Review of The Aristocrats (2005) by Adam R — 22 Aug 2008

Hilarious documentary that anecdotally traces the evolution of an incredibly dirty inside joke between comedians and entertainers from a Vaudeville backstage gag too dirty for audiences to a nearly mainstream display of improvised tastelessness.

Interviews with a diverse array of comics about the joke - which is little more than a setup and a punchline, with tellers encouraged to pack the middle with as much vulgar, obscene storytelling as possible - make "Aristocrats" hilarious; it can be said that the movie's parts are more enjoyable than the sum they form, but the real joy doesn't come from the Aristocrats joke (which is widely dismissed by most interviewees) but from watching famous faces and unknown names alike gamely trying to top themselves in the sheer amount of absurd, obscene material they can pack into a single, pre-ordained routine.