lenny bruce love word . the most common misconception be that he do not . today and bruce be best know for revolutionize the face of stand up pave the way for such future talent a george carlin and bill hick but not many people be actually familiar with his comedy and and that a shame and because there be a lot more to it than just swear . he be infamously arrest over a dozen or so time for speak offensively in comedy club and and eventually begin to represent himself in court . he never gain respect when he be alive and and so he die a frustrated and misunderstood soul who be simply far too ahead of his time . the mass do not get him . his racial joke and political satire be misinterpret and take at face value . his sermon ridicule religion draw hate from conservative american . but bruce enjoy toy with word and and bend the typical perception of what they symbolize he cherish the impact they have on people . when bruce say a certain four letter expletive and it wasn not to purposely offend people it be to help liberate their way of thinking . word be an entryway once he could knock people off balance and he be free to go for the throat . he use foul language in the same way a he use word deal with religion and homosexual and politics and the world he use them to make a point . and it a shame his point do not resonate until after his death . the maker of lenny understood bruce and though . they also understand his flaw a a human be and and the result be an unflinchingly honest biopic that paint a dark and staunch portrait of a troubled man . dustin hoffman present lenny a an alternately despicable and heroic figure and and there be a spark in his eye throughout the early scene of the movie that eventually give way to desperation later in the picture . hoffman be so convincing we forget we be watch an actor . he entirely embody himself within lenny bruce and adapt all of the comic tic and habit . the movie be tell from the perspective of those who know bruce his wife and honey ( valerie perrine ) and his aunt and and his manager . the narrative cut back and forth between scene with lenny and interview segment and which we see through the eye of an off screen interviewer ( whose voice be none other than the movie director and bob fosse ) . lenny be an uncomfortable film and and it be not by any mean perfect . the matter of fact narrative be a bit alienate and prevents u from get entirely close to bruce but that may very well have be the point . a more heartfelt biography of the performer perhaps would have restrict fosse and screenwriter julian barry from divulge into lenny more seedy character trait such a when he coerce his unwilling wife into a threesome with another woman and later ridicule her for do so while or when he go on stage completely drug out of his mind and make a fool of himself . if they have allow audience to empathize with bruce to a great degree and truth may have be sacrifice along the way . and although the narrative be rather cold and it also unique sometimes refreshingly so . despite imperfection and lenny be one of the good motion picture of the 1970s and perhaps one of the movie that best capture the essence of cinema from a time when the mainstream and art house be coexistent . it be a typical 1970s production insofar a that it be grim and bleak and more depressing than any production you would have see on the screen a decade earlier but it an admirable feat . fosse have a close grip on the direction and hoffman and perrine be both absolutely superb and bringing to life two very tortured soul who temporarily find solace in each other and before find their relationship put to the test by drug abuse and self loathing . lenny die from a heroin overdose in 1966. in 2003 he be grant a posthumous pardon by new york state for his most notable arrest in 1964 and for an obscene performance . it a nice gesture and although one can not help but think it would have only really make a difference 40 year ago .