Fuck

It's puzzling how words effect people differently. Some are strongly affected, while others take them in stride. But one thing is for certain, the F-word has been a contentious four-letter symbol for a multitude of reasons.

First, is where it came from. There are so many false claims as to boggle the mind. Most of these fallacies center around a Playboy Magazine article from the 70s that said the F-word was "An order from the King to go forth and propagate." Supposedly this originated sometime around the 17th century and, of course, it's completely untrue. Helping to dispel this myth, the F*CK documentary seeks to enlighten and entertain and does so for the most part.

So where did this dastardly word come from? The simple answer is: we don't know. We do know that it first appeared as a written word around 1456, but that's about it. What we do know is that now the word is held as vile filth by some, while others use it daily.

Cutting a large swathe across socio-political and generational lines, the documentary interviews everyone from cursing experts and porn stars, to Miss Manners and Pat Boone.

Anyone interested in the First Amendment should no doubt see this documentary along with THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED. Both focus on America's disdain for words over violence. It's quite all right to shoot someone in the face on TV, but say the word "F*ck" and you're in big trouble with the FCC. A brief and sexually explicit scene from a European rock concert shows how open other nations are to sexuality and the F-word's express meaning, while American's can't seem to get over it.

That being said, I will say that I use the F-word on occasion but only within an appropriate context. I don't enjoy comedians who use it in every sentence (Chris Rock immediately leaps to mind) simply for shock value. I guess you could say that the F-word has its place in our society but, like chocolate, if you over-indulge in its use, you'll end up with a gluttonous-type problem. Whereas chocolate might end up giving you diabetes, over-usage of the F-word might end up making those around you shy away.

Some of the more comical moments in the film are with Pat Boone and rapper Ice-T. Pat Boone, Mr. Clean, never curses. What he does do is use his own last name as a sort of cursing venue. "If I get mad about a bad tennis shot, I'll yell 'Boone!'" Ice-T heard this and, of course, used it to great advantage. He found it funny and said that "Tonight I'm gonna go home and Boone the sh!t outta my wife." Another excellent aspect in the film was showing how hypocritical some politicians were. Most notable among them were Richard Nixon and George W. Bush. Nixon probably had one of the foulest mouths ever to enter the Whitehouse, while George Bush enjoys sticking his middle finger up at cameras. This is quite ironic since these conservative "gentleman"are the one's who've lambasted the liberal left for its unruly and inappropriate support on free speech when referring to the word f*ck.

This is a very interesting documentary with plenty of naughty and nice people giving their views on this little word.

It’s the Queen Mother of curse words, Although it’s been supplanted in some regards by the c-word (ask your parents), eff dash dash dash has far more uses - why, it’s probably the single most useful word in the universe, or at least the English language, since it can be used as a noun, an adjective, an adverb, an interjection, a verb, and so on. Seriously, let’s see your “the” and “thing” do that.

This documentary uses the bomb 857 times, so you know it’s not shying away from its subject matter. Pontificators from all sides of the spectrum weigh in on the word, from its uses in movies and songs to its origins and meanings to its use in the arena of politics (as famously used by the sitting Vice President on the floor of the Senate).

But in the end, it’s not as if anyone is going to be swayed one way or the other here. Those who think the word’s not all that bad (although perhaps shouldn’t be used anywhere, anytime) seem to make reasoned, thoughtful arguments, but the people watching this movie are probably on that side of the fence already, anyway. (By contrast, the more-conservative voices offering opinions come off as uptight jackasses who want to control everything.) Those interviewed include Janeane Garofolo, Billy Connolly, Bill Maher, Pat Boone, Sam Donaldson, Ice-T, Chuck D, John Crossley, Ron Jeremy, and Tera Patrick. All come off pretty well, doofy conservative arguments notwithstanding. But, man, is it just me, or does Billy Connolly look weirder every year? He looks like the Cowardly Lion on crack. Add in his sometimes unintelligble Scottish accent, and you get something you’d expect to find in the mines of Moria. That’s a Lord of the Rings reference, for you non-nerds out there.

Love Pat Boone, though, even when he comes off as a crusty old bastard. He said that he created a new word that he uses instead of cuss words - “boone.” Yep, he uses his own name. He drops something on his foot - “aw, BOONE!” Awesome. And then Ice-T, learning of this, agrees - he says he’s gonna boone his wife later that night.

It’s not a bad documentary, but it’s no great shakes, either. It actually feels a little tedious and repetitive and redundant after a while, because you’re like, “Okay, I get it! It's a bad word!”

I saw this documentary at a film festival a couple of months ago and had a great time. I didn't really know what to expect, sure I expected to hear you-know-what said a bunch of times, but I didn't know how the filmmakers were gonna make a documentary about it. The result was actually a well made film with a lot of great entertaining interviews and a lot of great segments from films spliced throughout.

It answers a lot of question people are likely wondering about the word and it's involvement in society, especially the media. Sure, the word is said many times throughout the film, but what do you expect when the title is the word itself? Some of the highlights include the different ways the word can be used, and of course, the end credits.

See this movie, tell your friends, just be careful who you're telling.

F*ck is a very entertaining and interesting documentary describing the use and abuse of the word in the English language. Of course, the word is used many times and in many ways (noun, verb, etc.). Experts discussing their experience with the word f*ck include liberals, conservatives, a 'cunning linguist', comedians, porn stars and Miss Manners.

The film is balanced and informative. It shows how positive energy is released while using the word f*ck. As well, discussed are appropriate ways to express frustration and copulation. Further, F*ck, offers a new swear word: "Boone", as in Pat Boone, who shines as an expert is verbal repression.

At Hotdocs film festival 2006, where I saw this film, the audience received it very well and everybody begins discussing and giggling again as they leave the theater. This is the kind of movie you see and imagine discussions on other similar words.

This movie works at multiple levels, is well directed and has cute animation sequences by Plympton. It contains some very interesting interviews with a huge range of opinions and social commentary. You may be surprised at the diversity of views. And you'd have to be insanely up-tight not to enjoy the humor. The person I saw this movie with was all ready to be negative about it - she really doesn't like "dirty" language. But the mix of serious academic people, famous personalities and the great inter-cutting of the interviews kept her attention through the movie. This isn't a short movie either - but there is so much material to cover, you end up really respecting what F*ck does (the irony is that IMDb's software won't let me use the actual word), which is to provoke thought about a simple word that breaks our society more or less into two camps. The idea that one word could so clearly illustrate the "culture wars" between the religious right verses the rational middle is an amazing thing. Go see it and talk to everybody you know about the real meaning of freedom and culture!