F*ck

F*ck ***

Considering this is a family site, I'm a little confused about how I should approach my review for "F*ck," considering the subject matter. "F*ck" is about, for lack of a better word, the classic F-word. The word that everybody loves but the one that everyone is frightened of. And now there's a ninety minute documentary about it, and one that uses the word roughly 880 times, as the end credits tell us. These are just the off color and strange documentaries that I enjoy to watch-ones about subjects that we wouldn't normally expect a documentary one, and one that is alot of fun to watch. "F*ck" is both of those things.

Through interviews and clips, we learn that various ways that the word has been used throughout history. It turns out that nobody really knows the origins of the word, but it has been used for hundreds and hundreds of years. It also studies the various myths that are behind the word-including the fact that some people think that its an acronym standing for Fornication Under Consent of the King. Not true-not even close. We see movie clips that use the word-seeing how it was used for emphasis on anger in "Punch Drunk Love," and how it is used for comedy in "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles." We think about the various usage of the word-including in a sexual manner with interviews with Ron Jeremy who owes alot to the word because it's exactly what he did to make a living. We hear interviews from celebrities who are advocates of the word, as well as linguists who discuss the fascination with the word. For some reason, people hate to use it, but shyly admit that they use it often.

"F*ck" isn't the most in-depth documentary ever made, and it's about twenty minutes too long to focus on one word, but it's alot of fun, and the interviews with the various comedians and entertainers were priceless. This includes Drew Carey's request to the director at the end to make a movie about the infamous c-word. Now that'll be a little more difficult to market than this, I'm sure. Bill Plympton-who I raved about for his work on "Hair High" provides some quirky and light animation here for the inter titles, which adds to the amusement. Those who are sensitive to language should probably see what's playing in Theatre Number 2, because by the end of this, you'll have heard the f-word enough times to get expelled from elementary school. "F*ck" is an amusing documentary to spend ninety minutes watching. It's not groundbreaking or even remotely inspiring, but it ends up being a good time.