Lenny cooke, a documentary from directors benny and joshua safdie and an official selection at both the 20 tribeca and venice film festivals, unearths plenty about the. Lenny is a 1974 american biographical drama film about the comedian lenny bruce, starring dustin hoffman and directed by bob fosse. Cooke speaks on his new documentary titled the lenny cooke film, debuting it at the tribeca film festival, being once ranked higher than. He was renowned for his open, freestyle and critical form of comedy which contained satire, politics, religion, sex and vulgarity. A cocky kids dream crumbles in sobering lenny cooke. Lenny cooke, subject of the film lenny cooke poses at the tribeca film festival 20 portrait studio on april 20, 20 in new york city. Nov 27, 20 the name lenny cooke has become part myth, part bogeyman and part warning to anyone that thinks talent, and talent alone, gets you to the association. Check out this behind the scenes look at bad boys for life read more. Dec 07, 20 the new documentary lenny cooke follows its titular subject on the road to defeat. A 66 slasher who in high school scouts ranked ahead of the cleveland cavaliers lebron james, new york knicks carmelo. Lenny cooke movie documentary full movie its easy to be responsible if you responsible all the time, its difficult when you pick and choose the times you want to be responsible.
Lenny cooke and the problem with best documentaries the. In this quintessentially american documentary, filmmaking brothers joshua and benny safdie track the unfulfilled destiny of a man for whom superstardom was only just. For basketball fans of a certain age, the trailer for lenny cooke was a jolt. Lenny cooke cast and crew cast photos and info fandango. In 2001, lenny cooke was the most hyped high school basketball player in the country, ranked above future greats lebron james, amare. Apr 18, 20 in 2001, lenny cooke was the most hyped high school basketball player in the country, ranked above future greats lebron james, amare stoudemire and carmelo anthony. Lenny however had been advised by his legal guardian for awhile but said screw you to her. Lenny cooke official trailer 1 20 documentary hd professional sports is known as a true meritocracy, a field in which the cream really. Dec 19, 20 lenny cooke s one glaring hole is the narrative gap between its subjects promising younger years and current reality. The film, simply titled lenny cooke, charts the rise and fall of a high school athlete once thought to be the next magic johnson, only to fall victim to the easy lure of money and hangerson that. Find out where lenny cooke is streaming, if lenny cooke is on netflix, and get news and updates, on decider. The dude just needed the right people in his corner.
Shopkorn turned down a request to follow lebron james, though james did pass shopkorns viewfinder on more than one occasion. Lenny is interesting because we get fragments of lenny s life intermixed with actors playing people he knew giving interviews, and also lenny doing his stand up routine when he was young and old. In 2001, a young new yorker named lenny cooke was the countrys topranked high school basketball player. He was not drafted and ended up playing for lesser known leagues around the world. Before king james was a threetime nba champion, he used to play for st. Lenny cooke documentary follows basketball hopefuls. In this quintessentially american documentary, filmmaking brothers joshua and benny safdie track the unfulfilled destiny of a man for whom superstardom was.
The documentary style filmmaking makes it very easy to follow and gives a unique perspective. The one player better than lebron james in high school. A decade later, lenny has never played a minute in the nba. When cooke enters the draft and isnt chosen at all, much less in the first round, we see a long line of names being announced but get no shot of lennys reaction. When cooke went undrafted in 2002, shopkorn abandoned his lenny cooke movie. The name lenny cooke has become part myth, part bogeyman and part warning to anyone that thinks talent, and talent alone, gets you to the.
A clip from lenny cooke by josh and benny safdie youtube. After a screening in toronto, several raptors said there was much to be learned from cookes story. Trolls world tour, like a boss and recommendations for easter and passover. Lenny cooke, from startobe to one who never was the. As a pained, haunting version of the star spangled banner plays, we see 2001. In an era when high school stars were forgoing college hoops in favor of the potential multimillion dollar contracts promised in the nba draft, cooke was supposed to be the. Dec 11, 20 lenny cooke official trailer 1 20 documentary hd professional sports is known as a true meritocracy, a field in which the cream really does rise to the top, as theres simply too much money. In 2001, lenny cooke was the number one ranked high school basketball player in the country, ranked above future greats lebron james, amare stoudemire and carmelo. Short clips of him playing in lowly minor leagues speed the timeline along. Lenny cooke official trailer 1 20 documentary hd youtube. Dec 06, 20 lenny cooke, a documentary from directors benny and joshua safdie and an official selection at both the 20 tribeca and venice film festivals, unearths plenty about the oncegreat athlete through. Dec 12, 20 in 2001, a young new yorker named lenny cooke was the countrys topranked high school basketball player.
The film jumps between various sections of bruces life, including scenes of when he was in his prime and. In 2001, cooke was the numberone ranked high school basketball player in america, with future nba greats lebron james and carmelo anthony listed beneath him. Or rather, the film explores how defeat can nevertheless lead to a triumphant confirmation of self. Bulls star joakim noah joins film about fallen basketball.
He transferred to nvot in 2001 and it turned into the most interesting and exciting year of basketball in my life and. The story of lenny cooke has been told on many occasions and on many outlets including in documentary form which was released years back and can still be seen today. Leonard alfred schneider october, 1925 august 3, 1966, better known by his stage name lenny bruce, was an american standup comedian, social critic, and satirist. A once topranked highschool basketball star learns a tough lesson when he decides to skip college. Lenny cooke documentary follows basketball hopefuls road. Lebron james is the best nba player in the world, reveals. Lenny cooke has yet to discover what or who he is supposed to be since it became obvious years ago that he would not fulfill his once presumed destiny and become an n. His 1964 conviction in an obscenity trial was followed by a posthumous pardon, the first in. After a screening in toronto, several raptors said there was much to be learned from cooke s story. The movie lenny cooke follows the number one high school basketball player who was destined to go to the nba. He eventually came into contact with some crummy sports agent who promised him money upfront along with a guarantee that hell be drafted reasonably high if he chose to enter the draft out of high school which by the way is a story in of itself. In 2001, lenny cooke was the most hyped high school basketball player in the country, ranked above future greats lebron james, amare stoudemire and carmelo.
Dec 06, 20 aratons visit to cooke and his family in virginia is, in turn, featured in the movie. In 2009, the footage was acquired by sibling directors, josh and benny safdie, who edited it into the documentary lenny cooke. The new documentary lenny cooke follows its titular subject on the road to defeat. Lenny cooke was once more hyped than lebron james, but never played in the league. Update on lenny cooke basketball player once ranked higher than lebron paul bo. Mar 04, 2012 lenny cooke has yet to discover what or who he is supposed to be since it became obvious years ago that he would not fulfill his once presumed destiny and become an n. Jun 07, 2016 directed by benny safdie, josh safdie. The new yorkbased directors follow the basketball hopeful lenny cooke as he battles to become top dog alongside future nba stars carmelo. The film, made by the safdie brothers, was entered in the 20 tribeca film festival. With lenny cooke, tom konchalski, lebron james, carmelo anthony. Lenny cooke interview tribeca film festival youtube. Lenny cooke and the problem with best documentaries. Lenny cookes one glaring hole is the narrative gap between its subjects promising younger years and current reality. Lenny is interesting because we get fragments of lennys life intermixed with actors playing people he knew giving interviews, and also lenny doing his stand up routine when he was young and old.
The screenplay by julian barry is based on his play of the same name. A title card at the beginning of the film indicates that cooke, despite his huge highschool hype. A cocky kids dream crumbles in sobering lenny cooke film. In 2001, lenny cooke, a brooklyn, ny native, was a man among boys. Hs hoops legend lenny cooke discusses career, mistakes. Lenny cooke was the numberone ranked high school basketball player in america, but his inevitable fall from grace will forever be remembered. When cooke enters the draft and isnt chosen at all, much less in the first round, we see a long line of names being announced but get no shot of lenny s reaction. The film, simply titled lenny cooke, charts the rise and fall of a high school athlete once thought to be the next magic johnson, only to fall victim to the easy lure of money and hangers on that. Feb 11, 2014 lenny cooke was once more hyped than lebron james, but never played in the league.
Meet the high school basketball player who was once considered better than lebron. Cooke is the subject of the 20 documentary lenny cooke which documents his athletic rise, fall, and subsequent life after basketball. Filmmaker adam shopkorn chronicled cookes rise in over 100 hours of footage. Aratons visit to cooke and his family in virginia is, in turn, featured in the movie. A quintessential sports story about big dreams and unfulfilled destiny. Lenny cooke was a high school phenom and playground basketball legend.
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