Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Lenny

Play trailer Poster for Lenny R Released Aug 15, 1975 1h 52m Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
87% Tomatometer 31 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Controversial comedian Lenny Bruce (Dustin Hoffman) begins his career telling bad jokes to bored audiences in the 1950s, but can't repress his desire to unleash edgier material. When he does, he begins a one-man campaign to break down social hypocrisy, and his groundbreaking stage act propels him to cult-hero status. When authorities ban Lenny's act for obscenity, he begins a downward spiral of drugs, sex and debt, aided by his bombshell wife, a stripper named Honey (Valerie Perrine).
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Lenny

Lenny

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Dustin Hoffman inhabits Lenny Bruce with nervy energy in Bob Fosse's richly stylized telling of the pioneering comedian's career and downfall.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (31) Critics Reviews
Pauline Kael The New Yorker In the traditional movie, life is transmuted into art; here the hero's routines are so unfunny that no transmutation seems to have taken place. Sep 26, 2023 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Dustin Hoffman, good as he is in the title role, is never quite permitted to put together an organic, three-dimensional character. Rated: 2.5/4 Apr 29, 2018 Full Review Christopher Lloyd The Film Yap Dustin Hoffman's masterful performance as the original shock comic is an abject lesson in the price paid by those who arrive ahead of their time, even if just a little. Rated: 4/5 Aug 5, 2024 Full Review Steve Warren The Barb (Atlanta) As entertainment Lenny rates pretty high... May 5, 2023 Full Review Wayne Harada Honolulu Advertiser [It's] a fascinating tapestry of a subculture figure with brilliant hues of his craziness, his restlessness, his wit, his warmth, his charisma. Too, the movie probes Lenny's gutsiness and offers instance after instance of his style and derring-do. Mar 17, 2023 Full Review Taylor Baker Drink in the Movies Episode 39: Ma / The Souvenir / Lenny / Cabaret Rated: 92/100 Oct 4, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (322) audience reviews
Irene M Dustin Hoffman does a good job portraying the character, especially the finger snapping. I hated the very very last scene. I started thinking alot about George Carlin, after it was over. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/29/23 Full Review Georgan G This movie is a reminder that words are cultural, never "bad" or "obscene." It's been too long for most reading this to remember Lenny Bruce, but he was the 1st to use comedy for social change. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Shioka O I somehow felt that this is a lengthy when I was watching. Anyways cinematography is amazing, well crafted and just beautiful. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/18/22 Full Review Audience Member For the first episode of my podcast, my co-host and I pay homage to Lenny Bruce for being the bedrock of modern comedy and a free-speech crusader. I had never viewed Lenny before and was expecting a typical biopic concerning the comedian — childhood, struggle, rise, fall, etc. But that's not how the film plays out. Instead, Lenny is shot in a fragmented, arthouse feel with a style that mixes scenes of his life with interviews from friends and loved ones after his untimely death. Dustin Hoffman plays our titular character, and I probably couldn't think of a more perfect casting. Ultimately, this is the real-life story of the legal system destroying a man (for telling jokes) even when he technically wins in court. Unfortunately, it is not the legal system that destroys artists like Lenny these days, but fellow Americans. Ironically, he wasn't arrested for going on cringey — even at the time — tirades about n*gger, spic, wop, mick, etc., (not to be blatantly offensive, but to prove a point concerning giving power to words) but for saying the word "cocksucker". Moreover, Lenny wasn't arrested in Middle America or the Deep South, but in supposed bastions of freedom like San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City. Hoffman does a mesmerizing job of Lenny's transformation from charismatic comic to legal obsessive, literally reading Supreme Court opinions on stage. As Eddie Izzard says, Lenny Bruce was the "Jesus Christ of Comedy…he died for us… for freedom of speech." For this reason alone, he demands to be studied and his legacy protected. While not everyone loved Lenny (Roger Ebert for one), I think that the average viewer would enjoy this film and it should be required watching for anyone who calls themselves an "artist" or is in "entertainment". Legend. Icon. Groundbreaker. In typical Lenny Bruce fashion, he held a mirror up to society and changed it for the better, and had to perish to do it. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member "F**k you very much!" You should know Lenny Bruce who, ahead of his time, had the guts to overcome the taboos of words. If the president would introduce all the "negros" of his cabinet, your son wouldn't come home crying because he has been called a negro at school. The meaning behind the words can change if we talk about it, if we laugh about it, that's a role humor can have. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review rory s Top quality acting. The profound story of a stand up comic who change comedy. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Lenny

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Lenny

Lenny: Official Clip - Deny It Lenny: Official Clip - Deny It 2:11 Lenny: Official Clip - We're All the Same Schmuck Lenny: Official Clip - We're All the Same Schmuck 1:51 Lenny: Official Clip - Contempt of Court Lenny: Official Clip - Contempt of Court 2:11 Lenny: Official Clip - To Come Lenny: Official Clip - To Come 2:00 Lenny: Official Clip - Strung Out Lenny: Official Clip - Strung Out 1:57 Lenny: Official Clip - Arrested for Obscenity Lenny: Official Clip - Arrested for Obscenity 1:59 Lenny: Official Clip - Stag Movies Lenny: Official Clip - Stag Movies 2:05 Lenny: Official Clip - Doing It Lenny: Official Clip - Doing It 1:43 Lenny: Official Clip - Lenny's Cruel Joke Lenny: Official Clip - Lenny's Cruel Joke 2:12 Lenny: Official Clip - Dirty But Not Obscene Lenny: Official Clip - Dirty But Not Obscene 2:12 View more videos
Andrei Rublev 96% 93% Andrei Rublev Watchlist Frances 67% 78% Frances Watchlist The Sicilian 10% 42% The Sicilian Watchlist De Sade 10% 24% De Sade Watchlist Heart Beat 20% 40% Heart Beat Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Controversial comedian Lenny Bruce (Dustin Hoffman) begins his career telling bad jokes to bored audiences in the 1950s, but can't repress his desire to unleash edgier material. When he does, he begins a one-man campaign to break down social hypocrisy, and his groundbreaking stage act propels him to cult-hero status. When authorities ban Lenny's act for obscenity, he begins a downward spiral of drugs, sex and debt, aided by his bombshell wife, a stripper named Honey (Valerie Perrine).
Director
Bob Fosse
Producer
Marvin Worth
Screenwriter
Julian Barry, Julian Barry
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Marvin Worth Productions [us]
Rating
R
Genre
Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 15, 1975, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 2, 2010
Runtime
1h 52m
Most Popular at Home Now