Off the Cuff Reviews The Aristocrats (2005)

Jesus Christ. I think I've gone out of my goddamn mind watching this. This is the first documentary I've ever reviewed for this page, and hoo boy, was this an interesting one to start out with. The Aristocrats (2005) is a ride, and that's really the best way I can summarise watching this film. It took me on a journey, and I know for a fact that I'm not the same man that I was before watching it, so I guess it did its job, but... holy f***.

The Aristocrats (2005)

This review is likely going to be a lot shorter than my previous reviews, since I can't really dissect the plot, or talk about the characters, or praise the acting, or gush over the effects or any of that garbage that you get with a regular movie. The entire movie is essentially 80 minutes of talking heads discussing and telling one joke. That's... that's really all this documentary is when you boil down to it. It's about 50 comedians all telling the same joke. For 80 minutes. Not even a clever joke. A stupid joke. A stupid, vulgar, repetitive joke told over and over again. For 80 minutes. So, for me to tell you that I recommend this documentary in spite of all that should give you an idea of how impactful this joke is.

Drew Carey

The joke is varied enough to sustain 80 minutes, which was surprising to me for so many reasons. For the most part, the set-up and the punchline were all the same, but it's the main bulk of the joke where the variation comes up. I've danced around the issue long enough, so basically the joke is a family variety act pitching the most vulgar, shocking, offensive live show you can imagine. The joke itself essentially becomes an improv exercise for the comedian telling it, and that's where the variety comes in. In the entire 80 minute documentary, even if the set-up and the punchline were completely identical, I never heard the same story twice, and it's a testament to the talent behind it, which I'll get back to in just a moment. My favourite versions of the joke told in the documentary were, of course, the ones that took it in a slightly different direction, either mixing up the set-up or adding an additional punchline.

George Carlin

Back to the talent, there are a lot of comedians in this documentary. I didn't know all of them, but I knew a lot of them, and that in and of itself is impressive, just to see the scope of the joke itself. Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Drew Carey, Hank Azaria, Carrie Fisher, Eric Idle, Billy Connolly, it really is this little inside joke for the comedy and entertainment industry; the legacy is clear. It starts out a little jarring, hearing these respected names like Paul Reiser and Bob Saget being so crass and vulgar, but I think that's where the appeal comes in. There's no pulling it back, or attempting not to cross a line, they can just let loose with whatever they want and the worse it is, the funnier it gets. The absolute highlight of the entire documentary is hearing Gilbert Gottfried's tame, at least by that point in the documentary, version of the joke he told at a live comedy roast a mere weeks after 9-11. I was in stitches, and the content wasn't even that funny by that point.

Gilbert Gottfried

Which is something I do need to mention. The documentary is 80 minutes and it is all about the one joke, like I mentioned before. So, if the joke doesn't grab you after the first 10 minutes or if you're just not a fan of crude humour in general, this documentary certainly isn't for you. In that sense, I do feel compelled to mark the movie down a little, especially because nothing really changes over the 80 minutes. Like I said, it is all the same throughout. I was hooked, but I don't think everyone will be. That said, I do like how the documentary is structured; it's about as well-structured as it could have been. They begin with about 5 minutes of comedians hyping up the joke, and the first telling of it leaves you saying, 'Huh? This is the legendary joke?' Then they explain why the joke is passed around and after the second telling you get it. You understand, and after that point, the documentary devolves into people telling their version of the joke intercut with those same people explaining its legacy. It sounds like a boring concept and, really, it is, but I do recommend it, like I said.

Penn & Teller

If you can get past the second telling of the joke with a smile on your face, The Aristocrats (2005) will be an entertaining documentary for you. If not, don't bother yourself with it; it's not going to get better for you. Personally, I had a blast. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't starting working on my own version of the joke. Of course, I'll be damned if I'm going to repeat it here. 8/10.