On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 33/60 |
Les Winan |
Funny, but a little too scattered for sustained laughs. Actually better as a documentary than as a "funny" movie. |
You've heard the joke. You know, a guy walks into a bar…
Well, actually, you may not have heard "the one about the Aristocrats". The reason why is that this particular joke is the equivalent of a secret handshake among comedians and has been that way for over a century. Comedians Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette have created a documentary that features more than 100 comedians telling that same joke with raunchy, filthy aplomb. Each person has his or her own individual take on how to best tell the story, though, which reviews have indicated leads to a fascinating deconstruction of comedy and humor themselves.
If you glance over some of the names that are featured in the film, you'll get a pretty good idea of how potentially provocative and offensive the documentary might be. There's Hank Azaria, David Brenner, Drew Carey, George Carlin, Andy Dick, Phyllis Diller and Whoopi Goldberg. Others include Gilbert Gottfried, Eric Idle, Howie Mandel, Trey Parker, Chris Rock, Kevin Pollack and Don Rickles. Even the Smothers Brothers, Jon Stewart, Carrot Top, Robin Williams and Fred Willard get into the act. And that's just scratching the very surface.
The approach is certainly novel and should make for a fascinating conceit. Look for the film to cause some degree of controversy, as the language is potentially over-the-line for some people. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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