THE ARISTOCRATS

"So a man walks into a talent agent's office and says he's got an act:" so the story begins. What follows is absolutely the dirtiest joke you've probably never heard. If you think comics are funny onstage, wait until you see them offstage, when they're trying to impress each other. Comedy veterans Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette ask their friends to participate in this experiment in bad taste. George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Stewart, Bob Saget, Sarah Silverman and many others tell their own versions of the same dirty joke.

At the crux of the tale is Gilbert Gottfried. The 2001 Friar's Club Roast of Hugh Hefner was just three weeks after 9/11, and like most other comedians that night, Gottfried was having a hard time. So he pulled out the joke. Some thought it terribly tasteless; it broke the spell of reverence and patriotism that hung over New York, a city in mourning. As Jillette says, "The pursuit of happiness is freedom," which includes the freedom to tell an off-color joke in bad times.

THE ARISTOCRATS has no nudity, no sex, and no violence, but it's one of the most shocking films you'll ever see. It's a one-joke movie that actually works, thanks to Provenza's editing skills. And just when you think you must have heard the worst of the worst, a mime comes onscreen and sinks to new lows. But as current versions of the joke lose their force, have no fear--there will always be new offenses with which to shock, and the joke will live on. God bless America.

Mary Kerr

Paul Provenza has been recognized in the world of TV, theater and stand-up comedy for the past decade, and has been a guest on every major late night talk show. He will be taking his stand up comedy to Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Bali, and Shanghai, China. Provenza has written, produced and starred in comedy specials including THE INCREDIBLE MAN-BOY and COMICS ONLY. Provenza recently directed Dan Remmes' new comedy WHAT DOESN'T KILL US. Provenza has also begun production on a film version of the international best-selling children's book Everyone Poops.

Print Source:
Wendy Smith
Tel: 646.293.9400
Email: wsmith@thmkfilmcompany.com

Saturday 6/18 at 10:00 p.m.

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