The Aristocrats
Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment | Release Date: July 29, 2005
6.0
USER SCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 64 Ratings
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Positive:
33
Mixed:
16
Negative:
15
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
9
Ianl.Oct 30, 2005
I laughed during most of the film,. Being short and quick comments prevented me from getting bored at anytime despite it being an hour n half interview as a film. I did get uncomfortable at some interpretations on the joke, especially as I I laughed during most of the film,. Being short and quick comments prevented me from getting bored at anytime despite it being an hour n half interview as a film. I did get uncomfortable at some interpretations on the joke, especially as I work with kids. uncomfortable cos I was laughing at the the joke. I would have been rolling on the floor at Gilbert Godfrey telling it in the manner in which he did, excellent!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
PaulaW.Oct 10, 2005
The hype led me to believe that this movie wouldn't just be funny, it would be thought-provoking and even life-changing. Well, it fell a little short. There were some funny moments: George Carlin's matter-of-fact delivery was the The hype led me to believe that this movie wouldn't just be funny, it would be thought-provoking and even life-changing. Well, it fell a little short. There were some funny moments: George Carlin's matter-of-fact delivery was the best, and Howie Mandel's absurdist circus version was good too. It didn't change my life, though. I just don't find showbiz navelgazing that interesting. This is a great documentary on a blah subject.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
JohnKAug 22, 2005
People like "WK" are the reason that this movie works--basically, being offended is in this way is the same way as being scared by a slasher flick; fun as long as you know it's not serious. This was a really funny movie, and news flash; People like "WK" are the reason that this movie works--basically, being offended is in this way is the same way as being scared by a slasher flick; fun as long as you know it's not serious. This was a really funny movie, and news flash; they're just words. Nobody REALLY had intercourse with a gorilla.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
jenSep 3, 2005
Awesome.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
BurtonP.Feb 18, 2006
This is just funny and clever. It's not about vulgarity, it's not about the joke. The joke is just a way to get inside the world, process and craft of comedy. The challenges and questions about where lines get crossed are This is just funny and clever. It's not about vulgarity, it's not about the joke. The joke is just a way to get inside the world, process and craft of comedy. The challenges and questions about where lines get crossed are compelling. And it's funnier by far than any typical hollywood comedy. It's full of people having fun and we can enjoy it along with them as they have a blast. The movie's structure is brilliant - it takes us along escalating levels of transgression, and gives us variations of process along the way. And it is cathartic to roll around in the filth when no one gets hurt by doing so. This movie is a great documentary about a rarified subject that entertains the whole way through. And the fact that so many people disagree is part of the point of the whole movie. Everyone's lines are crossed at different places, everyone's sense of humor is different, and everyone's interpretation of what this movie is about is different. Hmmm.. that's what the doc is saying about the joke. Interesting... miss that obvious fact and of course you won't undertsand how brilliant this little gem of a movie is. It's so much smarter than it pretends to be, and that some people here understand. I have watched the dvd a few times already and it gets better each time.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
C.B.BrowneSep 20, 2005
Fantastic. Gilbert Gottfried, Sarah Silverman & the South PArk boys steal the show.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
MichaelD.Sep 4, 2005
Masterfully reveals the artistry that goes into comedy - in the framework of a joke so foul, you'll either vomit, or feel ashamed that you're too amused to find the time.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
SuzziSep 9, 2005
My husband and I laughed so hard we missed half the movie. You have to remember it is all just a joke. Funniest movie I have ever seen. Can't wait for DVD.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
[Anonymous]Feb 21, 2006
Once you understand what the joke is all about, it gets a lot more funny.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
karenf.Aug 24, 2005
It was vulgar and funny. A bit schocking but as good as advertised
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
miket.Aug 26, 2005
So damn funny I couldnt breath.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
JeffL.Aug 31, 2005
Utterly unique documentary - the brainchild of comedian Paul Provenza and magician Penn Jillette - could be subtitled "Anatomy of a Dirty Joke," as dozens of comics - famous and obscure, young and old, male and female, brilliant and awful - Utterly unique documentary - the brainchild of comedian Paul Provenza and magician Penn Jillette - could be subtitled "Anatomy of a Dirty Joke," as dozens of comics - famous and obscure, young and old, male and female, brilliant and awful - take turns telling and retelling the same joke. The joke itself (usually known in comedy circles as "The Aristocrat") is simple and not very funny; the payoff comes in watching each comedian telling the joke in his or her own style, adding layers of filth, grossness, and perverse detail to their particular version. It's not enough for me to warn you to stay away if you're easily offended; if you think that there's ANY possibility that mere words will truly upset you, find another movie. But if you have a genuine interest in the inner workings of the comic mind and a high tolerance for outrageous descriptions of every act of sex and scatology imaginable, this is a must-see. While a few of the performances fall flat (and an out-of-it Eddie Izzard appears to be plastered during his bit), many soar, in their own, sick ways. Sitcom stars Bob Saget and Paul Reiser are uproarious in ways that fans could never even imagine from Full House or Mad About You. Kevin Pollak tells the whole thing while impersonating Christopher Walken (!) Tom Smothers, who knows the joke, tells it to brother Dick, who doesn't. Carrie Fisher brings her famous parents (Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher) into the story, while a very pregnant Judy Gold incorporates her unborn baby. Novelty acts include a juggling team (impressive), a mime (surprisingly funny), a card-trick artist (remarkable), and a ventriloquist (awful.) Arguably the funniest, and certainly of the most historic interest, is Gilbert Gottfried's rare public telling of the joke at a Friars Club roast (of Hugh Hefner) just weeks after September 11, 2001. Gottfried's fearlessly outrageous, take-no-prisoners rendition draws huge, cathartic laughs not only from the audience, but from his fellow comics, who gasp in helpless disbelief as he tells the joke that has become their "little secret." Some may grow weary of the repetition of the material, but I found this to be a fascinating, original, and often explosively funny cinematic experiment.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
AlanR.Jan 25, 2006
Like nothing you've ever seen before.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JulieL.Feb 27, 2006
You're going to love this film if you're interested in the craft of comedy, and in the relationships comedians have to other comedians, their intelligence about the craft and their delight in comdey's particular voices and You're going to love this film if you're interested in the craft of comedy, and in the relationships comedians have to other comedians, their intelligence about the craft and their delight in comdey's particular voices and styles. And you'll hate it if you have some kind of agenda about keeping things clean and making comedy serve a social good. Don't bother to see it if you're only interested in the dirty joke, because that's not what this documentary is about. What it's really about the delivery, the voice of the comedian, the style, the beautiful riffs of particular tellers of the joke, the sense of a pattern and the breaking of patters, almost like great improvisational jazz.The stand-up comedians are very honest about the joke's old-fashioned appeal, its roots in vaudeville, the appeal of it, nostagically. Some of their talk wanders over intosweet melancholy, like that of Paul Resie, whose take on the joke is my own favorite. Granted, some of the talk gets mind-bogglingly gross. But the movie is fascinating and funny. Listening to some of the comedians laughing and enjoying each other while telling it - I loved it, and laughed along with them, and learned quite a bit about the sense of voice among comedians.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
GlennC.Mar 25, 2006
Cartman's telling of the joke brought me to where I was afraid I was going to die from laughing. After banging my fist, stomping my foot and squirming into unprecedented convulsions, a sort of transcendent bliss took over and I knew Cartman's telling of the joke brought me to where I was afraid I was going to die from laughing. After banging my fist, stomping my foot and squirming into unprecedented convulsions, a sort of transcendent bliss took over and I knew I's survive. But the whole rest of the movie isn't far behind. This is a masterclass in comedy. If you love the craft of comedy and it's greatest practitioners then see this immedietely.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
SeriosityNov 4, 2012
Great comedians telling their own versions of The Aristocrats joke. You get a lot of insight from comedians on how joke telling works for them and in general. Really, really funny if nothing else.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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