As often as the following descriptive phrase has been used (usually by disparaging film critics), it has never been literally true--until now. "The Aristocrats" is truly a "one-joke movie." This documentary, directed by funny man Paul Provenza, interviews around 100 stand-up comedians to talk about and tell their version of the same joke. But it is not just any joke. The Aristocrats has long been an inside gag that comics took pleasure in telling one another but rarely dared to perform publicly. One reason for this is because it is outrageously filthy. The publicity tag line for the film is "No Nudity - No Violence - Unspeakable Obscenity." It's nice to know that there still is truth in advertising. Think of the dirtiest joke you know and multiply it by 1,000 and you still wouldn't come close to the extreme perversion of The Aristocrats. The set up is always the same: "A man walks into a talent office..." Likewise, the punch line also remains constant. It is the stuff in between that varies wildly, as comedian after comedian riffs on the premise, trying to top or outdo one other. Unfortunately, it is also the stuff in between that describes acts so despicable that even the contemplation of carrying them out might warrant immediate psychiatric care, if not a lengthy stay in one of our nation's fine correctional institutions.
In spite of the obscene nature of the joke, The Aristocrats also offers an insightful look into the unusual craft of comedic talents. As each comic deconstructs the joke to explain why it makes people laugh and how they tweak it to make it fit their own style, we glean a bit of the thought processes that go into developing a piece of humor.
"Anything for a laugh" just isn't okay
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