‘The expectation of me as a father is so f–king low,” says the lead singer of Blink-182 in this meandering documentary about aging male rockers. It’s a good thing, too, because all these paunchy, sweet-natured guys spend a good deal of time on the road, Skyping with their adoring daughters before taking the stage to sing about offing yourself before you turn 30. In the current state of the music industry, it’s that or get a real job — which would mean, as one tattooed dad puts it, “you turn into Ward Cleaver, and Ward Cleaver’s a p–ck.”
The idea behind Andrea Blaugrund’s “The Other F Word” is an interesting one: These men, nearly all of whom came from broken homes, channeled childhood frustration and rage into the punk scene in which they grew up. As a result, their own family lives appear cohesive and genuinely happy (cut to Everclear’s Art Alexakis crooning “The Wheels on the Bus” while driving a minivan). But it’s hard to take this film too seriously when it never seeks corroboration from a couple of other obvious interview sources: their wives and kids.