Thank You for Smoking (R)
Scott:
Scott: Tonight we are reviewing Thank You for Smoking
. A movie about a Big Tobacco lobbyist and his battle against those that would have smoking outlawed and smokers shot.
What'd you think Mike?
Mike: I guess you didn't notice me sneak out of the theatre?
Scott: No, was something wrong?
Mike: Oh, no. There was a Little House on the Prairie marathon I couldn't miss.
Scott: I guess I have to do this review solo...
So what did I think?
I liked it. This is what one would call a satirical look at the smoking industry and what its lobbyists must go through. It is based on the book with the same name written by Christopher Buckley.
Aaron Eckhart is Nick Naylor the slick talking Vice President of the fictional Academy for Tobacco Studies. His job is to tell the other side of the smoking debate, the lesser known 'pro' smoking side. He does this with a mix of charisma, fast talking, and great debate skills. His character doesn't grow or evolve as we watch the movie and that's actually refreshing. Movies with a point, moral or otherwise, often force the characters to change course in their lives after some big 'event'. This movie stays on target; it's a satire from beginning to end.
Naylor's life isn't all about being a lobbyist though. He also has an ex-wife Jill (Kim Dickens) and a young, impressionable son Joey (Cameron Bright). He wants to spend more time with his son, but work, and specifically, his line of work, prevents that from happening. He is eventually allowed to take his son with him on a business trip after the son uses some of dad's debating techniques to convince mom he should be allowed to go.
On the trip we run into the Marlboro Man Lorne Lutch (Sam Elliott). He is dying of lung cancer he got from smoking the cigarettes he used to advertise. Lutch looks like he was "rode hard and put away wet". He is now the perfect advertisement for why you should not smoke.
This movie has a pretty strong cast. While you may not be familiar with Aaron Eckhart, you are familiar with other cast members. Robert Duvall is Doak 'The Captain' Boykin, the good ole boy and de facto boss of Big Tobacco. Once again, Duvall delivers a strong performance; you can feel the power that "the Captain" once held and feel shame in him, and what he sells, at the same time.
Katie Holmes shows up as Heather Holloway in a mostly invisible role. Her character is a reporter assigned to do a report on Naylor for the Washington Probe. She doesn't show up in the movie often, but she does appear in one of the best scenes in the movie. The crowd in my theatre really liked that scene (you will know it when you see it).
My favorite character is played by Rob Lowe. His portrayal of Jeff Megall as the 'anything for money' producer is exactly the way everyone outside of Hollywood imagine those inside it. It's a go-go world, and if you aren't making me money, you are costing me money. FYI, the lobby in his office may be familiar to those who have seen View from the Top.
The conflict of the movie comes from a Senator Ortolan K. Finistirre (William H. Macy), who is trying to put a skull and crossbones label on cigarettes. Naylor's arguments against this label are some of the best verbal dueling you will ever hear.
I thought this was a good flick overall. I enjoyed it, not as much, or as loudly, as some in the theatre, but enjoyed it nonetheless. Overall, I give it a 3.5 and a 4 for comedy. The humor wasn't necessarily laugh-out-loud, but it was still a pretty funny movie. I know that people will be quoting this movie for years. The line Naylor delivers to his ex-wife's boyfriend in the beginning is priceless.
So go and check this out and help the actors pay the mortgage.
