Even those of us underwhelmed by much of what passed for humor in the joke-umentary “The Aristocrats” had a favorite version of the hoary tale.
Bob Saget was too gross for you? Then enjoy Sarah Silverman’s superhuman timing and facial control as she turns herself into a victim of an “Aristocrats” casting-couch nightmare.
Can’t handle a mime telling the world’s dirtiest joke? Wait for the old-school comic genius of performers like Martin Mull and Drew Carey, who magically make the awful joke seem delightful.
“The Aristocrats” arrives on DVD this week, allowing you to skip ahead or back to your chosen telling of the joke that lies at the heart of the documentary. It also comes with some worthy extras – the best involving some of the same comics telling other classic jokes long banished from post-modern comic routines.
Don’t buy the hype, though, that the extended DVD version is more “outrageous” than the theatrical release. That would be, in a word, impossible. Watching “The Aristocrats” in the theater was an exercise in discomfort, wondering who around you would be offended by the verbal assaults on men, women, children, grandmothers, animals – even the unborn.
So few people saw the movie, we may need to recap: This dirty joke supposedly has been a favorite among comedians for decades, almost a trade secret, told in green rooms and smoky, after-hours parties. The heart of the joke allows comedians to improvise dirty riffs involving sexual acts and bodily functions.
Performers Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette decided to make a movie about the joke, filming all their friends in the business telling the story and explaining its origins. Much of the shock of “The Aristocrats” is to see family-friendly comedians – Saget (“Full House,” “America’s Funniest Home Videos”), Whoopi Goldberg, Carey, among others – spouting the bluest of blue streaks.
In the movie, I liked Martin Mull’s story the best, combining the dirty parts of the joke with an old-fashioned Bob Hope and Bing Crosby take on jungle cannibals. He wins me over again in the DVD features, telling a great old farm joke with quiet delight and wonderful timing.
The features give you a list of the comedians’ names, letting you watch the full version of the Aristocrats joke that might have been given the Reader’s Digest treatment for the movie. Don’t miss Silverman’s longer take; hearing a nice Jewish girl talk about her beloved “nanna” amid all the filth is surreal hilarity.
Staff writer Michael Booth can be reached at 303-820-1686 or mbooth@denverpost.com.
NEW ON DVD
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride *** 1/2 Tim Burton makes a triumphant return to stop- motion animation for this winning tale of a sensitive Victorian lad who accidentally weds himself to a semi-skeletal corpse. Victor is caught between the lavish and fun world of the dead and the gray, sooty streets of his hometown in England. Burton makes the weird seem fun and fascinating, and by the end of this short winner of a movie, we truly care what happens to all the young lovers – even the dead ones. PG; 76 minutes (Michael Booth)
In Her Shoes *** Rose and Maggie Feller don’t look alike. And portrayers Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz don’t really share an acting style. Yet, with the deft collaboration of director Curtis Hanson and a choice script, Rose, Maggie and their troubles and possibilities make “In Her Shoes” a “laugh-out-loud-then-cry-a-little” outing. After Maggie (Diaz) sinks lower than any previously disappointing act, Rose (Collette) cuts her off. What happens in the wake of their separation is the stuff of a sweet-bittersweetsweet comedy that gives each sis her due – and throws in some fine material for Shirley MacLaine, who plays their grandmother. PG-13; 130 minutes (Lisa Kennedy)
The Legend of Zorro ** 1/2 A lot of jamón gets sliced, diced and dished out in this sequel to 1998’s “The Mask of Zorro.” Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones reunite as Don Alejandro de la Vega and his love, now wife, Elena. With nearly screwball chemistry, these two actors do a grand job of being not just the film’s stars but movie stars in an old-fashioned way. Unfortunately, almost all of the pleasures of this family-friendly adventure come from the fun they look to be having. Which might be fine if “Legend,” set as California votes for statehood, didn’t post so many signs – about racism, religious hypocrisy, classism – that it wants to be as relevant as it is retro. PG; 128 minutes (Lisa Kennedy)
