Thank You For Smoking
Having missed this film in the theaters I scooped up the DVD release from my local video rental ASAP and I am glad to admit the movie is well worth the hype surrounding it. Clearing up initial impressions that most people might have, this is neither a documentary nor an adaptation of a non fiction book (like Fast Food Nation). It’s pure fiction and oddly enough it packs more balls than most other topical films, dropping famous names and brands left and right and feeding the flames of its searing satire with truth rather than exaggeration. Now this will not be the movie that rips the cigarette industry a new asshole, it works under the assumption that we all know that cigarettes are bad. If anything it establishes a world were people earn their salary by debating the health risks of smoking, and whether they are pro smoking or vehemently opposed to it they all stand to make a profit.
Aaron Eckhart does a great job of playing the charismatic big tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor, a guy whose job is to fly around the country convincing people that there is nothing wrong with smoking. The movies opening scene shows him being thrown to the figurative lions, dropped into the middle of a talk show where the topic is the risks of smoking opposing a senators aide, several youth group leaders and a kid with cancer. “Ah, this is the end of the movie, shown to us at the beginning” I thought. It’s a common narrative trick, to show the consequences and then tell the story as to how the character got there. Nope, I was wrong. Instead it cuts to a sequence that introduces the main character and his amazing ability to convince anyone of anything, even if that makes him responsible for millions of cigarette related deaths ever year. And it cuts back to him arguing that the tobacco industry does not profit on that kid’s death, by the contrary, it wants its smokers to stay alive and healthy buying cigarettes for many decades and big tobacco is willing to spend millions in advertising to keep children from smoking… the audience applauds, cancer kid shakes his hand and he walks away unscathed.
Latter we are introduced to the films guiltiest pleasure, the MOD squad aka Merchants of Death, a group of lobbyists representing the firearms and liquor companies interests. Together they share tips on how to silence the righteous voices of victim’s families and exchange cynical quips on how may people their industry kills each year. They are all charismatic, intelligent people who revel in their villainy like Aaron the Moor from Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus: "If one good Deed in all my life I did, I do repent it from my very Soul."
Likewise members of the Tobacco industry are adorably despicable as well, each one of them racist, antiquated and callous. For example in a board meeting looking to get more teenagers smoking the boss exclaims “And they're cool and available and ADDICTIVE. The job is almost done for us!”
Best part is all the small roles filled by entertaining actors. William H. Macy for example is a
I highly recommend this movie, the film itself is an excellent effort on behalf of young director Jason Reitman and Aaron Eckhart’s performance is complex and moving, like Roger Dodger (an excellent 2002 Indy movie) but genuinely likable instead of being a constant asshole. If anything the wealth of fun characters will have you begging for deleted scenes, which the DVD provides. Also on the DVD watch for a great round table with Aaron Eckhart, Jason Reitman, novelist Christopher Buckley and producer David O. Sacks on the Charlie Rose show. It’s bursting with chemistry between the guilty parties giving off that ‘I hope you have as much fun watching this movie as we did making it’ vibe.