Hey folks, Harry here with a look at the filthiest flick of the year, and all it does is allow comedians to unzip their mouth and let it all hang out. But... In these days of political correctness and "proper" entertainment... well... obviously nobody tells filthy jokes to anyone. All those kids at High School... All the jokes they tell are virginal KNOCK KNOCK jokes devoid of any and all sexual or scatological humor. They don't try to continually raise the bar of filthy disgustingness... and as a result must be protected against this film. This film that dares to tell a joke.
THE ARISTOCRATS
Hello again AICN, it's MiraJeff, coming out of a brief retirement with my review of The Aristocrats. After reading the talkbacks to the Undead review, I guess some of you didn't appreciate my sick, twisted sense of humor. There are some readers out there who gangbang jokes don't work for and whatever, that's cool. But if you are one of those infuriated people, stop reading now because The Aristocrats definitely won't be for you...
A guy goes into a talent agency boasting how he's got a great act, something the producer has never seen before. There's the wind-up. The talent agent/producer/whoever asks, "What is it?" There's the pitch. And what follows are over 80 name-brand comedians trying to hit a home run with their take on an age-old vaudeville joke that ends with the punch-line, "The Aristocrats." Simply put, filmmakers Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette (yes, the fat magic guy) have created the filthiest film ever made that doesn't feature nudity. With help from their comic friends, they take a collective shit all over Kevin Smith's raunchiest dialogue and they seem to be having a great time doing it. There are so many big-name comedians and celebrities willing to step in front of the camera and shed their likable public-personas, it's impressive how everyone shared the directors' vision of what this film could be. And what The Aristocrats is, is a very funny success, albeit a taboo and disgusting one.
For one thing, and don't take this lightly, it is not a film for the faint of heart. Provenza introduced the film with something along the lines of "Turn off your fucking cell phones you cunts. And if you find that offensive, get the fuck out now you pussies." While the movie did go on a bit too long, (86 minutes is more than enough to hear the same joke told repeatedly), every comedian brought their own unique take on the joke. In fact, some of the standouts included acts that weren't straight joke-telling, like the balancing/juggling duo, the mime, the card-player, and the South Park boys. Cartman's version of the joke may have even gone too far, if that's possible in this movie.
Allow me to give props to Eric Mead, a hilariously vain Taylor Negron, Gregg Rogell, Bob "The Filthy Fucker" Saget, and a hysterical Sarah Silverman who may have provided the line of the night when she deadpanned "Joe Franklin raped me." Also, Andy Richter and Doug Stanhope merit a shout-out for appearing on-screen with their babies, as well as Jay Kogen, a very funny writer on Malcolm in the Middle. Phyllis Diller, Andy Dick, Lewis Black, and a pregnant Judy Gold were also impressive and any movie showcasing Kevin Pollak's Christopher Walken impression is worth whatever the ludicrous ticket price is there days.
Disappointments included Robin Williams, Jon Stewart, the Smother Bros. (didn't get it, were they funny once upon a time?) and Gilbert Godfried, who's piece is too long and suffers from being over-hyped throughout the movie. Two small asides: I'd like to ask Paul Provenza if Carrot Top begged to be in this movie or did you actually seek out his contribution? And also, hearing Paul Reiser talking about fucking his wife in the ass is hilarious, but I couldn't help but think of Helen Hunt, which is okay with me, and hopefully the rest of you too.
Audience reaction was incredible to this movie. My friend and I were the youngest people in the theater and perhaps we are desensitized to some of the coarse language used in the film, since we hear crude sex stories every day in college, but the adults in attendance were nearly creaming their pants. Maybe they got a kick out of seeing all the older comedians come out of the woodwork to dust off their best jokes and join storytelling forces.
In short, get fucked up and see this movie. If you crap your pants laughing, take a cue from The Aristocrats and shovel that shit into your face and chew with your mouth open. It's cheaper than going to the refreshment stand.
See you clowns later with a review of Murderball, the X3 scripts, and coming soon... Pulse, 9 Songs and yes, The Devil's Rejects.
