Kick-Ass doesn't get released for another two weeks, but it seems like you can't go two clicks of your mouse without stumbling onto another article about its intense language and ultraviolence; even the New York Times hopped on the bandwagon. Today's installment comes from across the pond, though, in jolly ol' England. A Guardian writer with the unfortunate name of David Cox laments the fact that 13-year-old star Chloe Moretz casually uses the heretofore verboten c-word during Kick-Ass. Says Cox: "A sorry milestone has been passed. The c-word has become acceptable parlance for children in mainstream movies. We'll be the poorer for it." And while it's hard to argue with logic that level-headed, Moretz's c-bomb is just one of the many examples thus far in 2010 that prove the final language taboo is on its way to being broken. Could this be the year of the C...?
Lest you think Kick-Ass is the only film coming this spring to flaunt the c-word, the just released red band trailer for MacGruber reveals what's sure to be a running joke throughout the May comedy: the name of Val Kilmer's baddie. It's Dieter Von Cunth. Commence giggling now. Even network television is getting in the act. On a recent episode of Community, Chevy Chase's character Pierce uttered the following zinger in the direction of Yvette Nicole Brown's Shirley: "Now I know what the 'C' in 'Captain' stands for... crabapple!"
Whether or not all this portends to a certain sea change (c-change?) in society has yet to be determined, but there's surely one person hoping it does (warning, NSFW):
ยท 'Kick-Ass' Kicks the C-word Into the Mainstream [Guardian]