Can We Take a Joke? (2015) Reviews

• Important Look at State of Comedy and Outrage in 2016

  courtneysoliday-697892016-10-07

  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.

• Social Justice is Cancer

  joe-734072017-06-17

  The DVD finally came up in my Netflix queue. It was so on point that I watched it twice. Outrage culture has gone off the rails. In a bit over an hour, this documentary examines in part the history of censorship of comedy and where we have arrived in the last few years as the cry-bullies virtue signal their disapproval of anything that offends them or might offend someone else. So off the scale is the Social Justice Warrior need to control everything, that they are sucking the life out of the world. Comedy tells the truth, like it or not. And the truth is that people like to laugh.

• definitely flawed, but still a vital comedy doc in this day and age

  framptonhollis2017-08-20

  In the wake of recent controversies dealing with free speech, I decided it was fitting to at last watch this documentary that has been heavily appealing to me for quite some time. As a fervent supporter of free speech, the messages contained within this film play a heavily important role in our modern day society. There is still hope for comedians despite the ridiculous cries of outrage that seem to pointlessly be sweeping the county day by day. Hypersensitivity does no one any good, and this film knows that and begs for our society to rethink the path they are going down. A disturbing amount of people refuse to oppose hate speech laws, and universities thrive on tearing down the values that made them respectable to the liberal minded in the first place. Liberals were once the great free speech figures, but the road they have followed has led them to the polar opposite of such a reputation. This documentary does have its technical flaws, but it is still entertaining as hell, its messages are brilliant and well spoken, its hilarious at times thanks to the cast of comedians, and its also a shed of light for the future of free speech.

• This should be required viewing.

  Java_Joe2019-03-21

  Comedy, good comedy, should entertain as well as inform. And yet too often now we see comedians having to apologize for things they said in their set because the PC brigade has gotten their panties in a twist. I don't agree with all the comedians here. Some of them I literally can't stand to listen to. But that doesn't mean I feel they need to be silenced. The problem is coming from a small group of people that think they know better than you and are doing this to protect you from things they don't want you to hear. Well I say no thank you. While I agree that some jokes aren't funny, I don't feel that there are topics that shouldn't be joked about or even better still some topics that can't be discussed in a rational manner. Comics like Lenny Bruce challenged societal norms by using language we considered off limits back in the day. Others like George Carlin were unabashedly for free speech and skewering the sacred cows of the establishment. And that's the key here. Good comedy has always been anti-establishment. There's always been this relationship between good comedy and social norms and I don't feel that that should be a reason not to see or listen to a comedian. There are good points to be made, on both sides mind you, but not all the points are worthy enough to enact actual change. Personally I will continue to watch these comedians I like and hope that their edge isn't dulled by too much SJW and PC backlash.

• One Trick Pony

  jake_fantom2016-09-09

  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.