davidbeland The first time i've heard about Lenny Bruce, it was from my hero George Carlin and i must say right off the bat that i haven't heard or saw much material from Lenny before this film, (yeah i know, shame on me) but at least i didn't had any expectations whatsoever.Factual or not? Once again i couldn't care less, it was a great entertainment. If i want facts about an artist i'll read a biography or watch a documentary, i will certainly not document myself on somebody through Hollywood for obvious reasons, if you can't figure them out, get off my review right now...Great performances, great story, amazing cinematography and editing, i really loved that movie. The "interview style" approach was brilliant and the jazzy/black & white atmosphere was delightful. That one shot scene near the end is astonishing and very sad, that scene alone worth the movie.Censorship, obscenities, anti-conformism, power of words, drug abuse and freedom of speech could resume quite well this movie in my opinion; and it makes me realize that i can't _______ write whatever i _______ want (at least not here) even in 20 _______ 13 can you _______ believe that?!In one word: Entertaining....And ____ censorship!

jeremy3 It isn't from the painful relationship between his girlfriend, or his addictions. It is from how I remembered this film when Andrew Dice Clay was being attacked for his portrayal in Ford Fairlane (which was an excellent comedy). I was young when this movie was made, and it takes place before I was born. So, I don't know if this movie was accurate. However, this is the irony. Bruce was supposed to be Anti-Establishment. He was lambasting a society that wanted to close its doors on taboos - such as sex, race relations, etc. We had won that war by the 1980s. Then, along came "political correctness". The Anti-Establishment became even worse than the Establishment of old. At least, younger people were already revolting against it by the 1960s. However, the same younger generation that won the 60s suddenly turned "clean". Bruce, may have not have had a wonderful personal life, but at least he was speaking his mind and heart, and not being shut out by the "political correctness" of the time. This is why this movie makes me so sad. It makes me think of the days, when there were painful realities, but people were more human, less perfectionistic, and could speak their minds. And by the late 80s, that World died with the birth of "political correctness". No longer could there be Lenny Bruce's - speaking their hearts and minds. In the old day, the "blue meanies" were the Hooverites. Now, they are the Neo Yuppies who have taken away whatever voice and freedom we used to have in this country. This movie was not great, but it was interesting. Hoffman can carry most roles, and he did a pretty good impersonation. He was a lovable and dislikeable person. He did bad things, but he had a heart, too. He was a person who was imperfect, but trying in many ways to speak his mind. It is too bad that nowadays these days are long gone. We no longer can tell the truth and be enraged. Someone now tells us that we are "unpolitically correct" for trying to speak the truth. That is why this movie is so sad.

Petri Pelkonen This is a movie of a stand-up comedian, Lenny Bruce.Lenny was a Jewish comic, who found love from a "Shiksa goddess", a stripper named Honey.Lenny's act consisted of some questionable material, something not approved by conservative citizens.He found himself often in the courtroom.And then he found drugs with Honey.Along came marital problems and an early death.Lenny (1974) is a Bob Fosse film.The screenplay is by Julian Barry, and it's based on his play by the same name.Dustin Hoffman portrays brilliantly the main character.He probably does a better job than Lenny ever did.Valerie Perrine is amazing as Honey Bruce.Jan Miner is very good as the mother Sally Marr.Stanley Beck is great as Artie Silver.Gary Morton does terrific job as Sherman Hart.I saw Lenny a week ago in a movie theater, for free.I liked the experience.This movie is pretty dramatic, being a movie of a comedian.One of the most memorable moments is when Lenny does an act on dope, wearing a raincoat.That scene shows in a brilliant way the fall of a comedian.And it actually happened.Before seeing this movie I knew very little of this guy.So it's a great introduction to the phenomenon called Lenny Bruce.

Bunwad As a fan of Lenny Bruce since first seeing him on Steve Allen's TV comedy series sometime around 1959, never the less this quick review is NOT a long sycophantic tribute to Lenny himself - just a quick comment on the film.Very good screenplay, excellent b&w photography & direction, and some really good-to-outstanding acting by all the players, including Dustin Hoffman in the title role.That being said, I'm tempted to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen in his vice presidential debate with Dan Quail: in other words, despite Dustin Hoffman's considerable acting talent - he's no Lenny Bruce.Lenny Bruce was a lot of things: satirist, social critic, con man, drug addict, entertainer, etc - but above all he was incredibly funny. Sadly, Dustin Hoffman in this film, is rarely if ever funny. His timing and delivery is so slow and unprofessional compared to Lenny's, I almost cringe these days whenever I try to watch this film, especially during the on-stage comedy segments.This is not a knock on Hoffman, and I am a big Dustin Hoffman fan. In fairness, if you've ever seen any of Lenny's short films, it's fair to say when it comes to acting, Lenny was certainly no Dustin Hoffman either. And in additional fairness to Mr. Hoffman, maybe Fosse directed him to deliver his comedy lines at this "un-Lenny-like" almost deliberate tempo (unlikely IMO - someone as talented, independent and downright headstrong as Hoffman probably would have worn Fosse down if this was the case).And I still recommend the film highly and have watched it many times. It's a damn good film - well acted, well-written, and photographed & edited so beautifully.Want to see and hear the REAL Lenny Bruce, not in sad decline like some of the 1965 Basin Street West SF videos on the internet, but in Lenny's prime? Try to get your hands on a copy of or somehow manage to view the excellent and maybe-NEVER-to-be-released (music copyright issues?) documentary by Robert Weide: "Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth"and you'll see what I mean.Lenny may have been a lot of the things portrayed in Fosse's treatment, but most of all, like the last line and unlike Hoffman's on-stage portrayal in this film,Lenny was "just so damn funny."