Fuck (stylized as F★CK) 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 examines 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. The film is dedicated to him. 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 monolog "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 and released by ThinkFilm in the United States on November 10, 2006.

Fucks reviews were generally 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'".

Content summary

Fuck begins with a segment from the 1965 propaganda film Perversion for Profit, followed by a clip from SpongeBob SquarePants (specifically, from the episode "Sailor Mouth") 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 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 [word] 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 monolog "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 a person is in Lhasa Gonggar Airport and someone is fiddling with their 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 monolog "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 theater 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.