The Aristocrats
Yes, I realize how far behind I am. Some day soon, I hope to have the time to catch up on everything since War of the Worlds, and that includes a healthy mauling of both Hide & Seek and The Island. But for now, I have a few spare moments before work, and this is the one that takes priority.
The Aristocrats
Tuesday, August 16; Loews Boston Common #7
* * * 1/2 (out of 4)
I'll start with what everyone else has said. This is one of the funniest movies made in a long time, and possibly the funniest documentary ever put to film. That being said, what makes it funny is the blatant lack of restraint or remorse with which these comics talk about the raunchiest, dirtiest, filthiest, most tasteless joke ever told. This isn't for the weak of heart, mind, stomach or moral flexibility. It's pretty well documented what those are... and if I were to tell you here, it'd ruin the surprise anyway. If you're easily offended, stay the hell away. No less than 10 people left the theater part-way through the movie last night. If you can handle it, you may just learn something about dirty jokes and the purpose of comedy in the world.
"The Aristocrats" is the punchline to the dirtiest of dirty jokes. What happens before that is entirely up to the person telling it. As such, each of the 80+ comedians featured has an entirely different and personalized version of the joke. And they don't spare anything or anyone. From dirty joke masters like George Carlin and Chris Rock to those who are less famous for their dirty side - Bob Sagat (yeah, the dad on "Full House" is said to have the raunchiest version many have heard - no one cuts any corners.
It's pretty obvious from that description that very few people actually tell this joke onstage. Since it's not hugely well-known to the masses (I had never heard of it before seeing stuff on the web about this movie), the docu becomes more of a backstage look at what comics do with each other in their free time. Competitions with this joke usually test who can tell the longest, the filthiest, the most un-PC... anything to make each other laugh. The joke itself isn't even that funny - it certainly doesn't make any sense. It's all about the challenge of seeing just how far each person will push it, and who will think of the next thing that'll make you cringe and laugh at the same time.
The movie isn't the collection of jokes that I expected it to be. You only hear complete or near-complete versions from five or six comics, and snippets from 25-30 others. More often it's the comics reflecting on why the joke exists, and why it has been able to hang on since vaudeville's day despite so rarely being performed onstage. George Carlin describes it best, saying that for a job where so much of a performer's material is rehearsed, scripted and used night after night, "The Aristocrats" gives the writer exercise. Every time the joke is told, it comes out differently, always trying to top the others.
Despite the focus on the vile, there's a moral here, albeit well-buried in the bowels of the New York Friar's Club Roast of Hugh Hefner, which took place in late September, 2001 - a difficult time to laugh at much of anything. I'll let the movie show and explain the circumstances, but the point is that in the wake of 9/11, comedy had to change. Ethnic jokes had to disappear as they started to hit too close to home. Gilbert Gottfried - tanking with the audience by telling some poorly-timed jokes - reached way back into the vault and redeemed himself with his version of "The Aristocrats."
This is why comedy is important, especially in its vilest forms. America was stunned by something so extreme and unfunny that only something equally extreme could bring the smile back to our collective faces. Gottfried was telling a joke that everyone knew some version of, and yet he had a room full of professional comedians rolling in the aisles with it. It was relief, and it was perfectly timed.
The movie's not perfect... the jumps between comedians are flawed at times, and I would have liked to have heard a few more complete versions of the joke. It seemed like a lot of them were saying the joke existed for the same reason - "It's just... fun!" But if nothing else, that should clue the watcher into the universal love for this thing. It hit everyone. It's also interesting that some of the things common to this joke just aren't as shocking as they may have been ten or fifteen years ago, which scales the humor down at times. But as I watched this, I realized it was less about the content of the joke and much more about the reason it was so raunchy, because sometimes, that's what it's going to take for a smile to crack during the darkest of times. Gottfried exemplified that in New York City.
There will be people who write this movie off as trash, and to an extent, I don't blame them. There's a reason the movie wasn't rated (had it been submitted for a rating, the MPAA would have ravaged it with an instant NC-17), and the choice to not admit anyone under 18 is a wise one. There are some adults who simply aren't ready to accept that this style of humor is necessary. But if you can open up and realize that this is just a joke, you may walk out with a better idea of why you can help but chuckle at the stupidest and lamest of jokes.
The Aristocrats
Tuesday, August 16; Loews Boston Common #7
* * * 1/2 (out of 4)
I'll start with what everyone else has said. This is one of the funniest movies made in a long time, and possibly the funniest documentary ever put to film. That being said, what makes it funny is the blatant lack of restraint or remorse with which these comics talk about the raunchiest, dirtiest, filthiest, most tasteless joke ever told. This isn't for the weak of heart, mind, stomach or moral flexibility. It's pretty well documented what those are... and if I were to tell you here, it'd ruin the surprise anyway. If you're easily offended, stay the hell away. No less than 10 people left the theater part-way through the movie last night. If you can handle it, you may just learn something about dirty jokes and the purpose of comedy in the world.
"The Aristocrats" is the punchline to the dirtiest of dirty jokes. What happens before that is entirely up to the person telling it. As such, each of the 80+ comedians featured has an entirely different and personalized version of the joke. And they don't spare anything or anyone. From dirty joke masters like George Carlin and Chris Rock to those who are less famous for their dirty side - Bob Sagat (yeah, the dad on "Full House" is said to have the raunchiest version many have heard - no one cuts any corners.
It's pretty obvious from that description that very few people actually tell this joke onstage. Since it's not hugely well-known to the masses (I had never heard of it before seeing stuff on the web about this movie), the docu becomes more of a backstage look at what comics do with each other in their free time. Competitions with this joke usually test who can tell the longest, the filthiest, the most un-PC... anything to make each other laugh. The joke itself isn't even that funny - it certainly doesn't make any sense. It's all about the challenge of seeing just how far each person will push it, and who will think of the next thing that'll make you cringe and laugh at the same time.
The movie isn't the collection of jokes that I expected it to be. You only hear complete or near-complete versions from five or six comics, and snippets from 25-30 others. More often it's the comics reflecting on why the joke exists, and why it has been able to hang on since vaudeville's day despite so rarely being performed onstage. George Carlin describes it best, saying that for a job where so much of a performer's material is rehearsed, scripted and used night after night, "The Aristocrats" gives the writer exercise. Every time the joke is told, it comes out differently, always trying to top the others.
Despite the focus on the vile, there's a moral here, albeit well-buried in the bowels of the New York Friar's Club Roast of Hugh Hefner, which took place in late September, 2001 - a difficult time to laugh at much of anything. I'll let the movie show and explain the circumstances, but the point is that in the wake of 9/11, comedy had to change. Ethnic jokes had to disappear as they started to hit too close to home. Gilbert Gottfried - tanking with the audience by telling some poorly-timed jokes - reached way back into the vault and redeemed himself with his version of "The Aristocrats."
This is why comedy is important, especially in its vilest forms. America was stunned by something so extreme and unfunny that only something equally extreme could bring the smile back to our collective faces. Gottfried was telling a joke that everyone knew some version of, and yet he had a room full of professional comedians rolling in the aisles with it. It was relief, and it was perfectly timed.
The movie's not perfect... the jumps between comedians are flawed at times, and I would have liked to have heard a few more complete versions of the joke. It seemed like a lot of them were saying the joke existed for the same reason - "It's just... fun!" But if nothing else, that should clue the watcher into the universal love for this thing. It hit everyone. It's also interesting that some of the things common to this joke just aren't as shocking as they may have been ten or fifteen years ago, which scales the humor down at times. But as I watched this, I realized it was less about the content of the joke and much more about the reason it was so raunchy, because sometimes, that's what it's going to take for a smile to crack during the darkest of times. Gottfried exemplified that in New York City.
There will be people who write this movie off as trash, and to an extent, I don't blame them. There's a reason the movie wasn't rated (had it been submitted for a rating, the MPAA would have ravaged it with an instant NC-17), and the choice to not admit anyone under 18 is a wise one. There are some adults who simply aren't ready to accept that this style of humor is necessary. But if you can open up and realize that this is just a joke, you may walk out with a better idea of why you can help but chuckle at the stupidest and lamest of jokes.
posted by Matt S. at
5:40 PM
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