It goes like this: If you love comedy, watch The Aristocrats – if you love comedies, you might want to steer clear. It’s a comedy for comedians. There are no laughs in the traditional sense; instead we get somewhere around 100 comedians all riffing on the same classic dirty joke, discussing notions of “shockability,” improvisation, and censorship while simultaneously trying to see who can tell the dirtiest or most original version of said, virtually punchline-less, joke. The movie is made in a remarkably straightforward manner. It is presented as simply a series of interviews, with barely any editing and no effects. This format may come across as startlingly boring after seeing complexly edited documentaries like Fahrenheit 9/11 or Murderball. Still, I found what this huge collection of new and old comedians had to say fascinating, but I might be a niche audience – I like comedy almost as much as I like kiddy porn (read: a lot). And Bob Saget, who clearly takes the cake for grossest, is amazing. I would have watched Full House if he had a mouth like that on it (tip – watch it on DVD and see his full bit).
Wedge’s Thoughts:
1.) Gilbert Gottfried’s “Now perhaps you’re wondering where all the blood came from….” bit was possibly the funniest thing I have ever encountered in my entire life.
2.) The only thing I didn’t like about the movie was the air of superiority that seemed to creep in about 2/3rds of the way through. There was nothing that I can definitively point to and say “there that was prickish” but, nonetheless, it felt like a good number of the participants were taking themselves far too seriously.
And a recommendation:
The Outdoorsmen. Basically there’s a group of guys in Washington who travel into the wilderness once a year to participate in a bunch of events and drink shit-tons of beer. Some of the games are pretty damn hilarious, notably Blind Man’s Beer, and the whole male bonding aspect is interesting as well. Certainly worth a rental.
