Fuck (film)
Fuck is a 2005 American documentary film by
director Steve Anderson about the word "fuck".
The film argues that the word is an integral
part of societal discussions about freedom
of speech and censorship. It looks at the
term from perspectives which include art,
linguistics, society and comedy, and begins
with a segment from the 1965 propaganda film
Perversion for Profit. Scholars and celebrities
analyze perceptions of the word from differing
perspectives. Journalist Sam Donaldson talks
about the versatility of the word, and comedian
Billy Connolly states it can be understood
despite one's language or location. Musician
Alanis Morissette comments that the word contains
power because of its taboo nature. The film
features the last recorded interview of author
Hunter S. Thompson before his suicide. Scholars,
including linguist Reinhold Aman, journalism
analyst David Shaw and Oxford English Dictionary
editor Jesse Sheidlower, explain the history
and evolution of the word. Language professor
Geoffrey Nunberg observes that the word's
treatment by society reflects changes in our
culture during the 20th century.
Anderson was exposed to public conceptions
surrounding the word "fuck" by comedian George
Carlin's monologue "Seven Words You Can Never
Say on Television". He named the film Fuck
despite anticipating problems with marketing.
Animator Bill Plympton provided sequences
illustrating key concepts in the film. The
documentary was first shown at the AFI Film
Festival on November 7, 2005, at ArcLight
Hollywood in Hollywood.
Fuck's reviews were mixed. Film critic A.
O. Scott called the documentary a battle between
advocates of morality and supporters of freedom
of expression. The Washington Post and the
New York Daily News criticized its length
and other reviewers disliked its repetitiveness
– the word "fuck" is used 857 times in
the film. In his 2009 book Fuck: Word Taboo
and Protecting Our First Amendment Liberties,
law professor Christopher M. Fairman called
the movie "the most important film using 'fuck'".
The American Film Institute said, "Ultimately,
Fuck is a movie about free speech ... Freedom
of expression must extend to words that offend.
Love it or hate it, fuck is here to stay."
Content summary
Fuck begins with a segment from the 1965 propaganda
film Perversion for Profit, followed by a
clip from SpongeBob SquarePants which states
that the word can be used as a "sentence enhancer".
The documentary includes commentary from film
and television writers Kevin Smith and Steven
Bochco; comedians Janeane Garofalo, Bill Maher,
Drew Carey and Billy Connolly; musicians Chuck
D, Alanis Morissette and Ice T; political
commentators Alan Keyes and Pat Boone; and
journalists Michael Medved and Judith Martin.
The word "fuck" is used 857 times during the
film.
Scholarly analysis is provided by Maledicta
publisher Reinhold Aman, journalism analyst
David Shaw and Oxford English Dictionary editor
Jesse Sheidlower. Language professor Geoffrey
Nunberg says, "You could think of that as
standing in for most of the changes that happened
in the 20th century, at least many of the
important ones".
The film next features author Hunter S. Thompson
in his final documented interview. Fuck later
includes archival footage of comedians Lenny
Bruce and George Carlin, and analysis of the
word's use in popular culture, from MASH (1970)
to Scarface (1983) and Clerks (1994). Carlin's
1972 monologue "Seven Words You Can Never
Say on Television" is excerpted in the film.
Journalist Sam Donaldson comments on the versatility
of "fuck": "It's one of those all-purpose
words." Bill Maher comments, "It's the ultimate
bad word", observing that thanks to Lenny
Bruce, comedy clubs have become "the freest
free-speech zone" in the United States.
Connolly states that "fuck" "sounds exactly
like what it is", noting that the emotional
impact of saying "fuck off" cannot be translated.
He says that if you are in Lhasa airport and
someone is fiddling with your luggage, yelling
"fuck off" will effectively communicate that
they should stop and leave. Morissette says,
"The f-word is special. Everybody uses the
word 'breakfast', but not everyone feels comfortable
using the word 'fuck' so there's an extra
power behind it." Boone argues for less use
of the word, saying that he uses his surname
instead. Radio talk show host Dennis Prager
says that it is acceptable for youths to hear
the word on television and film, but not from
their family members. In the film, opponents
of the word "fuck" use an argument commonly
known as "Think of the children".
Fuck observes that the original use of the
word is unknown to scholars, noting that its
earliest written appearance was in the 1475
poem "Flen flyys". It was not, as is often
claimed, originally an acronym for "For Unlawful
Carnal Knowledge" or "Fornication Under Consent
of the King". The word has been used by authors
including Robert Burns, D. H. Lawrence (in
his 1928 Lady Chatterley's Lover) and James
Joyce. The film explains that "fuck" established
its current usage during the First and Second
World Wars, and was used by General George
S. Patton in a speech to his forces who were
about to enter France.
Fuck states that the first use of the word
in a large-studio film was in M*A*S*H (1970),
and it entered the Oxford English Dictionary
in 1972. That year, the word was also recorded
during the Apollo 16 United States mission
to land on the Moon. The film includes a segment
from the 1987 film Planes, Trains and Automobiles
with actor Steve Martin, in which "fuck" is
repeated for comedic effect. Fuck states that
the most financially successful live action
comedy film to date had the suggestive title
of Meet the Fockers (2004). The director analyzes
the uses and connotations of "fuck" and the
feelings it evokes on several levels. Bruce
is quoted as saying, "If you can't say 'fuck',
you can't say 'fuck the government'". Steve
Anderson argues that "fuck" is an integral
part of societal discussions about freedom
of speech and censorship.
Soundtrack
Fuck includes songs with similarly themed
titles, including "Shut Up and Fuck" by American
hard rock band Betty Blowtorch, "Fucking Fucking
Fuck" by Splatpattern and "I Love to Say Fuck"
by American horror punk supergroup Murderdolls.
Journalist Sam Peczek of Culture Wars compared
the film's music to that in softcore pornography,
and observed that the soundtrack was broad
in scope and helped accentuate the film's
content.
Track listing
Production
Inspiration
Anderson made his directorial debut in 2003
with the film The Big Empty, starring actors
Daryl Hannah and Jon Favreau, and became fascinated
by the usage of the word "fuck". In an interview
with the Democrat and Chronicle, Anderson
suggested he cursed a lot more than he used
to after the film's production. He decided
to research the film's topic due to the word's
versatility and his interest in language as
a writer. Early exposure by Anderson to public
perception of the word "fuck" came from Class
Clown by comedian George Carlin, which included
his monologue "Seven Words You Can Never Say
on Television".
The director explained in an interview that
he was fascinated with the word "fuck" because
of its different uses. He originally proposed
the idea of a film about the word in jest,
later realizing that the topic could fuel
a documentary. The Observer quoted him as
saying that he was entertained by the word
"fuck", and intrigued with the idea of examining
how the word had been incorporated into popular
culture. He wanted to analyze why some people
were offended by its use and others enjoyed
it, noting that the word sharpened debate
about taboo language in society.
Anderson explained to the Los Angeles Times
the confusing, forbidden nature of the word
"fuck" in the face of the increased pervasiveness
of euphemisms for it. He commented on its
taboo nature and demonstrated how it can be
indirectly referred to, so youth understand
the reference without using the word itself.
In an interview with the South China Morning
Post, Anderson said that film directors should
fight against censorship, because it can block
their true message.
The director told CanWest News Service that
he hoped the documentary would provoke a wider
discussion about freedom of speech, sexual
slang and its media use. Anderson questioned
whether the word should be used on NYPD Blue,
and how parents should discuss its use with
their children. He emphasized that artists
and filmmakers should be free to express their
views without censorship, deferring to public
opinion on the appropriateness of his documentary's
title.
Anderson stated in an interview with IndieWire
that freedom of speech was not guaranteed,
but a concept requiring discussion and monitoring
so it is not lost. He classified the word
"fuck" as being at the core of discussion
about freedom of speech. He acknowledged that
there are terms considered by society more
vulgar than "fuck", but said that this particular
word creates controversy and dialogue. Anderson
said that its title alone distinguished his
documentary from others, in terms of promotional
difficulty. During production, Fuck was known
as The Untitled F-Word Film.
Title and marketing
In an interview about the film on his website,
Anderson discussed problems he encountered
in naming his film Fuck instead of a censored
version of the word. Anderson always wanted
to call it Fuck, because it succinctly described
the film's contents. There were inherent problems
with this approach, including an inability
to advertise the true title in mainstream
media such as The New York Times and Los Angeles
Times (they used four asterisks instead),
although the real title might be permitted
in alternative newspapers such as LA Weekly.
Anderson also anticipated problems displaying
the film's title during film festivals on
theatre marquees.
Anderson explained that although the title
of his documentary was Fuck, he allowed alternate
designations using an asterisk. The film and
content he controlled would refer to the title
as Fuck, including theatrical and DVD editions.
He concluded that his struggle reflected the
debate alluded to by the documentary, and
this realization motivated him to stand firm
on the film's title. Because the film is about
how a taboo word can impact culture, it was
important to keep Fuck as its title.
Filming and distribution
The film features animation by American graphic
designer and cartoonist Bill Plympton. To
illustrate key concepts, Fuck uses sound bites,
music, video clips and archival film footage;
Anderson combined excerpts from five television
series and twenty-two films in the documentary.
The interviews were cut so that different
subjects appear to be talking to each other;
the interviewees in question generally had
opposite views on the subject. The film was
unrated by the Motion Picture Association
of America.
Rainstorm Entertainment was confirmed in November
2003 to produce and finance the documentary,
with production scheduled to begin in January
2004. The film was completed in 2005 by Anderson's
company, Mudflap Films, and produced by Rainstorm
Entertainment co-founders Steven Kaplan and
Gregg Daniel, and Bruce Leiserowitz, Jory
Weitz and Richard Ardi. Financial assistance
was provided by Bad Apple Films of Spokane,
Washington.
Thirty-five media commentators were interviewed
for the film. Jory Weitz helped obtain interviews;
he had cast Anderson's previous film, The
Big Empty, and had industry credibility as
executive producer of Napoleon Dynamite. Anderson
said he intended to select interviewees with
a variety of perspectives, conservative as
well as liberal. He described how, as confirmations
of interview subjects came in, he was surprised
when Pat Boone was among the first to confirm
his participation. Anderson had previously
worked as a cameraman on a piece with Boone
about eight years before starting work on
Fuck. After confirming Boone, Bill Maher and
Janeane Garofalo on Fuck, it became easier
for Anderson to confirm other interviewees.
The film included the final video interview
with Hunter S. Thompson before his suicide,
and Anderson dedicated it to Thompson for
his contributions to journalism.
Distribution rights to Fuck were obtained
by THINKFilm in 2006. Movie chains did not
use the film's title in their promotion, instead
using references such as The Four-Letter Word
Film. Mark Urman, chief of the theatrical
division of THINKFilm, told The Philadelphia
Inquirer that it was especially difficult
(as an independent film distributor) to promote
a film with a title media outlets did not
wish to print. Urman told Variety that the
intent of the production staff during promotion
was a creative, original marketing campaign.
THINKFilm marketed the documentary as a comprehensive,
humorous look at the dichotomy between the
taboo nature and cultural universality of
the word "fuck".
Reception
Release
Fuck was shown for the first time on November
7, 2005, at the American Film Institute Film
Festival at the ArcLight Hollywood on Sunset
Boulevard in Hollywood, California. On March
10, 2006, interest increased after the opening
night of the 20th South by Southwest Film
Festival in Austin, Texas. At the 30th Cleveland
International Film Festival, it sold out two
screenings (which were standing-room only
events).
Fuck was featured on March 31 and April 2,
2006, at the Florida Film Festival. It was
screened in April 2006 during the Philadelphia
Film Festival at Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia.
It had its Washington, D.C. premiere in June
2006, and was shown on June 15 at the Nantucket
Film Festival.
Fuck opened in Los Angeles on August 23, 2006
and in New York on November 10. It made its
Canadian debut at the 2006 Hot Docs Canadian
International Documentary Festival, and began
regular showings at the Bloor Cinema on December
1. The documentary began screening at the
Century Centre Cinema in Chicago on November
17, 2006. Fuck had two screenings in April
2007 during the Hong Kong International Film
Festival in Tsim Sha Tsui. According to a
2011 interview with Anderson in the Santa
Barbara Independent, the documentary was shown
in about 100 film festivals worldwide and
was screened in about 65 cities during its
theatrical release.
Critical response
Fuck received mixed reviews. The review aggregator
website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 56% approval
rating with an average rating of 5.8/10 based
on 72 reviews. The website's consensus reads,
"A documentary that sets out to explore a
lingual taboo but can't escape its own naughty
posturing." At Metacritic, which assigns a
weighted-mean rating from 0–100 based on
reviews by film critics, the film has a rating
score of 58 based on 23 reviews (a mixed,
or average, film). The American Film Institute
wrote, "Ultimately, Fuck is a movie about
free speech ... Freedom of expression must
extend to words that offend. Love it or hate
it, fuck is here to stay".
Jack Garner of the Democrat and Chronicle
gave the film a rating of 8 out of 10, concluding
that he was pleasantly surprised at the documentary's
entertainment value. He described it as educational,
despite Fuck's repetitive use of the word.
In The Boston Globe Wesley Morris commented
that the director's flippant style was beneficial,
enabling him to make serious educational points
to the audience. Sally Foster of Film Threat
said that the crux of the film was the debate
about freedom of speech, and that the film
was funny and thought-provoking. A. O. Scott
wrote in The New York Times: "Mr. Anderson's
movie is staged as a talking-head culture-war
skirmish between embattled upholders of propriety
(or repression, if you prefer) and proponents
of free expression (or filth), but its real
lesson is that the two sides depend upon each
other. Or rather, that the continued vitality
of the word — its unique ability to convey
emphasis, relieve stress, shock grown-ups
and function as adverb, noun, verb, intensifier
and what linguists call 'infix' — rests
on its ability to mark an edge between the
permissible and the profane". In the Chicago
Reader, Jonathan Rosenbaum wrote that the
documentary was an amusing film and an educational
commentary on the word. According to Glenn
Garvin of The Miami Herald, the film was an
expansive merging of perspectives from politics,
history and culture.
In a review for The Austin Chronicle Marjorie
Baumgarten gave the film a rating of 4.5 out
of five stars, concluding that it helped unravel
myths surrounding the word and describing
it as captivating and educational. Steve Schneider
reviewed the film for the Orlando Weekly,
comparing it to an academic thesis despite
its repeated use of off-color humor. Noel
Murray of The A.V. Club gave the film a grade
of B-minus, stating that Fuck succeeded where
Kirby Dick's This Film Is Not Yet Rated did
not, by providing viewpoints from multiple
perspectives. Karl French wrote in a review
for the Financial Times that the documentary
was unique and reasonably entertaining. Moira
MacDonald asked, in a review for The Seattle
Times, if viewers could embrace the First
Amendment to the United States Constitution
and still be leery of the word's omnipresence
in society. Mick LaSalle wrote in the San
Francisco Chronicle that the commentators
seemed monotonous and formulaic in debating
freedom of speech, and criticized the film's
repetition of the word "fuck".
Peter Keough reviewed the film for the Boston
Phoenix; giving it a rating of two out of
four stars, he also said that the repeated
use of "fuck" grew tiresome. In a critical
review for The Observer Philip French wrote
that the film had low comedic value, calling
it arrogant, puerile and tedious. Peter Bradshaw
of The Guardian gave the film two out of five
stars, criticizing its lack of originality.
In a review for Empire magazine, David Parkinson
also gave the film a rating of two out of
five stars and was frustrated that arguments
by the director seemed guarded; he said that
the film's scope was not comedic, amusing
or provoking enough. In Time Out London David
Jenkins gave the film one star out of six,
writing that it lacked depth on the issues
of linguistics, media, and censorship. A critical
review by Noah Sanders of The Stranger concluded
that the film was watchable and amusing, but
poorly edited and organized. The St. Paul
Pioneer Press criticized the film's length,
which was echoed by The Washington Post, the
Deseret News, The Herald and the New York
Daily News. In a review for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Bill White gave the film a grade C, calling
it a dull compilation of childish observations
and a failed attempt to spark a discussion
about freedom of speech. Mike Pinksy of DVD
Verdict concluded that the film's main arguments
were achieved by the beginning of the documentary,
and criticized its lack of subsequent structure
and light tone overall.
Home media
THINKFilm reached an agreement to screen the
documentary on the American premium cable
channel Showtime in 2007, and it aired on
the Documentary Channel on May 28, 2011. The
DVD for Fuck was released by THINKFilm on
February 13, 2007, and a United Kingdom DVD
edition was released in 2009. For the DVDs,
THINKFilm remastered the video for Fuck; it
was optimized for home viewing with 1.85:1
anamorphic widescreen transfer to a 16:9 anamorphic
full-frame presentation and Dolby Digital
Stereo 2.0 audio.
Trailers for Shortbus, Farce of the Penguins
and The Aristocrats appear on the DVD before
the documentary. Special features include
a commentary track by Steve Anderson, interviews
with Anderson and Bill Plympton, the film's
theatrical trailer, a gallery for the introductory
trailers, deleted scenes and interviews with
Hunter S. Thompson and Tera Patrick. The disc
includes an optional on-screen counter, giving
viewers a running total of utterances (and
appearances) of the word "fuck" during play.
Impact
Fuck has been a resource for several university
courses. Christopher M. Fairman discussed
the documentary in his article, "Fuck", published
in February 2007 in the Cardozo Law Review.
Fairman cited Anderson's decision to call
his film Fuck and the marketing problems this
entailed, saying that he and Anderson both
found the title of their works helped spur
debate on word taboos in society.
In an interview with the Santa Barbara Independent,
Anderson said that a schoolteacher in Philadelphia
had been fired for showing the documentary
to his students. The teacher had researched
the documentary, and wanted to teach his students
the history of the word because of its frequent
use in his class. Anderson said it was not
the use of the word "fuck" in the film that
cost the teacher his job, but a 38-second
scene from a Fuck for Forest concert in Europe
where a couple engaged in sexual intercourse
onstage as environmental advocacy. The teacher
showed the DVD to his 11th-grade journalism
class at William Penn High School without
previewing it or sending permission slips
home to parents. He told the Philadelphia
Daily News that before showing the documentary,
he was unaware that it contained the clip
showing sexual intercourse. He was dismissed
from his position by the school principal,
and his termination was upheld by the regional
superintendent. The teacher did not appeal
the decision, instead retiring. An analysis
of the incident by the Philadelphia Daily
News concluded that the school district's
decision to fire the teacher was appropriate,
but also agreed with the teacher's position
that showing a 90-minute DVD should not have
obliterated his 19 years as an educator.
Fuck was featured in a 2012 analysis in the
academic journal Communication Teacher, "Do
You Talk to Your Teacher with That Mouth?
F*ck: A Documentary and Profanity as a Teaching
Tool in the Communication Classroom", by Miriam
Sobre-Denton of Southern Illinois University
Carbondale and Jana Simonis. Sobre-Denton
and Simonis discussed the documentary's use
for communication studies students studying
university-level intercultural relations.
Their research incorporated interviews with
Steve Anderson, students and data from graduate-level
classes in language and culture. Sobre-Denton
and Simonis' conclusions correlated taboo
words with social forms of power, rebelliousness,
professionalism and gender roles.
