The Aristocrats (2005)
The world's dirtiest joke as told by the world's leading comedians. Directed by Paul Provenza.
A documentary about a true "comedian's joke", this movie explores what the jokes means to many comedians, and what it tells us about comedy and the people who make it. While the joke is itself a weak joke, as many of the comedians point out, the punch-line isn't what's funny. Instead, it's the journey itself, as comedians are free to do what they want during the middle of the joke - you only have to remember the beginning and end, but the rest is up to the teller.
Many of the comedians remember hearing it for the first time on their initial foray into the stand up comic world. The joke is not something that's really meant for an audience, but is told by comedians to other comedians in an effort to show one another up.
While the description of the movie may sound somewhat boring (the same joke, told over and over by different comedians), it is actually quite engrossing. Through constant editing (maybe too constant), we listen to a number of comedians describe both the joke and their reactions. Perhaps one of the more interesting comments that many comedians make is that by todays standards, much of the what the joke focuses on is fairly tame. So they begin to discuss what topics would return the joke to its previous levels of discomfort.
Some of the best versions of the joke were told by Kevin Pollack (as Christopher Walken), Sarah Silverman, Bob Saget, Gilbert Godfried, and a woman who proceeds to tell the reverse version. It's great to see so many comedians in one location, all enjoying themselves, and putting their own particular twists on a joke so that it never gets stale.
A documentary about a true "comedian's joke", this movie explores what the jokes means to many comedians, and what it tells us about comedy and the people who make it. While the joke is itself a weak joke, as many of the comedians point out, the punch-line isn't what's funny. Instead, it's the journey itself, as comedians are free to do what they want during the middle of the joke - you only have to remember the beginning and end, but the rest is up to the teller.
Many of the comedians remember hearing it for the first time on their initial foray into the stand up comic world. The joke is not something that's really meant for an audience, but is told by comedians to other comedians in an effort to show one another up.
While the description of the movie may sound somewhat boring (the same joke, told over and over by different comedians), it is actually quite engrossing. Through constant editing (maybe too constant), we listen to a number of comedians describe both the joke and their reactions. Perhaps one of the more interesting comments that many comedians make is that by todays standards, much of the what the joke focuses on is fairly tame. So they begin to discuss what topics would return the joke to its previous levels of discomfort.
Some of the best versions of the joke were told by Kevin Pollack (as Christopher Walken), Sarah Silverman, Bob Saget, Gilbert Godfried, and a woman who proceeds to tell the reverse version. It's great to see so many comedians in one location, all enjoying themselves, and putting their own particular twists on a joke so that it never gets stale.
posted by Mike at 3:51 PM
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