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Now, clearly, calling the cast of "The Aristocrats" inarticulate is a stretch. Here's an alphabetical sampling: Jason Alexander, Hank Azaria, Lewis Black, Drew Carey, George Carlin, Phyllis Diller, Carrie Fisher, Whoopi Goldberg, Gilbert Gottfried, Eric Idle, Eddie Izzard, Paul Krassner, Bill Maher, Howie Mandel, the staff of "The Onion", Penn & Teller, Emo Philips, Paul Riser, Don Rickles, Chris Rock, Bob Saget, Harry Shearer, Sarah Silverman, Jon Steward and Robin Williams.

"Inarticulate" isn't the first word that comes to mind; in fact, all of them run their mouths constantly. But what is the movie trying to say?

Breaking taboos can be exciting. Taking aim at dried-up morals and speaking truth to power has been a function of comics ever since they were called court jesters. They're not supposed to care about morals, and I don't object to obscenity as such. My problem with "The Aristocrats" is that I was neither amused nor edified. Perhaps insider jokes are insider jokes for a reason: nobody ever told "The Aristocrats" on stage?at least not until Gilbert Gottfried pulled it out at a roast after 9/11. When you demolish taboos wholesale for an hour and a half, the thudding noise of your industrial-strength wrecking ball quickly turns into an deafening roar, and you're left with a bunch of ruins.

Provenza and Jillette congratulate themselves for producing the film like a simple home movie, shooting with consumer grade DV cameras. The resulting footage is ugly, and to be honest, most of the comics aren't much to look at in the first place.

The editing is so hectic it's positively ADD, as if the directors didn't trust their performers to hold our attention.

Every now and then, "The Aristocrats" provides an accidental glimpse into the world of comedy, and I'm sure there's a fascinating documentary to be made about that world. With their unique access, Provenza and Jillette might even have been the people to make that film. It's sobering to think that the makers of "The Aristocrats" couldn't think to ask their A-list fools about anything more revealing or urgent than a tired obscene joke. And so we sit, happily watching celebrities wallow in verbal excrement. What a load of sh*t.