a sharp tongue & a flawed soul, giving us a questionable hero, made pure out of heart & flesh. Perrine soars as his troubled wife Honey. Honey died nearly 40 years after Lenny's demise & Perrine immerses herself into the part. Its a knock-out performance, that proves her powerhouse talent. Its no surprise that both, Hoffman & Perrine, earned Oscar-Nominations for their work here!
On the whole, 'Lenny' is far from perfection, but the acting here, is beyond perfection.
'Lenny' Synopsis: The story of acerbic 1960s comic Lenny Bruce, whose groundbreaking, no-holds-barred style and social commentary was often deemed by the Establishment as too obscene for the public.
Lenny Bruce's sense of humor was no-holds-barred & hence he was a controversial figure of his time. 'Lenny' captures his undeniable talent for humor that raised laughs & questions. This biopic also captures his rather sad personal life & his relationship with his stripper wife & her troubled journey with drugs. And some of this is actually affecting & also inspired stuff.
BUT, The Screenplay by Julian Barry isn't entirely engaging. The Writing is brave in parts and unappealing in parts. As acidic as Lenny's stand-up shows turn out, the Writing can never match up to its outspoken, thought-provoking hero.
Fosse's Direction, like always, is driven by human-emotions. And the filmmaker captures Lenny's life with complete honesty. Cinematography & Editing are finely done.
Performance-Wise: Dustin Hoffman & Valerie Perrine are brilliant. Hoffman portrays Lenny as a man with a sharp tongue & a flawed soul, giving us a questionable hero, made pure out of heart & flesh. Perrine soars as his troubled wife Honey. Honey died nearly 40 years after Lenny's demise & Perrine immerses herself into the part. Its a knock-out performance, that proves her powerhouse talent. Its no surprise that both, Hoffman & Perrine, earned Oscar-Nominations for their work here!
On the whole, 'Lenny' is far from perfection, but the acting here, is beyond perfection.