This film about cigarettes is addictive as the substance and much more fun. It's hard to believe that you could have compassion for someone who shills for Big Tobacco.
Thank You For Smoking (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:174
Fresh:149
Rotten:25
Average Rating:7.3/10
Consensus: Delightfully unscrupulous characters and searing cynicism prick all sides of the anti-smoking issue with hilarity and intelligence.
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Genre: Comedies
US Box Office: $24,627,629
Synopsis: Jason Reitman has learned well. The son of director-producer Ivan Reitman (STRIPES, GHOSTBUSTERS) makes a strong impact with his debut feature film, the hysterical THANK YOU FOR SMOKING. Based on... Jason Reitman has learned well. The son of director-producer Ivan Reitman (STRIPES, GHOSTBUSTERS) makes a strong impact with his debut feature film, the hysterical THANK YOU FOR SMOKING. Based on the wry novel by Christopher Buckley, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING is set in the fascinating world of Washington spin, where, more often than not, money trumps politics and morals. Aaron Eckhart (IN THE COMPANY OF MEN, ERIN BROCKOVICH) is outstanding as Nick Naylor, the public spokesman for Big Tobacco. The blond pretty boy has no problem whatsoever going on television and telling people that smoking can actually be good for them. He meets regularly with the M.O.D. Squad -- fellow Merchants of Death Polly Bailey (Maria Bello), who represents the alcohol business, and Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner), who defends firearms -- where they fight over who has the more difficult job based on the number of deaths their respective industries are responsible for. The smooth-talking Naylor's next big adversary is Vermont senator Ortolan Finistirre (William H. Macy), who is calling for the government to place a skull and crossbones and the word "Poison" on all cigarette boxes. At the same time, Naylor is sent out to Hollywood to make a deal with high-powered agent Jeff Megall (Rob Lowe) to get more stars to smoke in movies, like in the good old days. All the while, Naylor is trying to establish a better relationship with his young son, Joey (Cameron Bright), without playing down his highly questionable job. The strong cast also includes Kim Dickens as Naylor's ex-wife, J.K. Simmons as his boss, Katie Holmes as a sexy reporter, Sam Elliott as the former Marlboro Man now dying of lung cancer, and Robert Duvall as the Captain, an old-time tobacco chief who takes Naylor under his wings. THANK YOU FOR SMOKING is a very funny satire that will leave audiences gasping for breath from laughing so hard. [More]
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright, Adam Brody
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright, Adam Brody, Sam Elliott, Katie Holmes, David Koechner, Rob Lowe, William H. Macy, J.K. Simmons, Robert Duvall
Director: Jason Reitman
Director: Jason Reitman
Screenwriter: Jason Reitman
Producer: Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, Mark Woolway
Composer: Rolfe Kent
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Reviews for Thank You For Smoking
Aiming at all targets and hitting none of them, the movie is as harmless and inconsequential as a candy cigarette.
There's enough bite in the dialogue and performances to provoke a hacking cough of approval, and the laugh-out-loud moments are many, not least in scenes featuring Rob Lowe's unctuous Hollywood agent.
Structural scrappiness aside, it remains a laudably amoral and superbly caustic comedy for those who like their satire strong and unfiltered.
Perhaps the film's greatest success is in its ability to have us fall so madly in love with such a morally reprehensible lead character.
Enjoyable satire with a sharp script and strong performances, though it's not quite focussed enough to really stick the knife in.
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING is really better as an essay on the gentle art of spin and of argument than it is as a story.
As a clear-eyed dissection of the dirty business of public relations, where "if you argue correctly, you're never wrong", it is pretty much peerless.
...a very funny, neatly executed comedy that for once doesn't assume that every American is a blithering moron who thinks there's nothing so delightful as pratfalls and flatulence.
Superb acting and a willingness to be completely politically incorrect make the film work brilliantly.
There's so much to admire about Thank You for Smoking, you savor it for the rare satire that it is.
It makes no apologies and takes no prisoners; this is a film, after all, in which the hero is the chief lobbyist for Big Tobacco.
It's not quite as dark a satire as "Lord of War," and its protagonist's jolly attitude, resembling (frighteningly) a more rational sort of Timothy Treadwell, does distract one... But... the movie is never in danger of being crushed by it's own weight.
The M.O.D. Squad's honesty seems refreshing, and in this is also provides sharp contrast with film's other fall guys (and they are legion).
Latest News for Thank You For Smoking
May 07, 2008:
Buckley's Boomsday Getting Film Treatment ![]()
Ron Bass is adapting Boomsday, a satirical novel by Thank You for Smoking author Christopher Buckley, for GreeneStreet Films and Das Films. More...
March 26, 2008:
Jason Reitman Knows How to Sell Movie Tickets
Juno director Jason Reitman may have an Oscar nomination under his belt, but establishment success hasn't spoiled his taste for subversive fun. More...
December 06, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Golden Compass Sets Course For #1 Debut
New Line hopes to breathe some life into the North American box office with the launch of its pricey adventure film The Golden Compass which stands as the frame's only new wide... More...
May 14, 2007:
Maria Bello to Replace Rachel Weisz in "Mummy 3"
A few weeks back I expressed some skepticism that Universal would re-cast Rachel Weisz's "Mummy" role with a new actress. Looks like I was wrong. More...
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