The Aristocrats (film)

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The Aristocrats
Directed by Paul Provenza
Produced by Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette
Starring Various
Editing by Emery Emery
Distributed by THINKFilm
Release date(s) 2005
Running time 89 Minutes
Country Flag of United States United States
Official website
IMDb profile

The Aristocrats is a 2005 documentary film about the infamous dirty joke of the same name. It was conceived and produced by comedians Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza, edited by Emery Emery, and released to theaters by THINKFilm. The film is dedicated to Johnny Carson, as "The Aristocrats" was said to be his favorite joke.

Contents

[edit] The Joke

Main article: The Aristocrats (joke)

"The Aristocrats" is a longstanding transgressive joke amongst comedians, in which the setup and punchline are almost always the same (or similar). It is the joke's midsection — which may be as long as the teller prefers and is often completely improvised — that makes or breaks a particular rendition.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The joke involves a person pitching an act to a talent agent. Typically the first line is, "A man walks into a talent agent's office." The man then describes the act. From this point, up to (but not including) the punchline, the teller of the joke is expected to ad-lib the most shocking act they can possibly imagine. This often involves elements of incest, group sex, defecation, coprophilia, necrophilia, bestiality, child sexual abuse and various other taboo behaviors.

The joke ends with the agent, shocked and often impressed, asking "What kind of an act do you call that?" The punchline of the joke is then given: "The Aristocrats".

[edit] Notable featured comedians

The following notable comedians are featured in the film, telling the joke themselves and/or providing substantial commentary on its history:

Many other comedians were filmed but not included due to time constraints. According to a letter to critic Roger Ebert from Penn Jillette, Buddy Hackett and Rodney Dangerfield were both intended to be included, but died before they could be filmed (although some sources suggest Hackett insisted on being paid). Jillette also indicated that, this being Johnny Carson's favorite joke, Carson was also invited to appear, but declined.[1]

[edit] Joe Franklin Controversy

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The New Yorker reported that Sarah Silverman's telling of the joke led to veteran talk show host Joe Franklin, who is also featured in the film, to consider filing a defamation lawsuit against the comedian.[2] Her version is autobiographical, told as if she had been one of the Aristocrat performers as a child. Silverman builds the story to include her family being booked on the The Joe Franklin Show, and ends with her punch line: a deadpan allegation that Franklin had raped her during a phony rehearsal for the show.

On the DVD commentary track, Paul Provenza indicated that he had explained to Franklin that it was only meant to be a joke, and defended Silverman by calling her straight-faced performance Academy Award caliber.

[edit] Friars Club roast footage

The film includes previously unaired footage of Gilbert Gottfried's telling of the joke at a Comedy Central/Friars Club roast of Hugh Hefner. Taped not long after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the incident occurred at a time when, according to one of the commentators in the Aristocrats film, entertainers were uncertain how much comedy was allowed in the aftermath of the attacks. Gottfried followed Rob Schneider who had received mixed results with his stand-up comedy performance in Hefner's honor. Gottfried was booed when he began his performance with a 9/11-related joke ("Sorry I'm late — my plane had a connection with the Empire State Building") and, in response, told an obscenity-filled rendition of the Aristocrats joke. According to the film, the telling was as much a cathartic experience for the audience as it was a shocking one, regardless of whether viewers were familiar with the joke or not. During his performance, Gottfried told the audience "They might have to clean this up for TV" — the joke was edited out entirely when the roast was later broadcast on Comedy Central.

[edit] Parody

In 2006, the Australian satirical team The Chaser filmed a parody of the film's theatrical trailer. The footage was broadcast on their weekly comedy show The Chaser's War on Everything, and was renamed The Adelaide Arisocrats. The trailer included a number of well-known Australian comedians (such as Wil Anderson, Dave Hughes, Corinne Grant and Mikey Robbins) recalling their shock when 'the joke' was told in public. 'The joke' actually turns out to be a comment made by Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer in which he jokingly calls a government policy on domestic violence 'The Things that Batter'. The trailer ended with the tagline: featuring the world's biggest joke: Alexander Downer.

[edit] External links

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