The Aristocrats
Saturday, July 30th, 2005 05:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seraiO_o
Wow. I have not laughed that hard in years.
For those of you who haven't heard of this film, it's a documentary produced by Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller fame). Over the last four years, they interviewed just about all the biggest names working in stand-up comedy today, and got them to tell their version of The World's Filthiest Joke.
The focus of the film (as I saw it) is the incredible variety in styles and mannerisms among stand-up comedians, and how interesting this kind of art form can be. The joke itself, a hoary old chestnut from the vaudeville days, is really pretty lame, and several people make the point that it can't be told onstage in front of an audience. Two reasons for that: first, the joke is not only lame but incredibly offensive, and second, comics don't tell jokes onstage, at least not anymore. Telling a joke (meaning a story with a humorous climax) is referred to as the kiss of death in this film - tell a joke and the audience knows you're desperate for a laugh. Not good.
No. This joke is a private one well-known to every comedian on earth. It's the joke they tell each other when there is no audience around. It's a competitive joke that they use to push the envelope with each other, to see who can be the raunchiest, grossest, most insanely out-there and still be funny. The film is a real novelty, as it lets us take a look behind the curtain at what these guys do when we're not around. How they make each other laugh and test the boundaries of their art, which is an important one. Making people laugh, pushing boudaries, breaking taboos, shocking people, has been a time-honored craft for thousands of years, even a sacred one. It's not only an ancient art, it's also an incredibly difficult one. There's a huge difference between being a natural cutup and being able to do what these guys do, and what a treat to sit and watch them do it, not for the sake of an audience but for the sheer joy of doing it. It's like watching a group of excellent musicians jamming together. It's word jazz.
The film starts off with a bang - the first person to tell the joke is George Carlin, who is in many eyes (mine, certainly) the modern master of stand-up comedy. Each comic brings his or her own personality to bear on the joke, and the film isn't just that. There's lots of stuff about the nature of comedy, timing, phrasing, rhythm. Why the buildup is so important, how the punchline is almost irrelevant in a joke like this, how and why the variations occur from one person to another, men's vs. women's versions. The comics talk about why they love the joke, hate the joke, can't tell the joke, can't tell jokes at all, change it, lengthen it. They talk about where they first heard it, who they've heard it from.
I first heard of this film when I was listening to some reviewers talking about it on NPR. The subject intrigued me, and what intrigued me even more was their attitude about it. "It's funny, but it's so very vulgar that after a while you're inured to it and you stop laughing." That really piqued my curiosity, since I'm often amused by the way critics lose their senses of humor and perspective when they've been in the game too long. So I gave it a go, and I'm here to tell you that I was still cutting up hysterically during the final credits (which are a scream, by the way - stay in your seat 'til the lights come up, because there's great stuff in there).
To give you a taste of what's to come, here are some of the people who appear:
Jason Alexander
Hank Azaria
Shelley Berman
Lewis Black
David Brenner
Mario Cantone
Drew Carey
George Carlin
Carrot Top
Mark Cohen
Billy Connolly
Tim Conway
Pat Cooper
Andy Dick
Phyllis Diller
Carrie Fisher
Joe Franklin
Whoopi Goldberg
Eddie Gorodetsky
Gilbert Gottfried
Eric Idle
Dom Irrera
Eddie Izzard
Jake Johannsen
Sue Kolinsky
Paul Krassner
Lisa Lampanelli
Richard Lewis
Wendy Liebman
Bill Maher
Howie Mandel
Chuck McCann
Michael McKean
Larry Miller
Martin Mull
Kevin Nealon
Rick Overton
Gary Owens
Penn and Teller
Emo Phillips
Kevin Pollak
Paul Reiser
Andy Richter
Don Rickles
Chris Rock
Rita Rudner
Bob Saget (!)
Harry Shearer
Sarah Silverman
The Smothers Brothers
Carrie Snow
The South Park kids
The Staff of The Onion
Doug Stanhope
David Steinberg
Jon Stewart
Larry Storch
Rip Taylor
Bruce Vilanich
Fred Willard
Robin Williams
Stephen Wright
Those are just the most recognizable names on the list. There are more. And what they do with it is incredible. There are surprises and shocks - Bob Saget tells what I believe is the filthiest version of the joke, and if you think that isn't a shock! Eric Idle and Jon Stewart talk about the joke, but both of them insist that they can't tell jokes, and so do not tell it. Carrie Fisher, Phyllis Diller and Lisa Lampanelli talk about whether it can be told by women and why or why not. The Smothers Brothers do it in their two-person schtick; Tom, who knows the joke, tells it to Dick, who has never heard it before. Kevin Pollak claims he first heard it from Christopher Walken, and proceeds to tell the joke as Walken. Robin Williams riffs it, Fred Willard pontificates about it, Richard Lewis complains about it, Lewis Black rants about it. Hank Azaria does it with some sort of Eastern European accent. Billy the Mime mimes it (oh my fucking GOD). There's a ventriloquist whose dummy insists on giving him a lesson in how to tell it. Cartman (of South Park) tells it to Stan, Kyle and Kenny. The staff of The Onion sit around with a whiteboard and deconstruct it. Stephen Wright brings his inimitable surrealism and deadpan delivery to the game.
Such richness and variety are a treat to watch. But I have to warn you, an iron constitution is required. You've got a have a strong stomach, and the ability to just jump in and refuse to be offended, because there is something in here to offend EVERYBODY. This has to be the dirtiest movie ever made - such a cavalcade of sex and scatology and filth - WOW. (The tagline for the movie is "No sex. No violence. Unspeakable obscenity.") But nothing is ever shown (well, except for that mime); it's all words. Words crafted and juggled and played with by people whose lives revolve around the joy of humourous verbiage. (That reminds me, there's a two-man juggling act who do the joke as well.) (And a guy who does it as a series of card tricks.)
I cannot recommend this film highly enough. If you love comedy and are interested in how it works and why, or if you just want to spend ninety-two minutes laughing like you've never laughed before, AND if you can laugh at this kind of sandbox potty humor, then you're in for the treat of your life. I don't know if it'll be playing where you live - for obvious reasons, it's getting a very limited release - but if it is, go to the theater to see it; don't wait for DVD. This is an experince to be shared with a roomful of people all laughing with you.
Go. Now. Really. You won't be sorry. :)
P.S. You can see the trailer here.
Wow. I have not laughed that hard in years.
For those of you who haven't heard of this film, it's a documentary produced by Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller fame). Over the last four years, they interviewed just about all the biggest names working in stand-up comedy today, and got them to tell their version of The World's Filthiest Joke.
The focus of the film (as I saw it) is the incredible variety in styles and mannerisms among stand-up comedians, and how interesting this kind of art form can be. The joke itself, a hoary old chestnut from the vaudeville days, is really pretty lame, and several people make the point that it can't be told onstage in front of an audience. Two reasons for that: first, the joke is not only lame but incredibly offensive, and second, comics don't tell jokes onstage, at least not anymore. Telling a joke (meaning a story with a humorous climax) is referred to as the kiss of death in this film - tell a joke and the audience knows you're desperate for a laugh. Not good.
No. This joke is a private one well-known to every comedian on earth. It's the joke they tell each other when there is no audience around. It's a competitive joke that they use to push the envelope with each other, to see who can be the raunchiest, grossest, most insanely out-there and still be funny. The film is a real novelty, as it lets us take a look behind the curtain at what these guys do when we're not around. How they make each other laugh and test the boundaries of their art, which is an important one. Making people laugh, pushing boudaries, breaking taboos, shocking people, has been a time-honored craft for thousands of years, even a sacred one. It's not only an ancient art, it's also an incredibly difficult one. There's a huge difference between being a natural cutup and being able to do what these guys do, and what a treat to sit and watch them do it, not for the sake of an audience but for the sheer joy of doing it. It's like watching a group of excellent musicians jamming together. It's word jazz.
The film starts off with a bang - the first person to tell the joke is George Carlin, who is in many eyes (mine, certainly) the modern master of stand-up comedy. Each comic brings his or her own personality to bear on the joke, and the film isn't just that. There's lots of stuff about the nature of comedy, timing, phrasing, rhythm. Why the buildup is so important, how the punchline is almost irrelevant in a joke like this, how and why the variations occur from one person to another, men's vs. women's versions. The comics talk about why they love the joke, hate the joke, can't tell the joke, can't tell jokes at all, change it, lengthen it. They talk about where they first heard it, who they've heard it from.
I first heard of this film when I was listening to some reviewers talking about it on NPR. The subject intrigued me, and what intrigued me even more was their attitude about it. "It's funny, but it's so very vulgar that after a while you're inured to it and you stop laughing." That really piqued my curiosity, since I'm often amused by the way critics lose their senses of humor and perspective when they've been in the game too long. So I gave it a go, and I'm here to tell you that I was still cutting up hysterically during the final credits (which are a scream, by the way - stay in your seat 'til the lights come up, because there's great stuff in there).
To give you a taste of what's to come, here are some of the people who appear:
Jason Alexander
Hank Azaria
Shelley Berman
Lewis Black
David Brenner
Mario Cantone
Drew Carey
George Carlin
Carrot Top
Mark Cohen
Billy Connolly
Tim Conway
Pat Cooper
Andy Dick
Phyllis Diller
Carrie Fisher
Joe Franklin
Whoopi Goldberg
Eddie Gorodetsky
Gilbert Gottfried
Eric Idle
Dom Irrera
Eddie Izzard
Jake Johannsen
Sue Kolinsky
Paul Krassner
Lisa Lampanelli
Richard Lewis
Wendy Liebman
Bill Maher
Howie Mandel
Chuck McCann
Michael McKean
Larry Miller
Martin Mull
Kevin Nealon
Rick Overton
Gary Owens
Penn and Teller
Emo Phillips
Kevin Pollak
Paul Reiser
Andy Richter
Don Rickles
Chris Rock
Rita Rudner
Bob Saget (!)
Harry Shearer
Sarah Silverman
The Smothers Brothers
Carrie Snow
The South Park kids
The Staff of The Onion
Doug Stanhope
David Steinberg
Jon Stewart
Larry Storch
Rip Taylor
Bruce Vilanich
Fred Willard
Robin Williams
Stephen Wright
Those are just the most recognizable names on the list. There are more. And what they do with it is incredible. There are surprises and shocks - Bob Saget tells what I believe is the filthiest version of the joke, and if you think that isn't a shock! Eric Idle and Jon Stewart talk about the joke, but both of them insist that they can't tell jokes, and so do not tell it. Carrie Fisher, Phyllis Diller and Lisa Lampanelli talk about whether it can be told by women and why or why not. The Smothers Brothers do it in their two-person schtick; Tom, who knows the joke, tells it to Dick, who has never heard it before. Kevin Pollak claims he first heard it from Christopher Walken, and proceeds to tell the joke as Walken. Robin Williams riffs it, Fred Willard pontificates about it, Richard Lewis complains about it, Lewis Black rants about it. Hank Azaria does it with some sort of Eastern European accent. Billy the Mime mimes it (oh my fucking GOD). There's a ventriloquist whose dummy insists on giving him a lesson in how to tell it. Cartman (of South Park) tells it to Stan, Kyle and Kenny. The staff of The Onion sit around with a whiteboard and deconstruct it. Stephen Wright brings his inimitable surrealism and deadpan delivery to the game.
Such richness and variety are a treat to watch. But I have to warn you, an iron constitution is required. You've got a have a strong stomach, and the ability to just jump in and refuse to be offended, because there is something in here to offend EVERYBODY. This has to be the dirtiest movie ever made - such a cavalcade of sex and scatology and filth - WOW. (The tagline for the movie is "No sex. No violence. Unspeakable obscenity.") But nothing is ever shown (well, except for that mime); it's all words. Words crafted and juggled and played with by people whose lives revolve around the joy of humourous verbiage. (That reminds me, there's a two-man juggling act who do the joke as well.) (And a guy who does it as a series of card tricks.)
I cannot recommend this film highly enough. If you love comedy and are interested in how it works and why, or if you just want to spend ninety-two minutes laughing like you've never laughed before, AND if you can laugh at this kind of sandbox potty humor, then you're in for the treat of your life. I don't know if it'll be playing where you live - for obvious reasons, it's getting a very limited release - but if it is, go to the theater to see it; don't wait for DVD. This is an experince to be shared with a roomful of people all laughing with you.
Go. Now. Really. You won't be sorry. :)
P.S. You can see the trailer here.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: Sunday, July 31st, 2005 01:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, July 31st, 2005 02:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, July 31st, 2005 09:42 am (UTC)Thanks for the review. :-)
You're welcome!
Date: Sunday, July 31st, 2005 09:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, July 31st, 2005 09:43 am (UTC)(cringing at the thought of the mime!!!)
I'll have to look for this one, sounds a hoot, only problem will be keeping the kids away if they hear me having too much fun! Easy to keep them out the room for most "boring grownup movies" but this one will be a trick :P
no subject
Date: Sunday, July 31st, 2005 09:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, July 31st, 2005 02:15 pm (UTC)And you'll understand I'm awfully curious about that joke now... ;P
no subject
Date: Sunday, July 31st, 2005 09:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, July 31st, 2005 09:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, August 1st, 2005 03:40 am (UTC)OK, here it is. Be warned though - it's very offensive. Don't say I didn't warn you!
A guy wants into a talent agent's office. "I have a great stage act for you!" he tells the agent. It's a family act, me and my wife and kids and our dog, Sparky."
"OK," the agent replies. "Tell me about it."
"We open up with my wife and me onstage at the piano," the guy starts. "I'm dressed in a tux, and my wife is in a beautiful evening gown. I play a Nocturne by Chopin, and my wife sings. It's just beautiful, very classy.
"Then we both strip off our clothes and fuck on top of the piano. This usually gets a nice round of applause. Then my son and daughter come out - they're dressed up real nice, too - and my wife and I fuck both of them. Then Sparky runs out onstage, and I fuck the dog while my son buttfucks my wife. Then for a finale when we're all done, we all turn around and take a big shit right on the stage!" the guy finishes, grinning.
The agent sits there, thunderstruck. After a moment, he says, "That's a hell of an act. I don't think I've ever heard anything like that before. What do you call yourselves."
The guy smiles. "The Aristocrats!"
I told you it was lame.