Plot: What’s it about?
Lenny Bruce (Dustin Hoffman) started his career as a last minute replacement emcee at a club, but before he ever made in on stage, he threw up all over his shoes. As it turned out, Bruce’s future held much better days and even large doses of success, though it didn’t come in the ways he had always expected. His earlier work was a clean comic and his routines bombed, with his recycled jokes and miserable impressions. But he slowly became a mainstay of clubs and his act began to evolve, but all the while, he was never as popular as he wanted. When he met a gorgeous young stripper named Honey (Valerie Perrine) however, his life took some new turns and soon enough, so would his career. Bruce then took life into the fast lane, with a lifestyle loaded with sex & narcotics, but even then, his career still remained stagnate. When an accidental misunderstanding raises some attention from an audience, Bruce decides to leap over the line and work the blue material. He continued to push the line of what was acceptable, both in his personal life and as a comic, but it would all catch up with sooner or later. As threats loom because of his routines, Bruce just wants to be heard and while his words will be heard, it will not be by only the people he wishes to deliver them to…
I’ve seen a lot of biographical films and while some are very well made, few can maintain the balance between praise and damnation. It seems like the filmmakers either want to paint an overly optimistic portrait of the individual, or one that casts them in a much darker light, instead of the true balance of the elements, as it should be done. But with Lenny, Bob Fosse (who was a friend of Lenny Bruce) is able to show us a man’s life with the hype peeled off and that is what makes this such a worthwhile picture. We’re shown Bruce’s immense talent and knack for exposing hypocrisy, but he is not brought across as a saint either, not even close. The film documents his rise from the bottom, meteoric rise toward the top, then the path of self destruction that led to his downfall, including his eventual death. By allowing us to see both sides of this man, we’re more able to see the true human in Bruce, for better or worse. Dustin Hoffman sets the screen ablaze as Bruce, which drives home the character like no one else could have, while Valerie Perrine turns in an excellent effort as well. I wish MGM had done more here in terms of supplements, but the power of the film is enough to warrant a strong recommendation, without question.
Although the film has some other terrific performances, this is without question Dustin Hoffman’s picture and he runs wild here, simply amazing stuff. He seems so natural within Bruce’s persona that it is stunning at times, perhaps even all the time. The personal scenes have a realistic tone thanks to Hoffman’s balance within the role, while the on stage moments explode with Hoffman’s presence, which is awesome to say the least. Hoffman must have spent countless hours getting ready for this part, as he seems to have done his homework and a result, it often feels as if Lenny himself is on the screen. Other films with Hoffman include Marathon Man, The Graduate, Kramer vs. Kramer, Straw Dogs, Rain Man, and Wag the Dog. The cast also includes Valerie Perrine (The Electric Horseman, Can’t Stop the Music), Stanley Beck (John and Mary, Fireball Forward), and Jan Miner (The Swimmer, Used Innocence).
Video: How does it look?
Lenny is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. The use of black & white visuals here adds a lot to the presentation, almost like we’re right there as things unfold, especially in a few key sequences. The image here looks better than I had expected, thanks to a clean source print with minimal grain present, though some softness is evident at times. I found black levels to be above average at every turn, with strong detail and no balance issues in the least. In the end, this is a terrific looking transfer in all respects and for that, I extend serious praise to MGM.
Audio: How does it sound?
I would say this film is just about as dialogue driven as possible, with no real audio spark present at all to report. In fact, you’ll notice some silent periods and one lengthy one in specific, so audio is supposed to be very natural here, without a doubt. The included mono track sounds very good, though in those silent spaces you’ll hear some hiss, but if you ask me, that seems to be intentional and it enhances the mood of the scenes. The dialogue is sharp and never misses a beat, no volume errors or clarity problems to mention. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
