The Aristocrats

The Aristocrats is a movie about a single joke.  About 100 comics talk about and tell this one joke, which is something of a legendary joke among comedians.

So the first thing you should know is that the joke is not very funny, and neither is the movie.  That doesn't mean it's a bad movie, but just don't get it because you think you will bust a gut laughing.  You won't, or at least I didn't.

Here's the joke:  A guy walks into a talent agents's office and says, "Have I got an act for you!"  He then describes a shockingly horrific act that may involve incest, bestiality, scatology, cruelty to children -- almost anything as long as it's shocking.  The talent agent finally asks, "So what do you call yourselves?"  And the guy says, "The Aristocrats!"

There are a few funny takes on the joke.  A couple of comics turn the joke around, describing a sophisticated act with a vulgar name.  Several of the comics won't tell the joke but tell a different one.  There are some funny moments in the film; for me, the biggest laugh came when Robin Williams and another comic told a different joke, a good one.

The joke does not have to be dirty; one of the funnier versions of it in the film is very clean.  However, most of the comics see it as a chance to be as outrageous as possible in describing the act, sometimes going on and on.  And that is where the film gets somewhat tedious, as hearing comics try to outdo each other by saying something more disgusting or inappropriate than the last person isn't particularly funny.

The more interesting part of the movie is hearing the comedians talk about the joke.  They describe it like a jazz standard; you have the basic setup, but exactly how it gets told is up to the joke teller.  You can make up the act as you go, try to get as disgusting as you can, drag it out ten minutes.  It might have a different feel for a woman comic or a black comic or a gay comic.

The film has a definite low point.  For a couple of minutes, Sarah Silverman puts on one or the most pathetic, cringe-worthy, unfunny performances ever seen.  No matter how good your mood, she will kill it for a brief while.  The rest of the film stands out as brilliant by comparison, but anything would.

In the end, I can't quite give this one a thumbs up.  Comics talking about comedy is interesting, but there are a few too many lame attempts to tell a mediocre joke.