I SWEAR IT'S ALL TRUE
Cage hosts Netflix's entertaining series exploring the history of naughty words
History of Swear Words Netflix
History of Swear Words opens with Nicolas Cage, solemn as a rock, turning to the camera and unleashing a torrent of famous lines joined by one crucial, satisfying element: the thrill of forcefully exhaling the word “f---.”
With the combination of highbrow and lowbrow that
Cage has turned into a profitable persona all its own, the actor rips into iconic lines ranging from the basic (“who the f--- do you think you're talking to?”) to the perversely iconic (“f--- it, we'll do it live”) to the legendary (“I've had it with these motherf--in' snakes on this motherf--in' plane”). It's a short intro, but one that sets the tone for a self-aware series that delights in exploring formerly bleeped words as much as its host does in saying them.
In theory, “Nicolas Cage hosts a Netflix show about swear words” sounds like a wacky game show the algorithm spat out as an afterthought. In practice, History of Swear Words is more educational and straightforward than that, delivering six bite-sized lessons on six verboten and/or controversial words with the help of etymologists, comedians and historians.
Cage, who's made a sport of revving up his inherent intensity to absurdist new heights, proves a smart choice for a host.
This is both because he's an enigmatic actor who's game for anything, and because the show keeps his contributions brief.
The balance of historians against comedians such as London Hughes and Nikki Glaser give History of Swear Words a sort of documentary meets Best Week Ever vibe that works for the subject matter. Everyone's engaged, but no one's taking themselves too seriously.
So the main problem with the series isn't the presentation, but with how quickly it breezes through its material. Usually I'm begging Netflix shows to pare themselves down, and yet by the end of History of Swear Words, I was left frustrated that I didn't get deeper dives.
Each episode does an admirable job speeding through all the medieval mythology, socio-political context, pop culture reflections and bizarre fun facts behind each swear word. But with only 20 minutes a pop, these chapters barely have enough time to lay out the basic facts, let alone dig in. Anyone truly interested in the history of swear words may find themselves falling down Wikipedia rabbit holes in order to fill in the many blanks this show leaves behind.