Warning: This film may cause you to laugh at things you feel you shouldn't, but it's not detrimental to your health in any way, shape, or form (honest).
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
A snappy satire about smoking, corporate shenanigans, and the spin that keeps everything rolling along in these amoral realms.
just captivating enough to take your mind off the incredibly un-PC stance that it takes on hardcore issues
I'm not ready to celebrate a filmmaker with the 'audacity' to say there's hypocrisy in American social discourse. Does it take daring to cut down these not-so-sacred cows?
A scathing satire....If there's a lesson, it's that spinning your fellow Americans is the real national pastime--the greater problem is when you spin yourself.
[Tends] to overstate itself -- both in its concerns and its humor. Eckhart, though, consistently brings the movie to the viewer's level.
Thank You for Smoking is as attention grabbing and superficial as Chicago's razzle-dazzle. Billy Flynn would be so proud.
one of the funniest, most intelligent satires to come out of Hollywood in years, and assaults everyone in its path.
It gets points not only for showcasing the hypocrisy of the cigarette industry, but also for stressing the importance of the rights of the individual. Plus, it's got one other thing you can put in your pipe and smoke -- it's funny.
That quirky and intelligent rarity that elicits wry smiles and hearty laughs alike.
The screenplay crackles with intelligence and insight, not just about the workings of Washington, but also about friends, parenting, work, tough choices, paying the mortgage, and, of course freedom and personal responsibility.
Glibly funny and eager to please, the film version of Christopher Buckley's novel Thank You for Smoking is not unlike the down-and-dirty habit of its title.
Snarky and enjoyable, but it could have been a ferocious black comedy. No Thank You For Playing It Safe.
These days, if one has to settle for rueful laughs honestly earned, then one can do a whole lot worse than Thank You for Smoking.
...only occasionally amusing, despite a solid performance from Eckhart.
Its true strengths [go] beyond the easy jokes: asking why someone might choose to do what Naylor does and how they can look at themselves in the mirror each morning.
[Thank You For Smoking is], for better and worse, as uniformly rolled as a machine-made Marlboro.
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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