anywhereisbetter

There’s something about movie characters in comedies screaming “FUCK!” at the top of their lungs that never fails to make me laugh. Maybe this betrays a sense of humor that stopped developing in the fourth grade; maybe I more effectively empathize with a foul-mouthed protagonist; or maybe I’m just plain easily amused. But whatever the case, I’m not alone. In both films I have seen within the past few days‚ The Aristocrats and Wedding Crashers‚ the more profane the dialog, the more obscene the situation, the louder the audience roared.

If you’ve read anything about The Aristocrats‚ a documentary about one joke told over and over again‚ you already know that the film’s absurdly vile language has been greeted with a huge amount of fanfare by critics. In fact, this superfluous scurrility (as more high-minded viewers of the movie might prefer to call it) is really the point of the movie: The Aristocrats demonstrates the way in which something generally thought of as positively lowbrow can be elevated to an art form when treated like one. One by one, the joke’s intricacies are revealed, and a certain reverence is conferred upon those who navigate it with the greatest skill. Finally, with the help of some fancy editing, the filmmakers end up concocting their own version of the joke, one that is the collaborative product of dozens of comedians, writers, and producers from all corners of the industry. It is in itself a work of art‚ inspired, sharp, innovative, and a slew of other words that get used too much in gushing film reviews. If you were Joel Siegel, you might even call it ‚Äúa side-splitting, nonstop laugh riot.

But vulgarity need not be so self-aware to be funny. As I said before, I think there’s a lot to be said for profanities yelled at an appropriately high volume. And it doesn’t stop there‚ even when not shouted from the mountaintop, foul language still has plenty of comedic potential when executed properly. Try it yourself if you don’t believe me.

Wedding Crashers exemplifies this point. It’s a movie that doesn’t need to have so much foul language, but benefits from its presence. Filthy language is a dirty detail hiding under the duo’s polished veneer, a glaring disparity between the two imposters and the aristocratic family they’ve infiltrated. More than just extraneous adult content, profanity is serving a purpose. And also, it’s funny.

Not only is it funny, it’s refreshing. Other recent movies of this ilk‚ Anchorman and Dodgeball, for instance‚ have forgone such language in search of a wider audience. That’s fine, but the side effect is a film that feels like it’s holding all its punches. It’s tough to lash out at someone without using some combination of the words ‚Äúfuck, ‚Äúass, and ‚Äúmother and still sound sincere. By contrast, Vince Vaughn’s comedic vituperation in Wedding Crashers ‚ which makes creative use of all the aforementioned words‚ feels genuine. Lashing out is easier when you’re not holding your tongue.

I was surprised that a little swearing could have such an effect on me, so I decided to do a little research. It may surprise you to hear that that not everyone shares my opinion. Attempting to substantiate my observation that Wedding Crashers uses more profane language than other recent movies of this sort, I searched Christian media monitoring sights for straightforward statistical data. While I wasn’t able to find such cold hard facts, I did discover several interesting reviews. One viewer on christiananswers.net (which gave the film the prestigious ‚Äúoffensive rating) noted that Wedding Crashers ‚Äúcontained so many uses of profanity that my wife and I almost lost count. Almost? Why not share your results? Make the world a better place and give me your data.

Another reviewer said that the movie ‚Äúbordered on PORN because of the 3.6 seconds in which the movie shows topless women. I sense that actual porn would truly horrify this woman. She goes on to say that, though she likes comedies, and she likes weddings, this is not a movie any Christian should support. The logic she was using to make her think she might actually enjoy this movie is like saying that because I like both mayonnaise and ice cream, I’d probably like mayonnaise ice cream.

To those folks who thought Wedding Crashers was unacceptably vulgar, I’m thinking that a screening of The Aristocrats would change their minds. After exposure to the intricacies of the dirty joke, seeing the great care with which obscenity can be handled, perhaps they would gain an appreciation for the art of vulgarity. Maybe then they can understand profanity’s worth in the world, and we will at last have achieved a truly tolerant society.

That, or it will at least make subsequent viewings of Wedding Crashers seem like Mary Poppins.