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The Aristocrats (2005)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7.1/10
Reviews Counted: 147
Fresh: 117 | Rotten: 30

Can a joke stand up to repeated tellings? Hilarious and revealing of the way comedy works, The Aristocrats demonstrates that it's possible.

Average Rating: 7.4/10
Critic Reviews: 39
Fresh: 34 | Rotten: 5

Can a joke stand up to repeated tellings? Hilarious and revealing of the way comedy works, The Aristocrats demonstrates that it's possible.

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Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 84,925

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Movie Info

"A family walks into a talent agent's office..." So begins "The Aristocrats," a joke kept mostly secret by stand-up comedians for decades. An intentionally "bad" joke, the laughs in The Aristocrats aren't in the punch-line (one of the only elements that's the same every time), but in the set-up, made unique by each comedian who tells it in an attempt to fashion the world's dirtiest joke. The cat was finally let out of the bag by Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza, the seasoned funnymen who gathered

Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.

Documentary, Comedy, Special Interest

Directed By: Paul Provenza

In Theaters: Jul 29, 2005 Wide

On DVD: Jan 24, 2006

Box Office:$6.1M

ThinkFilm

The Aristocrats Trailer & Photos

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Cast

Critic Reviews for The Aristocrats

All Critics (151) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (122) | Rotten (30) | DVD (28)

The first feel-good movie made out of fecal matter.

November 1, 2007 Full Review Source: Newsweek

| Comment

David Ansen

Newsweek

Top Critic

... The Aristocrats proves that sometimes you don't have to be a great filmmaker to make a great documentary.

December 9, 2005 Full Review Source: New York Magazine

| Comment (1)

Ken Tucker

New York Magazine

Top Critic

What the film really reveals is the role of the comedian in society and the craftsmanship of joke-writing and joke delivery.

September 2, 2005 Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel

| Comment

Roger Moore

Orlando Sentinel

Top Critic

Let me reiterate. This movie is really, really dirty.

August 25, 2005 Full Review Source: Arizona Republic

| Comment

Bill Muller

Arizona Republic

Top Critic

See it if you aren't too jaded to appreciate a few laughs in these mostly mirthless times.

August 25, 2005 Full Review Source: New York Observer

| Comment

Andrew Sarris

New York Observer

Top Critic

Exudes cheerfulness and expansive joy.

August 22, 2005 Comment

David Denby

New Yorker

Top Critic

A joyful film, full of men and women alight with the pleasure that comes from negating every compliment civilization has ever paid itself.

June 3, 2009 Full Review Source: Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)

| Comment

Thomas Peyser

Style Weekly (Richmond, VA) Source: Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)

A plethora of comedians discuss and tell their own inspired rendition of "the dirtiest joke in the world" in a contagiously funny documentary that symptomatically gives context to the lasting influence of vaudeville humor.

April 15, 2009 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com

| Comment

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Each take on the gag reveals a different facet of comic technique.

June 23, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment (1)

Matthew De Abaitua

Film4

Its very about-itself unimportance is what makes it a liberating experience for its own sake.

July 23, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com

| Comment

Rob Gonsalves

eFilmCritic.com

A tedious dud that sparks once or twice with big laughs

August 19, 2006 Full Review Source: Cinema Writer

| Comment (1)

Jay Antani

Cinema Writer

...the brilliant Sarah Silverman transcends the mean-spirited nature of the joke...

August 5, 2006 Full Review Source: All Movie Guide

| Comment

Josh Ralske

All Movie Guide

In its simplest form, the joke isn't funny; it's all in the telling, and Provenza proves once again that some people can tell a joke, and some people can't.

May 12, 2006 Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review

| Comment (1)

Jim Lane

Sacramento News & Review

I honestly think this is something that could have been covered in about 30 minutes, not 90.

February 21, 2006 Full Review Source: Film Threat

| Comment

Brad Cook

Film Threat

This all-star open-mike night loses its luster before its own loud laughter dies down.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

David Fear

Time Out

With a showman's respect for the power of the build-up, Provenza touts his product thoroughly before unveiling it.

January 27, 2006 Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald

| Comment

Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

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Audience Reviews for The Aristocrats

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Really funny. A story about a old joke with black humor.

May 7, 2011

Lucas Martins

Super Reviewer

No Nudity No Violence Unspeakable Obscenity, 100 Comedians but one Very Dirty Joke

December 19, 2009

Wahida K

Super Reviewer

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