| GROSS, POINT-BLANK : Paul Provenza's 'The Aristocrats' [6/10] |
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| Monday, 03 October 2005 | |
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Perhaps more than is the case with any other art-form, there's long been a general reluctance to over-analyse - or even analyse - comedy. To do so is to risk raising the brooding spectre of Tony Hancock, the 1950s/60s comic genius whose decline into depression and suicide was partially initiated, partly accelerated (some say) when he actually started thinking about what he was doing. And on the most basic level, of course, the quickest way to kill a joke is to explain it - jokes being all about economy, context and precise timing. Such considerations make The Aristocrats - a feature-length documentary about a single joke - a distinctly risky proposition. And the gag itself, as the participants themselves readily admit, isn't especially funny per se. Told between comics since the heyday of vaudeville and passed down orally through the generations, this joke (whose two-word punchline provides Provenza's film with its title) is a gross, disgusting affair emphatically not for public consumption. But public consumption is exactly what the 'routine' is now receiving, thanks to this film. Audiences are in the position of tourists granted brief, privileged access to a closed showbiz world - beckoned behind the curtains, perhaps. It's a bit like conjurors contravening the rules of the Magic Circle to show the punters how a certain trick is performed. And the 'conjurors' here are a mixed bag - superstars Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg; international 'names' like Billy Connolly, Eric Idle and Eddie Izzard; insiders' favourites including Gilbert Gottfried, Steven Wright and George Carlin; plus assorted staples of US TV whose appeal doesn't extend far overseas (Drew Carey, Bill Maher, the Smothers Brothers). Some give their own renditions of the joke - others refuse, or offer variations on similar themes (which tend to be funnier than 'straight' tellings). The results are, needles to say, wildly uneven: some sequences are riotously funny; others fall flat on their backsides. As with so many recent American documentaries, there's the unmistakeable sound of folk patting themselves very loudly on the back. Certain testimony comes right out of Pseud's Corner, especially when the infinitely elastic nature of the joke (the opening and closing lines are standard; what comes between is a free-for-all) draws comparisons with jazz improv. The biggest disappointment is Gottfried's delivery of the joke in public, on TV, shortly after September 11th, 2001: a legendary event among comedians, but a very perfunctory telling that's rather tame by the standards set by the versions we've already seen in Provenza's movie. Not that we get that many full renditions: working with cheap-looking DV, Provenza and a certain 'Emery Emery' (any relation to Dick?) over-edit proceedings to a distracting degree (as with the Gottfried version, which is crassly chopped up). And there are several commentators who, for no obvious reason, are filmed with two cameras rather than one, between which we then frustratingly alternate. Gary Stockdale's score is often similarly heavy-handed - and in objective, technical terms the package adds up to a pretty shoddy enterprise. But since when was comedy about "objective, technical terms"? Minute for minute, The Aristocrats delivers more laughs than the vast majority of scripted, committee-approved, pasteurised Hollywood 'comedies'. It's a bit rough, a bit misshapen, a bit undisciplined - and that's entirely appropriate. These performers spend their days honing their well-crafted acts, and Provenza gives them the chance to blow off steam. The highlight: Kevin Pollak telling the joke as Christopher Walken (both appeared in Wayne's World 2). While impressive, a little research shows that Pollak's turn isn't unique: Walken-impersonation is apparently rife in Hollywood, with Jay Mohr and Kevin Spacey also renowned for their skills in this esoteric field. A prime subject for the next inside-showbiz documentary? Neil Young 4th October, 2005 THE ARISTOCRATS : [6/10] : USA 2005 : Paul PROVENZA* : 89 mins seen at Cineworld cinema, Sunderland (UK), 27rd September 2005 - public show Some sources state that the film is directed by Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette. However the official website for the production names only Provenza as director - although it does say that The Aristocrats is "a film by Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette". Both are, however, listed as "Executive Producers." |
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