The Aristocrats (2005)

Director:

Paul Provenza

Release Date:

9 September 2005 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Comedy

Tagline:

100 Superstar Comedians. One Very Dirty Joke.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Joke | Comedian | Vaudeville | Hugh Hefner | Mountain Goat

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The @r!$t* (r@t$ (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Sweden:Btl | Australia:R | Norway:15 | Finland:K-18 | New Zealand:R18 | Portugal:M/18 | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:AL (uncut) | USA:Unrated | USA:Not Rated | UK:18 | Ireland:18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario)

Company:

Mighty Cheese Productions

Trivia:

Promos for this film promised a film with no violence or nudity but tons of bad language. However, Penn Jillette had to add blurring to the private parts of a "friend" sharing a jacuzzi with one of the comedians in order to fulfill this promise.

Quotes:

Pat Cooper: My grandmother, on the stage, has an abortion! Gives birth to a three-pound Shetland pony! My grandfather is the jockey, comes in third and paid $2.80!

Movie Connections:

References "Full House" (1987)

The funniest joke ever told

Screened at Sundance 2005, The Aristoracts tells the story of the worlds funniest (and dirtiest) joke you've never heard before but will never forget.

The joke itself is structured to have the same beginning and the same punchline at the end. Yet each comedian that tells it has their own variation on the middle. And that's where the freedom (and generally the vulgarity) comes in.

My favorite renditions are by Kevin Pollak (doing a spot-on impression of Christopher Walken), Bob Saget, and Paul Reiser. Matt Stone and Trey Parker even animated a South Park version of the joke that had me laughing so hard I couldn't breathe.

Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette filmed the movie over a period of 4 years and between 80 to 100 hours of DV video tape.

The film has been picked up for distribution by ThinkFilm. But don't be surprised if the MPAA slaps a NC-17 on the film for the language. Save your surprise for the theater.