Can We Take a Joke? (2016)

Powerful

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Best movie ever!

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

OK. so there is a part in this doc where lenny bruce is talked about as having gotten pardoned after his death. a plaque is shown. in my mind.. what this shows is this. oh.. what he did was OK, so we can do this and we can do that and it will be OK too. and what they want is for it to be OK. everyone wants what they do to be OK. they can't get around it. but God's laws, Jesus words are still totally the measuring stick. and if you break them it is called sin. so it is not OK. and if you don't repent and obey Jesus.. then hell is the result upon death. so if you think it's safe, but it's not.. it.. is hell.

Loved this. I thought it covered an aspect of outrage culture where the people who are mad are not necessarily victims but instead just on a power trip or trying to "pat themselves on the back." The documentary covers different comedy-related incidents that resulted in outrage, all offline. I had no idea cops used to go to comedy clubs and arrest speakers for saying things like "cocksucker." "Is it safe to hold unpopular views on campus?" there are news statistics, etc.Lost 2 stars for the typography effects at the beginning, a bit too much motion for me.Must see for anyone who loves comedy, wants to perform or write comedy, is interested in the First Amendment and self-expression and pop culture fanatics.

"Wah wah, I can't make rape jokes or say the n-word without backlash like I could 20 years ago. People are too sensitive these days" 'Can We Take A Joke' is exactly what you'd expect. 70+ minutes of out-of-touch comedians complaining that their lazy, outdated comedy is no longer funny or relevant to a large portion of Western society. This film is not a look at the broad societal changes in comedy over the last few decades, rather a platform solely for the defense of "offensive" comedy. The comedians interviewed chime on about 'free speech' and 'pushing the boundaries of societal norms', but the typical contradictory message echoed throughout the film is "Stand-up comedy should not be criticized, sit down and shut up!" Save yourself the time and browse the comment section of Youtube for a few minutes.

This is a one-note documentary, the sole point of which is that people are too easily offended by edgy humor, and that college campuses have become bastions of intolerance for free speech. I think these thoughts are probably essentially correct, but that's really not enough to make a film about. The usual suspects (edgy comics) are rounded up, or rather, filmed in their own homes, clubs and studios so they don't have to put forth much effort, and asked a series of perfunctory questions which lead to an affirmation of the film's not very controversial premise. There is a de rigueur homage to Lenny Bruce, and a lot of anecdotal storytelling about offended customers at comedy clubs. And there is plenty of predictable stuff about how the internet enables instant mass outrage at offenders du jour. Yet the documentarians never get at the essence of their issue. Despite a brief segment about the nutjobs at the Westboro "church," there is no real examination of hate speech as espoused by neo-Nazis, racists of various colors, propagandists for causes like ISIS, or presidential candidates like the short- fingered vulgarian. We are left with Penn Jillette's not very comforting reassurances that this will all be "cleaned up" pretty damn quick. I managed to make it to the very end of this piece of intellectual fluff by watching in brief installments. Unless you are similarly prepared, I suggest you seek entertainment and enlightenment elsewhere.