Lenny
Bob Fosse’s stylized portrait of Lenny Bruce follows a fearless comedian whose radical routines make him famous, persecuted, and increasingly self-destructive.
Overview
A groundbreaking exploration of comedy and controversy that challenges societal norms.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- nervy
- melancholic
- stylized
- classic cinema night
- biopic marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praise Dustin Hoffman’s nervy, immersive performance and Bob Fosse’s richly stylized direction, while finding the biographical treatment earnestly sentimental or insufficiently convincing for viewers unconvinced of Bruce’s importance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film dramatizes Lenny Bruce’s career, marriage, legal persecution, and decline as a pioneering comedian.
Lenny’s increasingly scatological and anti-establishment routines drive both his popularity and his clashes with obscenity laws.
Court cases and obscenity prosecutions form a central conflict around Lenny’s freedom of speech.
Bob Fosse’s richly stylized approach traces Bruce from Catskills beginnings through underground fame and drug-related downward spiraling.
Films like Lenny, and why
The Rose
shared biographical drama focus on a groundbreaking comedian, performance-centered storytelling, and tragic artistic decline
All That Jazz
shared musicalized, stylized direction, celebrity biography, and corrosive pressures of public performance
The People vs. Larry Flynt
shared examination of controversial artists, censorship, public scandal, and the personal cost of provocative expression
Man on the Moon
shared black-and-white-inflected biographical drama, anti-establishment politics, and an iconic outsider performer confronting institutions
Movie Details
- Director
- Bob Fosse
- Release Date
- 1974-11-10
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (326)
Cast
- Dustin Hoffman
- Valerie Perrine
- Jan Miner
- Stanley Beck
- Frankie Man
- Rashel Novikoff
- Gary Morton
- Guy Rennie
- Michele Yonge
- Kathryn Witt
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Lenny about?
- Bob Fosse’s stylized portrait of Lenny Bruce follows a fearless comedian whose radical routines make him famous, persecuted, and increasingly self-destructive.
- What is Lenny like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Lenny as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Lenny violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Lenny as mild.
- What did critics think of Lenny?
- Critics broadly praise Dustin Hoffman’s nervy, immersive performance and Bob Fosse’s richly stylized direction, while finding the biographical treatment earnestly sentimental or insufficiently convincing for viewers unconvinced of Bruce’s importance.
- Which films are like Lenny?
- Films with a similar feel include The Rose, All That Jazz, The People vs. Larry Flynt, and Man on the Moon.
- How long is Lenny?
- Lenny runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch Lenny?
- In United States, Lenny streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
