Women Aren't Funny

- 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 fucking listening to this all night.

I don't wanna shoot myself in the head.

or fucking 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 fucking 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 fuckin' drunk.

What am I signing, in turquoise?

- Is it... - It's the...

- Oh, what a fuckin'... - - 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, fuck 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 fucking 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,

I will now speak about myself only in the somewhat annoying, omnipresent third person.

It's what journalists do.

I don't know what to do.

It's Spanish.

I'm getting a message in Spanish.

Maybe you dialed the wrong number.

No... Yeah, I dialed it.

No, through like AT&T. It just came out, the first thing was Spanish.

Oh, my goodness.

We're in the wrong country.

- Daddy. - What?

While Bonnie and Rich are waiting to perform

at the local comedy club in Philly,

Bonnie receives a tip that Christopher Hitchens

is at a speaking engagement just a few blocks away.

Bonnie decides to pursue the tip in hopes of getting an interview.

- Can I press? - Right here, ground, G.

- G like grandma. - Grandma's button.

Rich decides to tag along

to see if he's recognized.

Oh, look, he recognized me.

He is.

- Really? - Did you just recognize him?

- Yeah, yeah. - A lot.

The Asian guy did recognize me

'cause he took a double take.

- Yeah, yeah. - Did you just recognize him?

Yeah, yeah. From Last Comic Standing, right?

Oh, my God, yes. Do you recognize me?

No.

And we have a camera crew with us right now.

All right.

OK, bye.

- Thank you. - Did they say no?

Yeah, they said he wants to send a letter.

I saw you when you were walking up, I was like, "Hey, I love this guy."

Did you guys recognize me?