The Aristocrats (2005)

One hundred superstar comedians tell the same very, VERY dirty, filthy joke--one shared privately by comics since Vaudeville.

Director:

Paul Provenza

Stars:

Chris Albrecht, George Carlin, Don Rickles

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Albrecht	...	Himself - HBO Chairman / CEO
Jason Alexander	...	Himself
Hank Azaria	...	Himself
Shelley Berman	...	Himself
Steven Banks	...	Billy the Mime (as Billy the Mime)
Lewis Black	...	Himself
David Brenner	...	Himself
Mario Cantone	...	Himself
Drew Carey	...	Himself
George Carlin	...	Himself
Mark Cohen	...	Himself
Scott 'Carrot Top' Thompson	...	Himself (as Carrot Top)
Billy Connolly	...	Himself
Pat Cooper	...	Himself
Wayne Cotter	...	Himself

Storyline

Comedy veterans and co-creators Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza capitalize on their insider status and invite over 100 of their closest friends--who happen to be some of the biggest names in entertainment, from George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg and Drew Carey to Gilbert Gottfried, Bob Saget, Paul Reiser and Sarah Silverman--to reminisce, analyze, deconstruct and deliver their own versions of the world's dirtiest joke, an old burlesque too extreme to be performed in public, called "The Aristocrats."

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Plot Keywords:

joke | comedian | aristocrat | surprise | burlesque | 

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Taglines:

100 Superstar Comedians. One Very Dirty Joke.

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Genres:

Documentary | Comedy

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Mighty Cheese Productions [United States] Think Film Company

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 2005 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

The @r!$t* (r@t$

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$243,796 (USA) (29 July 2005)

Gross:

$6,377,277 (USA) (20 January 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mighty Cheese Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This joke has been used by comedians for years as a mental stretching exercise. They would tell the joke to each other as a warm up for their acts. While the setup and punchline remain the same throughout, the middle section, describing the actual family act, is always varied to get the juices going by throwing in the most they can and keeping it funny. There are stories of parties where performers will jam and keep it going for almost an hour.

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Quotes

[first lines]
George Carlin: The joke leads me down one path and then it switches the path on me suddenly and hits me with a hammer. It's just, "Here we go folks."

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Crazy Credits

Everyone listed in the credits under "Very Special Thanks" was interviewed for the film but did not make the final cut.

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Connections

References Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

User Reviews

Vile? yes. Offensive? Yes. Disgusting? Yes. Funniest movie of the year? YES!

One of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. If you're not familiar with the joke, that's fine. If you are, you'll probably enjoy this movie on an entirely different level (which may or may not be better).

Whatever the case may be, be prepared to laugh to the point of crying and in some cases, sides aching.

Now, be forewarned... this movie is not rated, and is about the most disgusting joke ever told. If you're a prude, you'll probably walk out like the stuck up couple who left the theater about 10 minutes into the screening I was at tonight.

There are some howling moments, there are some painfully unfunny moments, but overall, I can't recall laughing this much in a theater since seeing There's Something About Mary.

This is an exercise in 1st Amendment rights (this movie would have been shut down in the days of Lenny Bruce).

If you think 97 minutes of various comedians doing their versions of the same joke won't work, you're in for a surprise. This movie has so much more than that... It shows a real affection for comedy and comic performers.

I have to see it again, there were so many jokes I missed, either because of other people laughing or because I was laughing to hard to hear.

If you love stand-up comedy (or just enjoy laughing) and aren't easily offended, you must see this movie. You'll laugh your ass off.