Movie Review - The Aristocrats

First things first -- this is NOT the similarly-sounding Disney film, I assure you that much.

What is it about (as, at least here in Toronto, this particular flick is playing on limited screens)? This is a documentary about one of the longest-running jokes in the world, one that reportedly got its start in Vaudeville and is a perennial favorite among some of the biggest comedians around.

What's the joke? I, er, can't repeat it here. It's definitely not Disney material, let me put it that way.

Is it funny? Uh, no. Not particularly.

How can they spend 90-plus minutes deconstructing the joke, then? Great question. I was having those same thoughts myself, roughly ten minutes into the film. There is no action, per se, other than the odd funnyman standing up and telling the joke with animated motions. Otherwise it's basically a stationary camera filming what has to be dozens of comedians, ranging from Don Rickles to Robin Williams and George Carlin to Chris Rock (no Seinfeld, Cosby or Roseanne, but really, they're the exceptions); picture an R-rated version of one those Comic Relief specials from way back when, and you have a pretty good idea of who's involved.

Here's the thing: the joke still isn't that funny, despite hearing different variations by Bob Saget (wow, Bob Saget mentioned twice in the same week on this blog, in two entirely different references. How's about that?), Drew Carey, Paul Reiser, Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling, the cast of South Park, The Onion's editorial staff, etc. But the WAY the story is told and the build-up to the (admittedly lame-ass) punchline; THAT'S funny.

I will admit; this is definitely not a film for everyone. Some very gross and offensive humor uttered by those you'd never picture saying such things (again, Bob Saget comes to mind). And while I wouldn't urge people to rush out to see it on the big screen -- there's just not enough funny material to justify 1/12 hours -- you might want to rent it when it comes to video.