Do you feel modern film makers sometime overdo the "dirty" dialog to the point

1. 84

   bethperryposted 10 years ago

   Do you feel modern film makers sometime overdo the "dirty" dialog to the point
   
   of being tedious or creates an unneeded distraction to the overall plot?
   
   The films of Quentin Tarantino come immediately to mind. I also like actors Seth Rogen and Joe Pesci, but they tend to be in films that often bore me to tears with the cursing. I know real life is hardly free of dirty words, but am I alone to think cursing often gets tedious in films?

   replyreport
2. 90

   Thief12posted 10 years ago

   This is a chicken-or-egg situation because a lot of people do talk dirty and curse constantly. So I can see how a film can use "dirty" dialogue to reflect that reality. On the other hand, I do think that there's a bit of a stylish angle to some films cursing, and Tarantino - which you mentioned - comes to mind. Now, I don't think the cursing in his films is necessarily excessive when compared to the real-life dialogue of some people, but I do think it's part of his style to "pepper" his scripts in a particular way.
   
   That said, I don't think there's an imbalance between films with "dirty" dialogue and films without it. I mean, for every film with cursing, there are probably tenths without it.

   replyreport
   1. 84

      bethperryposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thief12, the sad thing I feel is the overuse of it distracts from an otherwise good storyline. I honestly get bored with an exaggerated amount of cursing. Thanks for answering!

      replyreport
3. 60

   Tim Quamposted 10 years ago

   I would say so.  There are many R-rated comedies these days.  Go back to the 1980s and Chevy Chase and Steve Martin made some good PG comedies.  I think it was easier to find a good comedy in those years.  That's probably not the genre of film you're talking about.  I think the problem is "realism" is the order of the day, but maybe it's not real, maybe it's just gritty.

   replyreport
   1. 84

      bethperryposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I agree, Tim. I don't know anyone that doesn't utter a profanity every now and then but nothing like the dialog in some of these films. If film makers are looking for realism, they are barking up the wrong tree!

      replyreport
4. 64

   Meredith_A_Iagerposted 10 years ago

   Yes, I feel they over use the F word and other foul language and it gets to the point where people are so numbed to these words that it's very bad.  It isn't comedy it's really sick. When was comedy about how many dirty words are used? It has become this way because society has become less intelligent, and they are catering to an audience that is accepting. As a movie lover and reviewer, and screenwriter, I must say I still watch these kinds of movies, but when crude starts getting insane it becomes offensive, even when parts of the movie are funny and you are enjoying watching the film, you start to question how sick it is to continue to watch it.

   replyreport
5. 61

   IDONOposted 10 years ago

   Okay! This will cost me, but here goes.     
                                              IT'S WOMEN'S FAULT!
        Especially the use of the "F" bomb. Not that many years ago, movies, whether comedy or dramatic, stayed away from using the "F" word too much because it would alienate and offend at least half of their audience;women; which was half of their revenue. But, these days, women use the "F' word without giving it a second thought. I remember in school when a girl slipped and said it in the hall one day. A teacher heard her and she was suspended for a week and the story spread like wildfire. Have you ever overheard a woman on their cell phone? They're Marines.
        So, now that it has become part of women's everyday vocabulary, the movie industry no longer has the need to avoid using it.
        Bottom line: WOMEN
   
   I will be going undercover now! Ladies: don't hurt the dog!

   replyreport
   1. 84

      bethperryposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      IDONO, granted women curse more than they did when I was a kid. But to be fair- the first people I EVER heard drop the F bomb were every one male, and bad habits of women don't explain say Tarantino's obsession with raunchy language.

      replyreport
   2. 61

      IDONOposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not saying that women invented the F bomb. What I'm saying is, at the point women found that word acceptable as everyday language, the barrier that once existed in the movie industry was removed. And of course they jumped on it. I agree. Too much

      replyreport
6. 48

   DDEposted 10 years ago

   I think they do overdo the dirty dialog trying to prove some point and also the use of vulgar can be too much

   replyreport
7. 0

   JThomp42posted 10 years ago

   Yes. But unfortunately, this is what sells. People want profanity, sex, violence, etc. to take them into an adventure that they will never experience. They want to get the adrenaline going from a good fight (murder) scene.
   
   This takes them away from their mundane every day lives. Hollywood knows this, and knows it very well.

   replyreport
8. 72

   Twilight Lawnsposted 10 years ago

   I agree wholeheartedly.  I am certainly no prude, and I provide here my CV:- I was brought up in Australia and have taught in a SE1, London school.  Neither is noted for holding back with expletives and foul language. 
   I have been told that I have a "filthy mouth" at times, but am also quite capable of holding back in the correct  company.  The cinema, I believe, is the place to "hold back", as is the company of my Aunt Maude and, perhaps, the odd Vicar or two.
   Okay, so swearing might be important to the plot, and may also serve to be a quick indicator of a particular character's personality, but to continue it all through shows a lack of talent, not on the part of the actors, but of the director.
   If great literature can survive and be relevant without a plethora of "F" words and the like, then perhaps movies can do so also.

   replyreport
   1. 72

      Twilight Lawnsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Bows and blushes gracefully.
      Thank  you, BethPerry

      replyreport
9. 91

   Greensleeves Hubsposted 10 years ago

   To be honest, filthy language bothers me much more than either sex or  violence on screen. I think it's partly because it offers neither emotional sensual pleasure nor adrenalin filled action and excitement which these others may offer. It's just crude and does nothing to enhance the film. Secondly, a crude word springs upon you in an instant. There's no warning, no build up, no chance to avoid it.
   
   And it's unnecessary. I know many will argue that swearing lends authenticity to a movie, but I've seen plenty of clean-mouthed cinema films and TV movies featuring the most unsavoury of characters as well as characters from professions who may be expected to swear, and I've never sat back and thought: 'I can't believe in this - no one is swearing'.
   
   I think a lot of it is done just for shock value, and I think a great director /  scriptwriter should be able to work their magic with the 100,000s of clean words in English without resorting to the handful that offend.

   replyreport