Customer Reviews

The Aristocrats

5 star:		(120)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(25)
1 star:		(67)

 

 

WARNING: Spoilers galore and discussion of off color topics.

First, it has to be emphasized to anyone contemplating seeing this film that it without any question contains more offensive language than any other general release film in American history. If you are offended by graphic descriptions of every conceivable form of sexual perversion including incest and bestiality or by the most extreme descriptions of scatological activity, you really should pass on this one in favor of another film. That being said, this is without question one of the funniest films I have ever seen, and the preview audition I saw it with was laughing loudly from beginning to end.

"The Aristocrats" is, we are told near the beginning of the film, a joke that comedians often tell one another. In basic outline, it is quite simple. The basic elements are a man walking into a talent scout's office and telling him that he has a great act, and then describes a performance in which the man and his wife and children and other relatives, including the family dog, come onstage and perform some bizarre combination of sexual, incestuous, scatological, bestial, and murderous acts. After a long catalog of acts straight out of the Marquis de Sade, the scout then asks what they call themselves, to which the man replies, "The Aristocrats." The joke--admittedly not a very good one--is the extreme contrast between the barbarity and outrageousness of the acts, and the man having the gall to imagine that their actions could in any sense be aristocratic. This is not a joke that many comedians tell in public; it is simply too nasty, too extreme. It is, instead, a bit of a test that comedians take in front of other comedians, to see if they have a right to respect among their peers.

As the movie progresses, it becomes obvious that the challenge for comedians is to come up with some new variation of the joke that allows them some claim of originality. It is like a chess problem that requires some new resolution. Or, to put it in another sense, a comedian telling the joke anew is like a gunfighter taking on all previous gunslingers, creating a reputation for themselves. And indeed, as the movie goes along, a number of comedians do manage new variants that are increasingly surprising. Though obscene throughout, the film ends up being almost an academic, anthropological study of the nature and possibilities of humor.

A vast number (I read somewhere that a hundred comics participate) of well known and lesser known comedians appear in the film, from such prominent stand ups as Robin Williams and George Carlin to a host of unknowns, as well as older veterans such as Larry Storch and Tim Conway. A number provide their own retellings of the joke, with some being more successful than others. Although there are many quite hysterical versions of the joke, I thought four stood out. The best, in my opinion, was shockingly that of Bob Saggett of FULL HOUSE. His version is unique in that as he tells it, he feigns shock that he is doing so, and seems momentarily to have doubts as to its wisdom, hesitates, and then plunges right back into the joke. Very nearly as good is a somewhat less nasty, more cerebral version by Martin Mull, with the best punch line of the movie. No one hates mimes more than I do, but a mime I did not previously know called Bill the Mime performed a brilliantly obscene mime version of the joke. Finally, a truly awful ventriloquist (his mouth moved almost normally throughout) with a badly constructed puppet told the joke very ineptly, only to have his puppet jump in and show him the way it should be done. We get an endless variation on the joke, from Sarah Silverman's very strange rendition which morphs into an accusation of rape by Joe Franklin, to versions where the acts on stage are described as gentile and sophisticated, but the name of the act is unspeakably offensive.

This is very definitely not a movie for everyone. If you are easily offended, you should pass. But if you want to see a very, very funny movie that involves more comedians than you could shake a stage at, don't miss this.

This is a movie about one of the dirtiest jokes ever. But it's not really. It's really about the art of telling a joke. It's about the philosophy of comedy, of transgression, of challenging the rules of "polite society" as comics have done for centuries, about how the human mind works, how men and women see humor differently, about what we find funny, what surprises us, what revolts us, and more to the point, what DOESN'T revolt us even if it seems it should. And to discuss all these topics, the film makers have assembled a top flight group -- stand-up comedians, comedic actors, writers, and others, from old-time comics to the youngest and hippest new talents (is anyone funnier than Sarah Silverman when she really gets going?).

It's a free turtorial in how comedy works, as we watch a large and diverse group of artists tell this same joke in dozens of different ways, with many different set-ups, many different payoffs, and more ways of exploring the middle of the joke (some compare it to an improvised jazz solo) than you could ever imagine. We see how men and women emphasize different things, how the younger comics make it more sexual and the older comics make it more scatalogical. Somebody could teach a semster course on this...

It's a smart, insightful film about America and the American sense of humor, and about the real "us" that we rarely show the rest of the world. It's a fascinating philosophical document that will appall you even as you fall out of your seat laughing, and then drive home thinking about it for hours afterward.

I saw this film at a college theater in Ann Arbor, because I knew it would never come to the area where I live. It is the funniest and filthiest documentary ever made, about the funniest and filthiest joke ever told. One hundred comedians either tell the joke or comment on it or both. It's been an "in-thing" among comedians for years, and now at last it's out there for all to see. If your tolerance for scatalogical, sick, perverted humor is not high, don't even try to see it. It takes a strong stomach to listen to the joke as it becomes ever more depraved, but if you can take it, your sides will ache from laughter before it's over.

I walked into the theater this past weekend to see THE ARISTOCRATS fully expecting to be thoroughly appalled, yet equally certain that I would be amused. I was more than amused, as it turned out, and not quite as appalled as I would have expected to be. I'm not saying that this was not the filthiest movie I have ever seen, it was. But perhaps we live in a jaded society: one in which words alone can no longer cause us to lose our lunches, abuse our neighbors, or vote without thinking.

THE ARISTOCRATS, despite the unspeakably filth of its language, is a very funny film. I can understand, however, that one may need to be a fully-engaged connoisseur of the comedic arts in order to completely appreciate what is being attempted here. The aristocrats joke itself, as has been said countless times, is not in itself the main attraction of the movie. The free-form soloing that can occur in the very best setups to the [admittedly pedestrian] punch line is. Bob Saget (legendary dirty comic of comics, we are told) offers glimpses into his brilliant long-form telling of the joke (glimpses containing ghastly horror, but humorously) that clearly alter our perceptions of the man, yet credit his virtuosity in the form. Tim Conway, in maybe the cleanest interpretation on film, remains his hilarious (and innocent) self. George Carlin, who guides us through most of the film, tells the joke in uncomfortable but nuanced detail, causing much squirming, but also explosive laughter from the theater audience.

Not every comedian scores well in the telling of the joke, however. Emo Phillips is not quite dirty enough to get kicked out of a kindergarten story hour, but at least he gave it a try. Needless to say, he was not the highlight of this film. Nor was Chris Rock who, inexplicably, just shows up for a few seconds to say something about race (I've already forgotten exactly what). Other stars and semi-stars pop in and out of the film, some offering more and some less, as it were. The film labors in a few other points (what exactly is Eddie Izzard saying or trying to say?), but for the most part, it is entertaining from start to finish.

THE ARISTOCRATS succeeds at what it tries to be: the inside documentary of the king of all inside jokes. It is the goofy home movie of the comedy set. For those of us on the outside, it is a glorious peepshow into the comedy industry. And here's the kicker: grandma's dead.

Jeremy W. Forstadt

The Aristocrats has gotten a lot of press over the language, but the real point of this movie is a look inside the comedians world. Just watching over 100 of the greatest and funniest comedians working today have a great time, makes this one of the best "insider" films ever made. It's certianly the funniest. You'll want to see this several times, and be the one to bring your friends. They'll thank you! The DVD will be a "must own", and should be required viewing for anyone who has a sense of humor!

I like this film for what it says about free speech and the face/state of comedy in America.

By any measure the language is rough and the joke appalling, but only if you think of this as something *other than* comedy one-upmanship. My only complaint with the film is that it wasn't long enough and some comics were just face time (like Jon Stewart and Chris Rock). Here's my highlight reel:

BEST DELIVERY Martin Mull, laid back and hilarious. Taylor Kegan, smooth and articulate.

DADS TALKING DIRTY: Andy Richter and Doug Stanhope with their infant sons. Funny and freakishly disturbing.

MOST OBNOXIOUS: Mario Cantone, Andy Dick

VETERAN GREATS: Jay Marshall (who also has a terrific joke in the end credits) and Pat Cooper, the misanthrope.

COSMIC COMIC CHICKS: Carrie Fisher, Sarah Silverman, Wendy Liebman

NICE TOUCHES: The Joe Franklin-Sarah Silverman "relationship"; the very last comic in the end credits (can't say who he/she is, or I'd spoil it for you); comments by journalist Frank DiGiacomo; all the extra goodies on the DVD version.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: How the "same" joke can be told so differently yet reveal so little about the comic.

This is a great, hysterical movie. You can watch it over and over and will still laugh out loud. It has a great variety of different types of comedians and different styles of joke telling. It also has some interesting insight into the behind the scenes of the comedy world. It has something for everybody, unless, of course, you are easily offended.

This is by far one of the funniest films I have ever seen. My face and stomach literally ached after seeing this film from laughing so hard. Obviously, if you are offended by strong language and scatological humor, this not for you.

This is for the kind of people who watch and love the stand-up comedy specials on HBO, Showtime and Comedy Central. For comedy junkies, you will recognize many of the current crop of stand-up royalty seen on Tough Crowd, HBO's One Night Stand and great showcase programs like those.

Like George Carlin? You'll love this film. I can't wait for this to be released on DVD so I can buy it and show it to everyone I know.

This will be a cult classic for years to come.

A man walks into a talent agent's office to promote his family act. He describes for the agent what the act consists of and when asked what they call their act, the man says, "The Aristocrats!"

I know it doesn't look funny. It also has one of the weakest punch lines since the creation of humor, but that is not the point. The point is that for a story that lasts anywhere between 30 seconds and upwards of 15-20 minutes, it is not about the punch line.

That is a joke that has been passed through the close circles of stand up comedy for generations. Comedians tell this joke when they get together with other comedians. Every veteran comedian not only has heard it at some point in their career, but now even has their own adaptation which they tell frequently, though never on stage. They go on to say that stand up comedy is not about jokes, it is about telling funny occurrences. Jokes are for hack comedians. Few exceptions have been made, one of which was Gilbert Gottfried at the Hugh Hefner Roast.

Comedians Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette decided to make a documentary involving 100 of their friends; the biggest names in comedy. The idea was to have everyone talk about the aura surrounding this joke. Everyone knows it. Everyone has an opinion on it. Everyone has their own version. Some tell their version, some tell stories about the first time they've heard it. A few even offer variations on it.

It doesn't matter who was talking (or in one case, miming) this movie was hysterical. Oh, one small disclaimer is that you may not like the movie if you are in any way offended by jokes about incest, familial abuse, urination, defecation, vomiting, bestiality...well the list goes on. It is these things that are used as components of the "family act" in the joke. Aside from that, there is nothing offensive in this movie...

More shock value than in the joke itself comes in the delivery. The movie says it is the "singing, not the song." As the comedians are interviewed, some explain that the beauty of The Aristocrats is that you have complete creative license as joke teller to try and induce as much shock value as you can. It also tells a lot about who tells the joke as to how dirty their mind is.

Take actors you have seen on television for years. Now place them in front of a handheld camcorder and ask them to tell you the dirtiest joke ever told. I know I didn't expect to hear some things from certain people. In some cases you associate the actor with the character they play(ed) on TV; a character that would not tell a joke that involves a stage act of freaky circus sex between a man and garden variety barnyard animals.

A few specific moments stood out from the rest. As hinted above, The Aristocrats was told by many, but also performed by a mime. He was on the street at the time, his "telling" was perfect and my only have been rivaled by the looks on the faces of passers-by. Kevin Pollock probably did a better job of sounding like Christopher Walken than Christopher Walken would have when telling a version of the joke. And who could forget Bob Saget? He starts off admitting that he has a reputation in the industry as being a dirty comic, which you do not expect to hear from Danny Tanner. I will leave it at that.

ALL of the biggest names were present in this documentary. Robin Williams, George Carlin, Phyllis Diller, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Jeni, Richard Lewis, Gilbert Gottfried...well you get the idea. But if you are curious, the full cast listing is available here. I did think that there may be some hesitation on part of some of the comedians to participate in a publicizing of this unique staple to the laughter industry, but everyone seemed eager to participate. The Aristocrats brings people together. It was fascinating to see such big stars humbled by their own thoughts of something as simple as one joke. The sincerity with which they spoke about The Aristocrats was amazing.

For once I did not stick out nearly as much as usual in a theater for a funny movie. I have this bad habit of laughing out loud. Couple that with a decent set of lungs, I can get pretty obnoxious. I apologize to everyone who has ever been there for it and all of you whose experience(s) lie ahead. Last night was not so awkward, though. Everyone was laughing out loud. All inhibitions about being loud were left at the door. You could not help but belt out with laughter at this movie.

To somewhat of a surprise, no one (that I noticed) got up and left the theater. I am glad that no one was so deeply offended by the content that they had to leave, even though there is something to be said for a movie that can be so funny and so offensive at the same time that maybe at least one husband and wife complete with teenage daughter walk out (Team America - World Police). The theater in which I saw the movie was mostly filled with older viewers though, there were no children. And yes, The Aristocrats is more offensive than Team America. Much more.

I already have plans to see it in the theater a second time.

buy it; rent it; netlix it; watch it. it's a great film. you haven't seen a documentary this funny and this good in a long time. if you are a prude or crude language grosses you out, watch mary poppins.