Sunday, January 31, 2010
PUNCHLINE
Today's film was the documentary
An agent walks into a producer's office. He says "I've got the greatest act you ever saw". The producer wants to know what the act does. The agent tells him. The producer asks the name of the act. The agent says "The Aristocrats".
It is the middle of the joke that counts. the act commits the most obscene routine you can imagine. Each comedian improvises his or her own disgusting spectacle. Talk about yourtransgressive humor.
The joke is said to have originated in vaudeville. By now it has crossed so many borders of good taste and acceptability that it is only told, for the most part, by one comedian to another.
You would think that in this day and age there are no more boundaries to cross. Well, this film breaks several. At least. It depends on you.
I was afraid of watching it for a long while. It's funny. I think that I have a high tolerance for vulgarity but I was apprehensive that this one would prove me wrong. Five years is a long time to avoid someting..
Only recently, I read about it again and decided to give it a whirl.
I am still here to talk about it.
The documentary cleverly distances itself from the bluntness of the material by showing us 100 different ways of telling the joke. Many comedians. Writers. People in the business.
In many ways the film riffs on the bare bones of the joke and shows us how something that is not funny can be hilarious.
Some people reverse the spin. Tell it backwards. One guy includes it in a magic act. Card tricks. Very nice. There is even a talking dummy. Ventriloquism still works. By putting the obscene in the dummy's mouth we don't even notice anyone's lips let alone whether they move or not.
It was great to see a few old favorites. George Carlin. Larry Storch.
I enjoyed this film much more than I expected. A few times the routines went beyond my taste barriers. But not so much. I can be shocked. Or tsk tsk at something. But, in the main, I am OK getting down there and wallowing just like the rest of them.
I will give this a 3 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
