The Aristocrats Reviews
Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)
A joyful film, full of men and women alight with the pleasure that comes from negating every compliment civilization has ever paid itself.
ColeSmithey.com
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.
Full Review
| Original Score: A+
Film4
Each take on the gag reveals a different facet of comic technique.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
Top CriticThe first feel-good movie made out of fecal matter.
eFilmCritic.com
Its very about-itself unimportance is what makes it a liberating experience for its own sake.
Full Review
| Original Score: 5/5
All Movie Guide
...the brilliant Sarah Silverman transcends the mean-spirited nature of the joke...
Full Review
| Original Score: 6/10
Sacramento News & Review
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.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/5
Sydney Morning Herald
With a showman's respect for the power of the build-up, Provenza touts his product thoroughly before unveiling it.
Empire Magazine
A stunning comedy masterclass. For those with strong stomachs, obviously...
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
... The Aristocrats proves that sometimes you don't have to be a great filmmaker to make a great documentary.
Film Threat
A brilliant solution to the eternal problem of how to discuss the creative process behind comedy without becoming boring.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Cinema em Cena
Mesmo que repetitivo ao procurar analisar o significado social da graça da piada e contendo algumas performances terrivelmente medíocres, o filme ganha um fôlego invejável sempre que algum comediante inspirado surge em cena.
| Original Score: 4/5
Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)
It's not just a joke for the john, it's a joke for an entire sewage system.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4.5/5
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
There's an unevenness to the film, and, frankly, I rarely found it funny, but I never found it less than fascinating and invariably entertaining.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Scene-Stealers.com
For those of us who can handle a heaping helping of shock talk, the reward of The Aristocrats lie in our ability to focus a critical spotlight on ourselves.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
AV Club
Within a single joke, The Aristocrats unlocks an entire universe of comedy.
FilmFocus
The guilty pleasure to end all guilty pleasures.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
BBC
The film has the feel of a long and fascinating chat rather than a formal thesis. But if it feels a little self-congratulatory at times, that's a small price to pay.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
IGN Movies
Hilarious, jarring, shocking, divisive and confrontational.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Charlotte Observer
What makes the experience enjoyable for those who tough out the vulgarity will be insights into comedy.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2.5/4
