The Aristocrats

"A family walk into a talent agency," is all you have to remember. The Aristocrats is a documentary(of sorts) based upon an old inside joke with comedians. It centers around a family of people who have this act, and basically is the amalgamation of disgustingly terrible things that happen during the act. When the agent asks the name of the act, you get "The Aristocrats".

So now that you've got a basis to work on, let's give you a bit of this movie, which is basically a 90 minute telling of this very joke in different forms by some of the world's top comedians that even includes the Smothers Bros. It doesn't border on disgusting, it's TERRIBLY disgusting, but that's what makes it hilarious. It's so outlandish and far out for almost every version, that bringing it back around to it's almost mundane punchline is far too perfect.

Some of my associates didn't exactly think so, and I don't blame them. This isn't the kind of movie to bring your mom to see, unless she likes jokes about people peeing on each other, incest, bestiality, and scatology. That's right, I said all of that in the same line. There's not much one can review about for the movie other than saying that it's rated 18A for a reason, and I'm surprised it actually even was received in as many theaters as it did. But that's not taking away from how funny I thought the movie was, even though I know a lot of the people that see this movie that don't already know what it's about when going into it are going to be caught completely off guard and wonder what the hell they're getting themselves into.

With every funny movie that crosses boundaries, there are standouts and letdowns. Though you're not going to believe me, I'm going to tell you that the best comedian in this movie is Gilbert Gottfried's version of the joke when he was losing the crowd at Hugh Hefner's Comedy Central Roast. Props go as well to Andy Dick, Bob Saget, Sarah Silverman, the mime, and the guy who does the card trick version, as the best versions of the joke, but there are other people in the movie that I dislike who were even making me laugh (besides Drew Carey. I cannot find that guy funny ever), which was fun. And that's what makes the documentary type feel of this movie go so well. It's fun to watch all of these comedians try their luck at the same thing.

So go spend your hard earned money on a movie that will definitely make you laugh, as long as you can find poo funny.

*** of *****

Have you ever watched your favorite comedy film five times in one night? You know how after the third, maybe fourth time the jokes become stale and by the fifth time you don't show any teeth whatsoever. Imagine that happening with this movie...except you don't crack a smile past the fifteen minute mark.

Basically, it's one hundred different comedians telling the same joke, something that sounds like a good idea... if it were five different comedians telling the joke. As one could imagine, it gets repetitive fast, and if you make it past the thirty minute mark then you either have a high tolerance for pain or you might be the most easily entertained person to ever live.

The only comedian to even make a remotely funny version of the joke in this whole movie was Bob Saget, but the downfall is he comes into the film at around the fifty minute mark, meaning there will be pain brought to your skull as you sit by and watch comedian after comedian pound out this joke. Maybe I love Bob too much when I say he was the only good thing about this movie, or maybe I can be honest with myself; who knows, all I know is that this movie got old fast.

I may get a lot of flack for disliking this movie. People may say that I'm too much of a wuss and the subject of the film is too risqué for me...not true. Gross out humor is one of the best forms of humor you could ever find...if done properly; something it was not done here. Everyone here goes for the easy laugh, and it isn't working.

Honestly, worst documentary I've ever seen in my life.

And with that line begins a joke that is profiled from its Vaudvillian roots,through ninety minutes and a myriad of comedians. I once made the mistake of describing this show as bing "a hundred comedians tell the same joke',which got a quizzical"Why would anyone watch that?" reaction. There's much more to this that "comedicans telling a joke".

Comedian Paul Provenza(with the help of Penn Gillette)directs this documentary that examines one joke and how it can be stretched,shrunken,reformed,refitted,debated,taken apart,turned upside-down,twisted,cleaned up,dirtied up and any other way a comic can interpret it. Philosophies and stories around the joke are also factored in,and one who watches this film(assuming one can stick with this doc,any of the wildly profane and wincingly nasty treatments of the joke)learns as much about the teller of the jokes as the joke itself.

With notable turns by such comics as Gilbert Gottfried(who tells the joke both in interview and archival footage),SArah Silverman,Bob Saget,the Smothers Brothers,MArtin Mull,Howie Mandel and George Carlin(among others),this film is a test in one's understanding of not only the telling of a joke,but the mechanics OF telling it and the joke itself. Not much of a movie and barely a documentary,this is a great "curiosity" film that will weed out people who should and shouldn't be watching this. I felt like I learned something out of this,and every so often I got laughs out of it,too. How many films can you say THAT about it?

The Aristocrats uses a warhorse joke to give the audience a window into humor, obscenity, and the American conscience. I am not aware of another study capable of inducing such laughter. The premise is devilishly simple and almost a modern version of comedia delarte. This allows some of the best American comic minds to muse wildly about humor. A great achievement of the movie is the raw footage of a who's who of comedians. Comic greats such as George Carlin, Eric Idle, Whoopi Goldberg, Gilbert Godfrey, Jason Alexander, Robin Williams, Phyllis Diller, Drew Carey, Sarah Silverman, and many more weigh in on how comedians put their signature on jokes.

The editing and pacing of the movie insure that the audience goes no longer than two minutes without a good laugh. There is no shortage of obscenity and lewdness in the film. The Aristocrats is not a family film. However, the film proves that there is much to be gained from wading into the lake of obscenity. Packed between laughs about bodily functions and social taboos, are searing insights about improvisation, character, show business, and things which most of us would not willingly put in our mouths. The movie hits on many different levels and stands as an insightful sociological achievement garbed in laughter.

Nothing brilliant, but a really intriguing documentary centered around a gross, vulgar and very funny secret joke comedians have shared with each other for years. Features great re-tellings of the joke by some of the funniest people working in the industry today. George Carlin gives a disgusting, creative yet hilarious version, Kevin Pollack gives a great Christopher Walken version of the joke, Bob Saget gives the most deviant version of the joke, Lewis Black gives a great analogy of the possibility of the joke's premise being a television reality show, Sarah Silverman adds a retarded child to the joke and Robin Williams, Billy Connolly and Eric Idle just add more craziness to the film. If you have precious ears avoid this movie like the plague. This is definitely only for the most strong-stomached who adore the art of crude joke-telling. Grade: B