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Since 06/09/00
To at least some degree, credit for the loosening of mainstream film censorship belongs to Lenny Bruce. By continually raising taboo subjects, even at the expense of his own liberty, he marginalized these subjects until they eventually became commonplace in our film and print culture.
Lenny Bruce, the mediocre stand-up comic turned counter-culture martyr, further served the cause of First Amendment rights through his court battles. But they took more out him, emotionally and financially, then he took out of the society that he threatened. His self-destructive ways led to an early demise, but even this increased his legend, and hence his influence.
Lenny is made with the best of intentions. The attempt is to portray Bruce, warts and all. We see him get stoned, emotionally abuse his wife, and alienate mentors and audiences. We see his obsession with his court cases destroying any entertainment value that his performances once had. Dustin Hoffman portrays Lenny not as a great comedian, or even as a messiah for First Amendment rights. He was simply an average comic who stumbled into the shock style of comedy due to a burning desire to oppose hypocrisy.
Later shock comics, like Howard Stern, were deeply cynical. They wanted to lower standards in order to pander to their audiences, and became First Amendment advocates only because it suited their profession. Lenny Bruce was not only first, but he was different.
Pseudo-interviews (conducted off-camera by director Bob Fosse) and black and white photography create a documentary feel. Fosse's previous film was the much-acclaimed Cabaret, which ensured critical notice for Lenny. Musical auteur Fosse seemed a curious choice to direct, but Dustin Hoffman was perfect for the role. He gets to the heart of Lenny Bruce, and portrays him not as a comedian, but instead as a troubled social conscience.
Lenny is guilty of some voyeurism, most notably in a scene where Bruce compels his wife to perform lesbian acts before making it a threesome. However, the scene did help Valerie Perrine obtain an Oscar Nomination for Best Actress. The movie was in fact showered with Academy Award nominations, in all of the major categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Hoffman), Best adapted Screenplay (Julian Barry, from his play), and Best Cinematography. In the year of The Godfather, Part II it was shut out on Oscar night. It has since fallen into relative obscurity, much as has Lenny Bruce himself.