InsidePulse Review – Thank You for Smoking

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Writer-director:

Jason Reitman

Cast:

Aaron Eckhart……….Nick Naylor
Cameron Bright……….Joey Naylor
Maria Bello……….Polly Bailey
David Koechner……….Bobby Jay Bliss
William H. Macy……….Senator Ortolan K. Finistirre
J.K. Simmons……….”BR”
Katie Holmes……….Heather Holloway
Rob Lowe……….Jeff Megall
Adam Brody……….Jack
Sam Elliott……….Lorne Lutch
Robert Duvall……….Captain

Fox Searchlight Pictures presents Thank You for Smoking. Based on the novel by Christopher Buckley. Running time: 92 minutes. Rated R (for language and some sexual content).

A good satire is hard to find in Hollywood. They are comedies that are only appreciated by a certain audience. It may be because the filmmakers use sarcasm and irony to discuss hot button issues. Focusing on topics like the Cold War (Dr. Strangelove), politics (Bulworth and Wag the Dog) or religion (Dogma), the subject matter is tongue-in-cheek in its delivery and is both savage and stylish.

Thank You for Smoking sets its sights on the pro-smoking lobby. Aaron Eckhart stars as Nick Naylor a spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies. It is his job to convince people that cigarettes are good. He makes his arrival on “The Joan Lunden Show”. Next to him are a panel of guests including a 15-year-old cancer boy. It is mentioned the boy is dying of cancer but has stopped smoking. Nick coolly defends cigarettes by telling the studio audience, and those watching at home, “it’s in our best interests to keep Robin alive and smoking.” It’s the anti-smoking conglomerate that wants the boy to die. That way they get more government funding.

Nick Naylor has a rewarding career as the good-looking lobbyist – an average Joe who has been blessed with the uncanny talent of bullshitting. It’s not something you have to go to college for, but it takes years to master the skill. His job has led to some alienation. He’s divorced and has shared custody of his son Joey (Cameron Bright). Nick’s only friends are with the MOD Squad (Merchants of Death), whose members are alcohol lobbyist Polly Bailey (Maria Bello) and firearms lobbyist Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner). They spend one night a week dining and discussing the tragic consequences of their products.

The struggle it took to make this movie could have enough material for a scathing look at Hollywood. First-time director Jason Reitman had written the screenplay for Mel Gibson’s Icon Studios over five years ago. Because of the ending no studio wanted to touch it. The property was sold to an independent financer who allowed Reitman to direct. Shopping the script around he was able to attract a quality ensemble with Eckhart as its centerpiece. It screened at the Toronto Film Festival and again at the Sundance film festival. In between the two festivals Tom Cruise used his superstar powers to ensure a sex scene with Katie Holmes and Aaron Eckhart was deleted. When asked about the scene’s removal, Reitman offers a suggestion. Rent The Gift if you want to see Holmes topless. Touché.

The art of spin (a more PC friendly term as compared to BS) is not a new fad. Its delivery has been popularized with the advent of 24-hour news networks. More so with Fox News Channel. Considering Christopher Buckley’s novel was published in the 1990’s, Nick Naylor has to use shows like “20/20” and “Nightline” as his platform. When he isn’t addressing a camera, he talks to passengers on an airliner or Joey’s class on career day. As he calmly enters the classroom Joey subtly pleads to his father, “Please don’t ruin my childhood.” Instead of listening to his son’s appeal, Nick cross-examines a little girl whose mother insists that cigarettes kill.

Naylor: Oh, is your mother a doctor?

Little girl: No.

Naylor: A scientific researcher of some kind?

Little girl: No.

Naylor: Well, then, she’s hardly a credible expert, is she?

If this isn’t a humorous take at nepotism, I don’t know what is. And that’s just for starters. Nick’s trip to Los Angeles to meet with super-agent Jeff Megall (Rob Lowe) is a lesson in showmanship. Both agree that RAV’s (Russians, Arabs, and Villains) are the biggest smokers in movies. It’s time for movie stars to light up again. They need a character who is tough yet sympathetic. This leads to a movie pitch involving two, big name stars copulating in space. Smoking a cigarette, afterwards.

Christopher Buckley’s satirical novel provides the subject, but it is the director’s filmmaking style that brings it to life. The son of director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Dave), Jason has a delivered an impressive first feature. Subtle in his storytelling he manages to make a picture where not a single person smokes. The dependence is shown a few times, but it’s never acted upon.

Thank You for Smoking works because of Aaron Eckhart. His work with director-friend Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men) made him the perfect choice to the play pro-smoking lobbyist Nick Naylor. His character is not vain, but rather steadfast in what he believes. Nick holds himself well when confronted by naysayers who object to his job. Most notably Senator Ortolan Finistirre (William H. Macy) from Vermont.

These two have an ongoing feud because of legislation requiring a skull and crossbones to be displayed on every cigarette pack, thus replacing the Surgeon General’s health warning. The reasoning: pictures are a better substitute than words, because those who can’t read or speak English are more susceptible to die. Interesting. The senator sees Naylor as a smug profiteer even though, in a way, his legislation is essentially population control for illegal immigrants.

Cigarettes can kill you, but the government loves collecting the taxes made from each and every purchase. Never mind the tobacco lobbying aspect of Thank You for Smoking, look at how advertising and spin control influences people. You can almost see the cash register open up with a sound of cha-ching. We are sheep and Nick Naylor knows this.

CATEGORY SCORE
STORY 9 / 10
ACTING 10 / 10
LOOK/FEEL 10 / 10
ORIGINALITY 9 / 10
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE 9.5 / 10

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!