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Romantic comedy is one of the most popular genres and a genre that I don’t often watch. When I was invited to a preview screening of The F Word I thought about it, and when seeing that it was directed by Michael Dowse, I was intrigued and wanted to see it. Dowse is a bit of a cinematic smuggler with many of his films on the surface being testosterone-laden explorations of masculinity with a surprisingly deep and emotional core at the heart of them.
Not knowing that there was more than meets the eye to Fubar is probably one of the reasons I hadn’t seen it sooner, so the first film by Dowse that I saw was It’s All Gone Pete Tong. The mockumentary about a DJ who loses his hearing starts out as a documentary and plays with the form to create an entertaining story about a man struggling to define who he is and what is important. After seeing it I sought out Fubar and enjoyed it as well. With the sequel Fubar: Balls to the Wall he explored the same ideas, but added some real depth and drama in unexpected ways and it was one of my favourite films that I’d seen at the Atlantic Film Festival in 2010.
The F Word is written by Elan Mastai and is based on the play “Toothpaste and Cigars” written by T.J. Dawe and Michael Rinaldi and the one-act play is expanded and tweaked into a much more cinematic form. Set and shot in mainly in Toronto, it looks gorgeous with some whimsical visual animated flourishes that add a nice texture to the film. With a romantic comedy the path is well-worn, but what I liked about the film is that it did play with the form in a way that kept it interesting for me.
At the heart of the film are Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan who have fantastic chemistry. Having only seen one of the Harry Potter films, I hadn’t actually seen much of what Radcliffe was capable of and he has great comic timing which was a pleasant surprise. I first saw Zoe Kazan in the clever Ruby Sparks (which she also wrote) which subverts many of the romantic comedy conventions. Supported by Adam Driver (who effortlessly steals scenes) and Mackenzie Davis as another couple providing a counterpoint to the central friendship of the film.
It’s funny and enjoyable with characters that I cared about and a story that kept me interested by moving between the characters and subplots. There is a sense that the film is grounded and exists in a world closer to reality than most romantic comedies. It’s a perfect summer film that allows all involved to work within an established genre without being stifled by it.
