The Bottom Line
- If it's your type of humor, then "The Aristocrats" is hilarious
- Cartman from South Park, Bob Saget, and Gilbert Gottfried are showstoppers
- After a while, the comedy loses its edge from too much repetition
Description
- 'The Aristocrats do The Aristocrats' - A collection of some of the best lines of the joke
- 'Behind the Green Room Door' - Comedians tell some of their personal favorite jokes
- 'More from the Comedians' - Just what it sounds like, extended segments and footage not in the film
- 'For Johnny Carson' - A short segment on how much Carson loved this joke
- Commentary by Paul Provenza and Paul Jillette
- DVD Release Date: January 24, 2006
Guide Review - "The Aristocrats" DVD Review
The Basic Story
The Aristocrats is supposedly the dirtiest joke ever told. There are no rules to telling it other than it has to be as lewd as possible and involve someone entering a talent agent's office trying to get him to book their family act. The family's act itself changes depending on who is telling the joke, with only the initial set-up and punchline remaining the same. It must end with the agent asking what the act is called, followed by the punchline: "The Aristocrats!"
The Lowdown
While the film is jammed with comedians telling parts of their versions of the joke (and a few who tell it all the way through), "The Aristocrats" is really more an analysis of comedy with scary insight into the minds of some of today's biggest comedians.
Jillette and Provenza called on 100 of their comedy buddies to talk about The Aristocrats and why the joke continues to be told decades after it was invented. The origin of the joke can be traced back to the days of vaudeville and has been passed down by generations of comedians who keep it alive by telling it to their peers. Now in this documentary, the insider joke is shared with members of the general public. Whether you like it or not will depend entirely on how much you can tolerate X-rated humor.
