Thank You for Smoking (2006)

hyped garbage

Good concept, poorly executed.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

This film included and encourage having sexual affair, and envy to have this kind of relations. So what have to we do? First buy some cosmetics, of course,buy some condom, buy perfume, go some place which you can have somebody. Make baby, have an abortion or not, have the baby, hospital expenses, when baby comes out buy diaper... Etc. So my point actually Hollywood's sexist mentality itself makes money.... I'm not sure I can make my point but this film zeroize itself. Anyway...

Lobbyist Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is the slick, amoral, sharp-tongue vice-President of the Academy of Tobacco Studies. He can spin any argument in favor of tobacco. BR (J.K. Simmons) is his loud bombastic boss. His best friends are alcohol lobby Moderation Council's Polly Bailey (Maria Bello) and gun lobby SAFETY's Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner). Their biggest opposition is Senator Ortolan Finistirre (William H. Macy). Tobacco baron, the Captain (Robert Duvall) puts him in charge of bringing tobacco back to Hollywood. His son Joey (Cameron Bright) guilts his ex-wife Jill (Kim Dickens) to let him go on the LA trip. Reporter Heather Holloway (Katie Holmes) has a fling with him and betrays him.Jason Reitman has filmed a brilliant and smart movie. The problem is that people are too stupid except for Nick. It's really frustrating to see stupid people failing to argue with Nick. The other problem is that the characters are all caricatures which takes away any poignancy. It also takes away the comedy. There are too many things that annoy which is the opposite of funny. It also feels too light and bright for the subject matter. Nick needs to be hiding something dark and ugly. He's more of a robot than a fully developed human being. Anything with Dennis Miller smirking is not funny. I don't feel for the guy or that annoying kid. The only guy I'm interested in is the guy who threatened him on Dennis Miller's show. It's one of the few moments where reality seeped into the performances and the movie. Even the kidnapping scene is problematic. Any kidnapper would want to shut him up by duct taping his mouth. The whole medical thing sounds unreal. This is such a smartly written movie but the general feeling from it is one of frustrating annoyance.

Thank You for Smoking is the directorial debut by Jason Reitman, who would later direct contemporary classics such as Juno and Up in the Air. This film is a sharp, hilarious satire about smoking and how it plays a role in the political process. Recently, smoking has become a political question due to the health hazards it possess, so this this a very timely movie. The script, without a question, is one of the best scripts of recent memory. The dialog is just so smooth and witty and a good screenplay often means a good movie, like we have here.Jason Reitman's film is about a tobacco lobbyist named Nick Naylor who has a way with words. He invokes the wrath of a Senator named Ortolan Finistirre who vehemently opposes smoking and proposes that a skull and bones logo to be added on the cartons. So now Nick must try to advocate smoking, while remaining as a role model for his twelve-year-old son.The film has a great cast and they all do well. Aaron Eckhart was fantastic as the smooth-talking Nick and he has great chemistry with everyone. I like J.K Simmons as Nick's backstabbing boss, and Robert Duvall as the boss's boss. Katie Holmes was excellent as the seductive news reporter. My favorite scenes of the movie consists of Nick meeting with his friends in the alcohol and firearm industries respectively played by Maria Bello and David Koechner.Overall, Thank You for Smoking is an incredibly excellent film. As a satire, it can hardly get any better than this. With a great screenplay and fantastic acting, the film exceeded my expectations. Jason Reitman is a truly gifted director. Like father, like son. I hate smoking, so I was pleased to see a film that have messages of anti-smoking, even if they are subliminal. A fantastic directorial debut by Reitman. I rate this film 9/10.

Every now and then, a movie will come along that will show a side of the world not often open to public scrutiny. The tobacco industry is probably one of the most mysterious in the world, with a number of restrictions placed on them over advertising and health warnings meaning we don't really have an idea of how they work. If Jason Reitman's Thank You For Smoking is anything to go by, they are every bit as despicable as you would believe.Thank You For Smoking follows Nick Naylor, a fast talking PR spokesman for tobacco tasked with the unenviable job of making tobacco look good. Aaron Eckhart is absolutely superb in the role of Nick, a man who believes he can win any argument as long as he comes at it from the right angle. And he's right. Throughout the movie you will see Nick worm his way out of sticky situations again and again, with Eckhart's smarminess effectively replacing any sense of logic in his arguments. He's a truly despicable character but you cannot take your eyes off him and, as the movie progresses, you may even find yourself liking him.It is a testament to Eckhart's performance, and the fantastic script, that you find yourself rooting for Nick as he takes on pragmatic politicians, his ex wife and her new husband, a disgruntled former employee and, perhaps most tricky of all, his young son. It may have been risky making a movie about the inner machinations of the tobacco industry but Reitman wisely keeps the tone light throughout, with only a handful of dramatic scenes punctuating the sharp comedy. This may be off-putting to some, due to the serious nature of the subject matter, but Reitman and Co. have clearly aimed for a black satirical comedy and, with a lightning fast script and excellent performances from all involved, it succeeds admirably. A very clever and funny look at the inner workings of the tobacco industry. Some jokes may be too near the knuckle for some but if you're in the mood for some inappropriate laughs then this one is for you.