AIBU at the word bollocks being used in Clifford the Big Red Dog?

[ThisMustBeMyDream]

As per the title. I watched this in the cinema with my 6 and 9 year olds. I knew it was a PG and checked to see if it was suitable on common sense media as well as googling reviews, after previously making a mistake thinking Ghostbusters was okay (I didn't realise it had loads of swearing!). Nothing was mentioned at all on there. No other googling brought up this either. I know bollocks is hardly hugely offensive, but as I have an SEN 9 year old, who has great difficulties with impulse control, I am careful over what he sees. Swearing and violence is something we actively avoid.
Anyway, AIBU to think that I should have been able to find that information beforehand?
Also, is it even necessary?! It is used in a scene where Jack Whitehall says (in an American accent) "You see, if I hadn’t moved here when I was two, I would’ve grown up with a British accent. Bollocks. Rubbish. Collywobbles". I don't even know why it was necessary, but there you go!

I found it surprisingly enjoyable for that kind of film. I did giggle at the use of the word bollocks but tried not to react too much and my 9 yo didn't notice it. I just took it that the American editors didn't understand the meaning properly. In fact it reminded me of Spike on Buffy saying wanker freely, presumably for the same reason.

The thing with the word bollocks though is it has loads of different meanings,
so it is an expletive - oh bollocks
A load of nonsense - what a load of bollocks
Something brilliant- the dogs bollocks.

Then you can be harshly told off - given a bollocking

Or drunk - bolloxed

So I guess people do see it as mild, although still probably unnecessary in a kids film.

@SoniaFouler

Jack Whitehall has form for this. YANBU.

It's a film script. I doubt he chose the words or that it was his decision to have it left in the film tbh.

@Abraxan
RTFT!

Nope totally disagree there

Bollocks / crap / bloody

Fuck / arse / piss

Cunt *all alone

@Flowers500

I think bollocks is one of the mildest possible? Like way less than crap

I agree.

I don't swear particularly, but I wouldn't consider bollocks as being particularly harsh at all. Definitely in the mildest category I'd say. On the same level as 'arse' to me.

Having said all of that, none of those words are appropriate in a child's film at all

Speaking of offensive words, probably the most frowned upon (and rightly so) is the 'N' word so I was surprised to hear it used in the big Netflix movie 'Don't look up' which strikes me as something that would otherwise be rated 12.

[quote SoniaFouler]@ZZGirl
While I agree it's unnecessary in the movie, Jack Whitehall didn't write the script.

I suggest you read further into the thread[/quote]
Even if he said it, he didn't produce the film. If the producers deemed it inappropriate it would be cut.

He is an actor in the film. He will have had no say it what actually ends up in the finished movie. Actors rarely have that level of involvement.

[quote SoniaFouler]@Abraxan
RTFT![/quote]
The latter half of my statement stands.
He may say the word but he won't have any say in what is left in after editing /!; production.

@PlanktonsComputerWife

Agreed. Likewise the 1996 American film Matilda, where Pam Ferris bellows "YOU PISS WORM!" in a child's face.

My kids favourite bit, always made them giggle.

As I said before in USA it isn’t deemed a swear word.JW used it as such but if it was an American production they wouldn’t have batted an eyelid as it means ‘nonsense’ or ‘rubbish’ in that context

I recall twice seeing an episode of Mork and Mindy featuring Arnold Wanker. At tea time. I was most happy.

For those clutching pearls at how harsh cunt is I believe that quim is actually regarded to be higher up the scale, despite sounding far more pleasant when spoken. Cunt is just perfect though. It sounds as harsh and brutal as the aggressive manner in which it's generally used. Great wird when used well, just can't be topped (or misinterpreted).

@PlanktonsComputerWife

Agreed. Likewise the 1996 American film Matilda, where Pam Ferris bellows "YOU PISS WORM!" in a child's face.

1996 American film?

You mean the book written in the 80s by famous children's author Roald Dahl. Roald Dahl wrote some truly wonderful faux expletives.

No, she means the film. There was a film made of the book which stared Pam Ferris.

Meh. I can't see that 'bollocks' is appreciably worse than 'balls', and I've heard the latter in countless US kids films.

Interestingly, 'bollixed' is used in the US to mean 'having made a mess of something' - 'He bollixed it up'. Not so commonplace now but it made me smile when I heard it on a 'Murder, She Wrote' the other day.

@ThisMustBeMyDream

No, she means the film. There was a film made of the book which stared Pam Ferris.

But it was Roald Dahl that wrote it. Roald Dahl wrote the word pissworm.

Really? What page was that on? I have the book here and read it twice with DD, and I could have sworn the word was used in the film but not the book.

I am adept at glossing over words I don't want her to use, though, so it could have been my Internal Bowdlerisation Engine at work!

YABU. It's a PG not a U, and it says mild bad language. Bollocks is exactly that imo.

Oh dear did it!? I didn’t even notice when I took DS the other day…

I really don't think 5 year olds hear worse on the playground- they think bum is a swear word and delight in telling me when they hear it 🙄

@PlanktonsComputerWife

Really? What page was that on? I have the book here and read it twice with DD, and I could have sworn the word was used in the film but not the book.

I am adept at glossing over words I don't want her to use, though, so it could have been my Internal Bowdlerisation Engine at work!

I'm not going to re-read the entire book tonight to prove a point. I could well be mistaken but Roald Dahl is no stranger to swears and pseudo swears in children's books. I remember reading Revolting Rhymes to a year 2 class and after skipping the words bitch and slag and various others I found a convenient place to stop with the promise of finishing it later and the book 'disappeared' into the deep, dark, depths of the cupboard at lunchtime.

Revolting rhymes does, but Matilda itself as a novel does not. It is only used in the film. Which is why pp quoted the film, not the book.

And quite a few others. He definitely uses ass a few times in various books and I'm sure bitch is in something else (possibly George's Marvellous Medicine? George's dad calls Grandma some nasty things)

Anyway, the insinuation was that it was all the American filmmakers fault, which it's really not. And quite a lot of the language in Matilda is vile. Even if they're not 'official' swears.

Completely irrelevant though, Matilda is for 8+ where as Clifford is for preschoolers.

Thanks, OP.

Anyway, the insinuation was that it was all the American filmmakers fault, which it's really not.

Nope, I wasn't insinuating that, merely giving it as another example where the usage of milder swearwords differs between the two countries. I actually prefer Danny de Vito's film to the novel- it's excellent, largely faithful and brilliantly cast, and corrects some of the faults of the book. But I still find it amazing that the word was included, and that Pam Ferris (the lovely and comfortable Ma Larkin) bellows it in a child's face as she does! Like a PP's DC, though, my daughter was delighted .

I agree that Dahl was immensely creative with his insults. I love the sheer nastiness of The Twits, especially Mrs Twit's descent from her involuntary balloon ride, all petticoats and swinging stick and fury!