re:mote voices

Title: The Aristocrats
Director:Paul Provenza

A man walks into an agents office, and he says "Have I got an act for you!". The agent says ",Really? Tell me all about it!". The man says ", Well I walk on stage with my wife, children and our pet dog and...". Fill space with the most offensive and depraved set of events you can come up with, adding as many other combinations of people and objects as you like. At the end of that shocking mix, the agent leans forward and says ", Wow, that’s incredible - what do you call the act?", to which the man replies "The Aristocrats".

Which is basically the structure of the joke that comedians like to tell each other, each having their own version of the joke which takes it further than the last. With the intent of seeing who can come up with the most shocking and sick version. As such it has gained a reputation, and tends not to actually be told as part of the act of comedians. The Aristocrats is a film about this joke, featuring what are mostly American comedians talking about the joke, its origins and permutations.

As a film it is problematic, 90 minutes of comedians boasting about how funny they are slapping each others backs while they crack up with laughter gets a little tired. It also serves to build the film up, even more so than the warnings the cinema provides as they sell you your ticket. And to be fair, there were a handful of people walked out during the showing I was at. Though whether that was because they were offended or bored is hard to tell.

As a documentary the film is patchy. Shifting about and layering in conversations, with many of the people talking being unfamiliar. Introductions would have worked better during the film, rather than waiting till the end credits. The film could likely have been half the length of the final version and been as effective.

Which isn't to say that The Aristocrats isn't funny. It certainly has its moments, for those of us with a somewhat warped sense of humour at least. Though many of the examples of the joke become repetitive, despite the fact that the whole idea is to see how original they can get with it. Perhaps the saddest fact is that the South Park version created for the film is one of the most memorable. Though that was also supplied as an example of how it would work in a contemporary setting, and demonstration as to how safe the old form of the joke had perhaps become.