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Lenny (film)
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Wikipedia article
'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
* Dustin Hoffman as Lenny Bruce
* Valerie Perrine as Honey Bruce
* Jan Miner as Sally Marr
* Stanley Beck as Artie Silver
* Rashel Novikoff as Aunt Mema
* Gary Morton as Sherman Hart
* Guy Rennie as Jack Goldman
* Aldo Demeo as Bailiff
Release
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 89% based on 27 reviews. The critical consensus reads: "Dustin Hoffman inhabits Lenny Bruce with nervy energy in Bob Fosse's richly stylized telling of the pioneering comedian's career and downfall." 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.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/6tsOsSZrEB4 Ghostarchive] and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20121210061000/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tsOsSZrEB4&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]:
Accolades
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="6"| Academy Awards
| Best Picture
| Marvin Worth
|
|-
| Best Director
| Bob Fosse
|
|-
| Best Actor
| Dustin Hoffman
|
|-
| Best Actress
| Valerie Perrine
|
|-
| Best Screenplay Adapted from Other Material
| Julian Barry
|
|-
| Best Cinematography
| Bruce Surtees
|
|-
| Blue Ribbon Awards
| Best Foreign Language Film
| Bob Fosse
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| British Academy Film Awards
| Best Actor in a Leading Role
| Dustin Hoffman
|
|-
| Best Actress in a Leading Role
| rowspan="2"| Valerie Perrine
|
|-
| Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Cannes Film Festival
| Palme D'Or
| Bob Fosse
|
|-
| Best Actress
| Valerie Perrine
|
|-
| Directors Guild of America Awards
| Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
| Bob Fosse
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| Golden Globe Awards
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama
| Dustin Hoffman
|
|-
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
| Valerie Perrine
|
|-
| Best Director Motion Picture
| Bob Fosse
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| National Board of Review Awards
| colspan="2"| Top Ten Films
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Valerie Perrine
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| New York Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Actor
| Dustin Hoffman
|
|-
| Best Actress
| rowspan="2"| Valerie Perrine
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Sant Jordi Awards
| Best Foreign Film
| Bob Fosse
|
|-
| Writers Guild of America Awards
| Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium
| Julian Barry
|
|}
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 (under license from MGM and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) as a Region 1 widescreen Blu-ray Disc on February 10, 2015.
See also
* List of American films of 1974
* List of black-and-white films produced since 1970
* George Carlin
References
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