4 stars
So this man walks into this talent agent’s office…wait a minute. I can’t even begin to think about telling The Joke.
You’d have to see “The Aristocrats” to hear it. And, despite my rating of this movie, I am going to put you through a series of tests that will determine whether you should even consider seeing this strange, disgusting, hilarious documentary. Ready? Here we go.

You are:
A One of “my PG-13 people” who really doesn’t like R-rated movies.
B A person who doesn’t mind adult material .

You have:
A Never seen an NC-17-rated movie and aren’t even sure what the rating means.
B Seen “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and other NC-17-rated films.

You can’t:
A Imagine what The Joke is about and don’t care to know.
B Wait to hear what The Joke is.

OK. If you have any “A” answers, don’t even bother reading the rest of this review because, believe me, you probably don’t want to see this film. But now, for the curious…
The Joke dates back to Vaudeville days when comics entertained other comics after-hours. I won’t tell you The Joke itself, but I can tell you that “The Aristocrats” is the punch line.
The Joke always is vile and, truly, pornographic in the telling. And why would you want to hear comedian after comedian, from Bob Saget to Paul Reiser to Whoopi Goldberg and George Carlin telling their versions of The Joke and explaining its mystique, if you can call it that, through the decades?
Because they’re funny when they tell it. Each puts a different spin on it. And besides, we’re being allowed backstage into the fraternity of comedians who normally don’t tell this to audiences -- they tell it to each other, and often they try to out-gross out each other when they relate it.
Who’s the funniest? Well, that’s for you to decide. Believe it or not, my pick is Gilbert Gottfried, a performer I had no use for until I saw this film and was amazed by his timing and delivery at a Friars’ Club roast where things had begun to go downhill…until Gottfried told The Joke.
Then Kevin Pollak, in a fantastic Christopher Walken imitation, tells The Joke, a mime acts it out, and one comic even uses a terrific card trick to illustrate it.
And they don’t just tell The Joke, mind you…they analyze it. They reminisce about the first time they heard it.
And for 90 minutes, we’re one of them in a documentary that never will be equaled.
Running time: Ninety minutes.
Rated: Not rated, but comparable to an NC-17 for graphic obscenity and foul language.
Starring: George Carlin, Gilbert Gottfried, Penn Jillette, Paul Reiser, Bob Saget, Whoopi Goldberg and dozens of other comedians.
Director: Paul Provenza