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The Aristocrats

I've heard some good buzz about The Aristocrats. It's opening tomorrow in L.A. and New York, and then going national during August. The AMC movie chain has banned the film.

If you want to hear the dirtiest joke ever told ... don't bother heading for your local AMC megaplex. The theater chain has decided not to show the buzzed-about documentary "The Aristocrats" on any of its 3,500-plus screens, and the filmmakers aren't laughing. The $20,000 unrated film features 102 comedians, each telling the same infamous joke—involving a XXX stage act—passed down from comic to comic since vaudeville. (The punch line is the film's title.) Despite great test screenings—and a cast with figures ranging from Jon Stewart to Phyllis Diller—AMC's film group chairman, Dick Walsh, decided, according to a company spokeswoman, the film "would have very narrow appeal."

The filmmakers think that's ridiculous. "Look, it's a stupid little movie that people are loving," says executive producer Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller). "So this is like a supermarket announcing that it's not going to carry vegetables. It's their right to do that. It's just a goofy decision based on one person's taste."

Here's where you can see it. And here's the soundboard - just click on the name of the various comics to hear a clip.

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    Re: The Aristocrats (none / 0) (#1)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:43 PM EST
    There's no publicity like free publicity.

    Re: The Aristocrats (none / 0) (#2)
    by nolo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:43 PM EST
    Ha!! I just checked the schedule. It'll be showing in my town, and I'd much rather be giving money to my local artsy-fartsy movie theater anyway.

    Re: The Aristocrats (none / 0) (#3)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:43 PM EST
    If its funny ok.

    Re: The Aristocrats (none / 0) (#4)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:43 PM EST
    I wonder if grad student believes that "leftists" are responsible for this?

    Re: The Aristocrats (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:43 PM EST
    do a google search for south park and the aristocrats. I laughed until I puked. Literally.

    Re: The Aristocrats (none / 0) (#6)
    by jackl2400 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:43 PM EST
    Fine AMC. You are a very bright exhibitor executive who has figured out the answer to why more and more people don't want to pay $9 + $20 popcorn to go to the mall to watch your flicks but would rather do so in the comfort of their home with their flat screen TVs and DVDs or cable PPV. Just don't show movies that people might want to see because it risks your getting letters from Dr. Dobson and the rest of the wingnuts. I'm sure that you have a golden parachute so when the idiot shareholders of AMC are punished by the market in an era where going to movie theatres is a quaint inconvenience and your business goes toes up or your stocks go way down that you'll have as nice a severance bonus as Chainsaw Al Dunlop.