Women Aren't Funny

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- Is that recording?

- Yeah, it's recording.

- So look...

- - No it isn't.

Yes, it is.

It says recording?

Um, OK, so this is the thing

is that I'm actually

trying to find out

do you think women are funny?

I've never met an unfunny woman.

Absolutely.

I love when you meet a girl out

and she tells you she's got

a best friend who's like

the funniest person ever.

She's got great stories

and then you meet her and,

oh my God, these stories, like, I'm

f***ing listening to this all night.

I don't wanna

shoot myself in the head.

or f***ing hang myself

from the nearest tree.

Do you think women are funny,

women comics are funny?

- Do I think women comics are funny?

- - Yes.

Actually, do I think alternative

women comics are funny.

You think alternative

women comics are funny?

I don't think women comics

are funny.

I don't want any women

in the movie.

Women aren't funny.

OK, get back.

First of all,

you're asking the right person

because I think a lot of guys are

not that f***ing funny, either.

You know what I mean? When people go,

"Well, a lot of women aren't funny."

It's like, "Are you

that funny too, shithead?"

I feel like I am

the exception to the rule

in the sense that

most women aren't funny

and then... I am.

You should be talking to,

like, a sociologist,

'cause I'm just a f***in' drunk.

What am I signing, in turquoise?

- Is it...

- It's the...

- Oh, what a f***in'...

- - It's a girls documentary.

I love how we make her

sit way in the corner,

- by the way.

- No, that's cool. I get it.

You know.

Now, Bonnie, what is

this that you're filming?

We're making a cocumentary.

- A cocumentary?

- Yeah.

Never heard the word

documentary butchered like that.

- Oh, I have.

- It's a comedy documentary.

- Yes.

- - Why do you call it that?

It's so dumb. It sounds dumb,

it's a documentary.

- Cocumentary?

- Well, it's a comedy.

- I think it works on two levels.

- Right there it's not funny.

Like, it's a comedy documentary.

So it's kind of a funny name.

And then you're in it.

So what exactly is this?

It's about...

what is the documentary about?

I'm on a quest to find out if

women are really funny or not.

- You know?

- All right.

Kind of like the last say in it.

Sum that up in about

three frames...

No.

This is exactly why

I am making this cocumentary.

Why are people still

so reluctant to admit

there are any funny women?

So women have this,

like, bad reputation

not being funny.

Where do you think

it comes from?

It's weird. Women are

soaring ahead in other areas

but in comedy, the attitudes

remain totally prehistoric.

- People think women are not funny?

- - Yes.

A lot of comedians actually

think there are a lot of...

that there aren't

funny female comedians.

Yeah.

Take this guy,

- What's your name?

- Jerry Lewis.

He may be famous

for portraying a dumb-dumb,

but he's infamous

for admitting publicly

that he doesn't think

any women are funny.

If he doesn't think

a woman is funny,

why does he dress up and

masquerade as a woman

and think it's so damn funny?

What were you saying?

This hot button issue encourages

many of our greatest thinkers

to weigh in.

I just think it's a lot harder for

women to do anything in society

because they have brains

a third the size of ours.

I just think the whole thing, like, are

you interviewing Hitchens, that guy?

That Christopher Hitchens guy

or whatever.

...Hitchens why women

aren't funny.

- Christopher Hitchens.

- In 2007,

renowned author

Christopher Hitchens

wrote a biting article

for Vanity Fair magazine

titled

"Why Women Aren't Funny."

It's doubly hurtful because

Hitchens usually saves his vitriol

for more deserving subjects,

like Henry Kissinger,

Mother Teresa, and God.

For Vanity Fair, Hitchens wrote,

"Why are women, who have the

whole male world at their mercy,

not funny? Please do not pretend not

to know what I'm talking about.

I read it. I didn't dwell on it.

Women are...

some women are funny. Next.

Hitchens blows my mind. I mean, I just think,

like, can you imagine if someone was like,

um, "Are black people smart?"

for Vanity Fair?

Like, f*** you.

You're getting screwed

all over the place.

It's just... you get screwed.

I don't know, whenever people

are sexist towards women

I just get super racist

towards black people.

You know, for a brilliant guy, he

says some really stupid things

- and that's one of them.

- - This unrelenting and aggressive attack

against funny women has left

some female comedians

afraid to talk candidly

for our film.

This woman has agreed to talk to

us only if we obscure her image.

...but I didn't realize

it would get so volatile

or make such big news.

We'll call her Ro.

But we find no shortage of male comedians who are

willing to go on record with their opinions.

They're not funny.

They're not f***ing funny.

There's more funny guys that I went to

high school with who are like, mechanics

than funny female comedians.

But, yeah, I don't find

a lot of women funny.

- Do you?

- I'll ask the questions.

Everybody's funny. It doesn't

matter if you're a guy or a girl.

It wasn't till I got in the

clubs that I was like,

"Wow, there's a lot of shitty

female comedians."

I think there is certainly

that stereotype that exists

in the culture. And I don't know

if it's just our culture,

American culture, or if that is true

throughout the world, you know?

I've done very little

research on the topic.

This is your documentary,

you should...

What? I'm busy.

- A binky.

- Chocolate.

A binky.

- Graham crackers, cookies.

- Who are you talking to?

In addition

to this project, I am a wife,

a mother and probably

most importantly,

a professional female

standup comedian.

Full disclosure,

I am an extremely

well credited opening act

for my husband.

Give 'em the plug.

Yes, my husband

is also a comedian.

And no, it's not always

a laugh riot.

- One, he's annoying.

- See that foot?

See how my toe's open?

Look at this one.

I can't get my pinky toe

to open.

With the unwavering

support of my husband,

I am able to add journalist

to my list of accreditations.

I am determined to find out

once and for all,

are women as funny as men?

I'm female comedian

Bonnie McFarlane.

I've heard "women aren't funny" almost

as often as "you're not funny."

But is it true?

- The debate is as old...

- This is stupid.

- What?

- Come on, let's go. This is stupid.

- I'm trying to do something,

- OK? It's stupid.

Looks like you're doing

a butter commercial

- or something.

- No, it's like I'm an investigative reporter.

- It's like a 20/20 sort of...

- It's not funny.

- No one gets this.

- It is funny.

I'm not wearing any pants.

You're gonna get ticks,

that's what's gonna happen.

Oh...

Where'd you get that from?

That's funny.

Now that's funny.

- Do this.

- And since I am participating as a subject,

to maintain some journalistic

integrity,

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