I'm not much of a connoisseur of stand-up, and though I'd heard the name Lenny Bruce, couldn't have told you anything about him before this movie. While it's interesting as a portrait of a troubled artist, the one thing the film never successfully does for me is convince me that Lenny Bruce was actually funny. I'm sure that's partly because Bruce's style of humor isn't mine, but the movie also makes his rise to fame very abrupt, never really showing WHY people connected with him, and it continuously portrays him more as a shock value kind of performer who feels more like today's political pundits than anything else. That being said, it's an interestingly-made movie. It's shot in stark black-and-white closeups, making the story seem personal and intimate, and in the scenes in which he performs, it's like you're in the audience. And it certainly is a *loving* tribute to Bruce, which is kind of touching even if I don't share that affection.
How it entered my Flickchart:
Lenny > Monsters
Lenny < Jack Goes Boating
Lenny < About Elly
Lenny < Real Life
Lenny > Beverly Hills Cop
Lenny > Gunpowder Milkshake
Lenny > The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Lenny < Star Trek: Generations
Lenny < Bridge of Spies
Lenny < Holiday Inn
Lenny < I Love You, Man
Lenny < Two Weeks Notice
Final spot: #1541 out of 3461, or 55%.
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