Product Description: "A man walks into a talent agent's office with his family and says Have I got an act for you! The talent agent replies So what do you do?" So begins "The Aristocrats" a joke that has been handed down from comedian to comedian for decades but is rarely told on stage. The next part of the joke varies allowing for improvisation and the only requirement in telling the joke is that it be as offensive as possible.Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette spent two years documenting as many versions of this infamous joke as possible cornering comedians like Drew Carey Whoopi Goldberg Susie Essman and Paul Reiser whenever and wherever possible. The results are surprising and often take their humor to places that may make sensitive viewers uncomfortable. While comic legends such as Don Rickles The Smothers Brothers and Phyllis Diller admit their familiarity with the joke they shy away from telling their own versions. Some may be surprised however to see performers who are normally associated with family-friendly material including Bob Saget and Jason Alexander describing scatological and incestuous acts with deadpan glee. Ultimately though THE ARISTOCRATS is more than just many versions of the same dirty joke--it is an exploration of the workings of the unrestricted comic mind.System Requirements:Running Time 86 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: UNRATED UPC: 821575540759 Manufacturer No: TF-54075
Amazon.com: Released without a rating and billed as "the most vile, disgusting, and vulgar" film of all time, The Aristocrats is also funny enough to qualify as a minor comedy classic. We say "minor" only because hearing the same foul joke told by 100 celebrated comedians is inevitably exhausting, even though the shaggy-dog gag (a vintage in-joke among comedians, allowing outrageously obscene improvisation, and always ending with the same titular punchline) is also a fascinating litmus test for each comedian's irreverent style. As codirectors and show-biz insiders, veteran comedians Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette (from the comedy duo Penn & Teller) corralled an unprecedented parade of stand-up celebrities (George Carlin, Robin Williams, Drew Carey, Whoopi Goldberg, Sarah Silverman, the South Park kids and many, many more), each telling "the dirtiest joke of all time" in their own inimitable fashion. The sheer volume of vaudevillian vulgarity takes on a life of its own, more fascinating than funny, until Gilbert Gottfried (at a celebrity roast for Hugh Hefner, shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01) tells what is unanimously hailed as the definitive version of the joke. It's a matter of context, style, and bawdy bravado, and for better or worse, The Aristocrats will endure as a testament to a joke so bad--so uproariously bad--that no comedian worthy of the profession can resist the temptation to tell it. --Jeff Shannon
See it for Sarah Silverman's portion I found that I quickly tired of the comedians trying to out-do each other by being dirtier and dirtier with each retelling of the joke. After laughing hysterically for the the first few minutes, by 25 minutes into the movie I was bored.
SARAH SILVERMAN RULES. Instead of retelling the joke, she sweetly and innocently describes her LIFE in the family of the Aristocrats. That is all I will tell you. It is worth the price of the DVD just to see the few minutes that Sarah Silverman offers. No kidding.
With apologies to Joe Franklin :-o
Art
Blah. The Aristocrats (Paul Provenza, 2005)
The big secret behind the dirtiest joke ever told is this: it's not funny. Which may well be why documentarian Paul Provenza decided to spend so much of this documentary of the world's supposedly dirtiest joke on meta-- comedians talking about the joke, rather than telling it. Some of that is funny, depending on the comedian (there are some people who make a living as comics-- a very good living, probably-- and I've never been able to understand why. Quite a few of them are found here). But the joke itself and its endless variations? Nah. It makes for an interesting dissection of the world of comedians, but other than that, it's not all that hot. * ½
Just not that Funny...... I really love demaning crude socially inapropriate humor..... but this was just noy funny to me..... other than Sarah Silverman( REally funny) but its already on youtube and Lisa Lampanelli, and Giulbert Gotfreid the DVD was pretty much a waste.....
Always over the top This movie gives you a hard-hitting, amazingly-real look into the minds of comics. Entertaining the public is a skill, but this movie makes it apparent that entertaining other comics is an art. Hilarious and side-splitting.
Humanity is truly disgusting! (but in a good way) I saw this film when it was in theatres, and up until that time, it was the only movie that's ever made me feel guilty for laughing. I mean, some of the jokes are so horrific, I felt so utterly disgusting for even allowing myself to laugh. There just isn't enough forgiveness in heaven for what I've heard. Literally, people were squirming in their seats at the hundreds of awkward moments. If there's any topic or sexual act considered taboo, prepare to have it raunchily discussed in agonizing details because well, that's the objective of the joke. I've heard some pretty nasty things in my time, and don't get shocked too often, but this is comedic naughtiness taken to serious extremes. If you can find it in you to watch this, there are, believe it or not, really good reasons to watch this film. First, seeing movies nowadays, at least for me, is kind of a bore. The same ole' stock characters-love triangles-talking dogs-Jerry Bruckheimer go boom-saving the world-USA rules-type films are getting so hatefully boring. This movie is a welcome relief. After seeing it, I think you'll agree, it's exciting because it's premise is incredibly original. Secondly, there's over 100 of todays' BEST comedians participating in this dirty improv marathon. What's great is that you get to see each comic take a spin on this underground joke, but still keep their comedic essence. Some of the best to watch out for are Sarah Silverman, Bob Saget, Gilbert Gottfried, and one of my favorites, Kevin Pollak. Lastly, not only will certain visuals have you rolling, but it's very interesting to see comics use some of our most terrible recent tragedies and dare to include them in their jokes. I mean, have you ever thought 9/11 could be funny? Superficially, it's mostly for pure shock value, it's supposed to be, but there are certain points in the film where it's also therapeutic. This film is amazing to not only track down over 100 comics and expertly pick the choiciest parts of their rendition of this heinous joke, but just the editing alone must've been a monumental feat. It could've been a comic itself, it had impeccable timing. My mind is beyond repair, but it was worth it.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
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