Can We Take a Joke?

A sporadically interesting yet terminally unfocused documentary, Can We Take a Joke? explores the rise of political correctness and, specifically, the impact it’s had on contemporary comedians (both professional and amateur). Filmmaker Ted Balaker devotes the lion’s share of Can We Take a Joke?‘s first half to establishing historical context, which he accomplishes by focusing on the trials and tribulations of Lenny Bruce in the ’50s and ’60s. (The comedian was famously arrested for obscenity and essentially devoted the rest of his career to fighting the charges.) And although some of this stuff is admittedly quite interesting, Balaker dwells on the Bruce material in a manner that’s indicative of the entire production (ie the filmmaker spends too much time on certain elements and not enough time on others). The repetitive vibe persists up until around the halfway mark, after which point Can We Take a Joke? admittedly does begin to improve – with the newfound emphasis on intriguing anecdotes and stories helping alleviate the otherwise static atmosphere. (There is, for example, a whole section devoted to Justine Sacco’s notorious tweet about AIDS in Africa.) It’s ultimately clear, though, that there’s just not enough content here to warrant a full-length running time, as Can We Take a Joke? is, in the end, a persistently erratic documentary that’s compelling only in fits and starts.

** out of ****