Celebrating two decades of "The Aristocrats" film, here are my preferred renditions of the joke within the movie.
In the groundbreaking 2005 documentary "The Aristocrats," directed by Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza, dozens of comedians and actors took turns telling their own renditions of the infamous, centuries-old joke. Among the diverse and often shocking performances, two versions stood out as the audience's favourites.
Gilbert Gottfried's telling, considered the film's high point, was renowned for its extreme, explicit, and gleefully raunchy style. His performance embodied the joke's spirit, earning him a well-deserved standing ovation from the audience. In fact, Gottfried was so good at telling the joke that he "kills it" in his first appearance in the documentary.
Another highly praised version was the animated one by the South Park character Cartman. Known for its shocking topicality and outrageousness, Cartman's rendition included references to 9/11, eliciting laughter even in sensitive contexts. The author found that everyone in the theater found Cartman's version shocking and hilarious.
The documentary also featured Billy the Mime, played by comedian Steven Banks, who told the joke in silence, acting out every dirty bit of the story on the street. Other notable performances included Robin Williams telling the joke on the beach in Northern California, Drew Carey with a similar version, and Kevin Pollack's impression of Christopher Walken delivering the joke.
Rita Rudner's "clean" version with a dirty punchline also added a unique flavour to the joke's enduring appeal. Mario Cantone's impression of Liza Minnelli telling the joke was another notable variation in the documentary.
In the documentary, Bob Saget gave a disclaimer that he doesn't endorse or condone anything that happens in his version of the joke. Despite this, his incredibly dirty rendition was one of the most memorable performances in the documentary.
The documentary "The Aristocrats" remains one of the author's favourites, offering a fascinating exploration of comedy's boundaries and a time capsule of a rich comedy culture.
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