Comedy Documentary ‘Can We Take A Joke?’ Gains Distribution

can we take a joke

On April 1st, it was announced that Samuel Goldwyn Films had acquired the distribution rights to the 2015 documentary Can We Take A Joke?

The film is an examination of “outrage culture,” the movement that is constantly drawing into question what is considered offensive or “problematic” language and what is simply an exercise of free speech. In the world of comedy, being able to say whatever you want, regardless of how crass and insensitive it might seem, is a crucial part of the job, so comics in particular have a great reason to want to push back against the PC police. The film calls into question the validity of this movement and whether comedy can survive in such an environment, at a time where huge comedic acts like Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld are canceling shows at colleges due to the sensitivity of those audiences.

The film is directed by documentarian Ted Balaker and narrated by comedian Christina Pazsitzky of the Your Mom’s House podcast. Balaker taps into a great list of comics who are sure to have much to say on the issue, including Jim Norton, Gilbert Gottfried, Lisa Lampanelli, Penn Jillette, Heather McDonald, and Karith Foster.

Peter Goldwyn, President of Samuel Goldwyn Films, had this to say to Deadline about acquiring the film: “We at Samuel Goldwyn Films are outraged that the outrage has gotten this far, and are thrilled to work with Ted Balaker on his eye-opening and profound film on how free speech is under siege, not just in the comedic world but in all facets of life.”

Balaker released a statement about the acquisition as well, saying: “I’m thrilled that Samuel Goldwyn Films will be our distributor. The timing is a bit surreal because it is the 50th anniversary of the death of Lenny Bruce, the godfather of stand-up comedy and hero of our film; in our age of instant outrage and kneejerk censorship, we need Lenny’s influence now more than ever.”

The film will see a limited release at the end of this summer (date yet to be announced,) with a wider digital release coming later this year. Some lucky college students will get to see the film this month as it will be played at a string of college campuses for a week starting on April 13th.

For a taste of what to expect from the documentary, check out this interview of filmmaker Ted Balaker with Reason TV’s Nick Gillespie.

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