In a review for "The Austin Chronicle" Marjorie Baumgarten gave the film a rating of 4.5 out of five stars, concluding that it helped unravel myths surrounding the word and describing it as captivating and educational. Steve Schneider reviewed the film for the "Orlando Weekly", comparing it to an academic thesis despite its repeated use of off-color humor. Noel Murray of "The A.V. Club" gave the film a grade of B-minus, stating that "Fuck" succeeded where Kirby Dick's "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" did not, by providing viewpoints from multiple perspectives. Karl French wrote in a review for the "Financial Times" that the documentary was unique and reasonably entertaining. Moira MacDonald asked, in a review for "The Seattle Times", if viewers could embrace the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and still be leery of the word's omnipresence in society. Mick LaSalle wrote in the "San Francisco Chronicle" that the commentators seemed monotonous and formulaic in debating freedom of speech, and criticized the film's repetition of the word "fuck".