Explicit language in movies, your thoughts?

This is one reason why I don't like a lot of new movies, now I have nothing against vulgar language in movies, but there is such a thing as overkill. Scarface made 226 'fuck's work, but any other movie, . And it just seems to me like they're trying to spell out that the script writer is so incompetent or has such a poorly developed vocabulary when every other word somebody says in a movie has to be 'fuck', or every time they open their mouths, every sentence has it in there, fuck this, fuck that, fuck fuck fuck, I don't shell out good money for 2 hours of a visual broken record. How about everyone else?

The point of creating a character is to make sure they are authentic. It makes sense that Scarface has the word "fuck" 200 times. Plus, it is the most versatile word in the English language.

Characters shouldn't sound like their authors/creators.

Rockbird wrote:The point of creating a character is to make sure they are authentic. It makes sense that Scarface has the word "fuck" 200 times. Plus, it is the most versatile word in the English language.

Characters shouldn't sound like their authors/creators.

Fuckin' A

I think it makes a movie look juvenile most of the time. It's one thing to have a few scattered curses but I think it's hard to like characters shouting profanity every few seconds. And it's hard to respect a movie that thinks profanity every few seconds makes it clever.

Indeeeed, that's one reason why I prefer the original Night of the Living Dead to the '90 remake, now the remake was good, but I preferred it when everybody wasn't screaming at each other and cursing each other out like a bunch of children, that may be realistic, but if it was reality I wanted, I wouldn't watch movies. I prefer it when the characters can remain somewhat civil throughout the picture.

Forgiveness Man wrote:I think it makes a movie look juvenile most of the time. It's one thing to have a few scattered curses but I think it's hard to like characters shouting profanity every few seconds. And it's hard to respect a movie that thinks profanity every few seconds makes it clever.

I agree with that.

If the plot/characters call for it then it's necessary for authenticity. You have a movie the “adult” themes like organized crime, war, drug addiction, whatever, having a character say “freaking” when you know the word is “fucking” doesn’t work if you like realism in your movies. It comes down to who do the producers want to sell more tickets to. An R-rated audience or a PG-13 audience.

alan smithee wrote:If the plot/characters call for it then it's necessary for authenticity. You have a movie the “adult” themes like organized crime, war, drug addiction, whatever, having a character say “freaking” when you know the word is “fucking” doesn’t work if you like realism in your movies. It comes down to who do the producers want to sell more tickets to. An R-rated audience or a PG-13 audience.

I usually think swearing in film is heavy handed when it comes to kids. It just doesn't come out natural and feels forced with them, but if the movie is about crime, sex or infidelity, I expect to hear cursing.

I also think that if it weren't for television standards and practices, it wouldn't be at all unrealistic that soap characters (both daytime and primetime) to not be cussing up a storm.

I think way too much explicit language is not necessary. Explicit language is definitely necessary for some characters and movies, but overdoing it makes it look stupid. I think it takes a balance of tact and reality. I saw a Chris Rock movie several years ago, I can't even remember the title of it, but it was so stupid how much on the profanity was not needed, it's not like it was a movie on alcoholism, for God's sake, it was about a man who was bored with his wife. Such an original storyline!

Just Fuckin' with you Daddy!



One of many explicit expletives spoken by 11-year-old character Mindy, AKA Hit Girl by 13-year-old actress Chloe Grace Moretz, who was not allowed to see this R-rated movie.

Go Figure!

One of the things I found so amusing about Home Alone was Joe Pesci not being able to curse. Granted, it wasn’t at all realistic but having him sound like he was in a Scorsese movie would have been totally out of place. Didn’t make the movie any less funny.

Gratuitous swearing is tacky, but it also depends on the delivery of the actor as well. Some actors are so forced and obnoxious with their dialogue that it becomes grating to hear them swear.

It depends on the theme of the movie but I tend to avoid movies with lots of swearing. They're not my kind of thing. Movies with lots of swearing tend to be either too violent for me or appeal to a different audience. For the most part, I avoid them and will turn them off if I find the language to vulgar.