 Lenny
Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth
Review
summaries of the Oscar nominated & Emmy winning film
New
York Times' Janet Maslin: Compelling... poignant.
Lenny Bruce's last laugh echoes throughout Lenny
Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth. An intimate
and affectingly nostalgic portrait.
New
York Post: Mesmerizing... utterly fascinating. Weide
improves on Bob Fosse's film Lenny by offering
the real thing. A stunning tribute to the legendary
comic, as funny as it is poignant. Complemented by Robert
De Niro's eloquent narration.
Village
Voice's Amy Taubin: Amazing. Robert
Weide's film comes as close as a 94-minute biopic
can to resurrecting its subject. Weide gets the big
stuff right and he's also attuned to the echoes. Twelve
years in the making, Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the
Truth could not be released at a more opportune
moment.
New
York Daily News: Robert Weide's Lenny Bruce:
Swear to Tell the Truth, an informative and entertaining
study of the legendary comic turned First Amendment
martyr, is something we should all be thankful for.
Weide has unearthed some amazing footage.
The
Hollywood Reporter: Fascinating. This cogent, well-organized,
informative and engrossing documentary is a must-see.
It tells an important story, and it does so with insight
and intelligence.
T.V
Guide On-Line: Weide's portrait comes as a welcome
and long overdue tribute. Weide unearths some priceless
footage. A solid biography.
Long
Island Voice: Fascinating... mesmerizing. Bruce's
range was enormous and it took Weide to hammer it home.
Boston
Globe: Provocative. This film is a historical wake-up
call.
New
York Post: The documentary is exceptionally powerful.
The story is about much more than just a comic. It is
about the way society treats non-conformists who threaten
established values, the need to be vigilant about constitutional
rights, and much more.
San
Francisco Chronicle: Rating -- Wild Applause

San
Francisco Observer: A powerful portrait of a man,
an artist, and a misfit in a repressed society.
Daily
Variety: A loving tribute 12 years in the making,
Swear to Tell the Truth emotionally argues Bruce's
place as the most innovative thinker to emerge from
the stand-up comedy circuit.
SF
Weekly's Michael Sragow: What's amazing is how
well Weide fleshes everything out. He manages to portray
the brilliant taboo-smashing comic without hero worship
or sanctimony. This documentary honors Bruce without
defanging him. It stands on its own as a valiant piece
of work. 
Home
> Filmography > Lenny
Bruce > Review Summaries
 |