born for secret stardom

Author: Eli Kim from United States
4 March 2006

I hate to say it. but this movie is gonna fail in the box office. for the same reason no one showed up to its screening. but this will be one of the most entertaining cult movies ever. although it lacks the glam and actually will turn a lot of people away before they even get to the box office do to the subject matter, but they will all be missing out on a hilariously made movie. I don't think i've laughed this hard in a long long time.

This movie isn't really intended to be anti-smoking propaganda, but there is some of it. Its more of a satire on the reality of people and how much we're willing to believe or willing to be dooped. I see it similar to liar liar not being about about the legal system but the moral and ethical decisions of people within society. overall I would have to saw this is a great great movie. Highly recommend it. And could not imagine this movie to turn out any better than it has already been with the perfect cast and great story line. I think the best way to encompass the movie is paraphrased in the movie's catchy advertising line the main character, Nick Naylor doesn't lie, he filters the truth.

Inhale

Author: bitcetc from United States
24 March 2006

You'll need to inhale, then exhale slowly and relax before plunging into the world of Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart), lobbyist and bag man for the Tobacco Industry. The laughs are some of the best abdominal exercise I've ever had at the movies. Thank You for Smoking is far and away the best satire to come out of Hollywood in years. The last attempt I remember was WAG THE DOG. This film is far better at true satire, its wit biting do-gooders and do-badders alike. It has been too long since Satire and the Politically Incorrect Sense of Humor have been allowed to point out the absurd in all sides of an issue. If you don't laugh out loud, your sense of humor has become a casualty of malpractice by the Doctors of Spin and the Nursemaids of Political Correctness.

Young Jason Reitman's direction and screenplay are deft and light. He is never heavy-handed, or worse, condescending (as may have happened more than once in WAG THE DOG). Based on a novel by Christopher Buckley (the son of William F. Buckley), the script is the star here. The double, triple, and sometimes quadruple entendres are spoken conversationally by a star-studded ensemble cast, who clearly revel in great material and great lines. Every reviewer opines that this will be Aaron Eckhart's break-out role. With his Dudley-Do-Right face and "that guy who always gets the girl---on crack" charm and glibness, his Nick Naylor is the ultimate purveyor of the spin doctor's prescription: "the means justify the end".

The casting director should be congratulated in the same breath as the director. Rob Lowe as the "genius" behind Hollywood "EGO", a consultant firm which helps raise financing for movies with strategic product placement, is note-perfect in a "small role". With William H. Macy, the Vermont Senator who takes on the tobacco industry, Maria Bello, a fellow Merchant of Death lobbyist, and Robert Duvall, the "Captain" of this particular industry--- the cast is jaw-dropping, and sublimely funny. Katie Holmes, pre-TomKat, is gorgeous, seductive, and completely believable as the reporter who stops at nothing to get her story.

Nick Naylor's relationship with his son is the lens which focuses Nick on his own behavior. Even that relationship is not treated as a cliché, or completely reverently by the satirist, who remains true to the last frame to the goal of letting the air out of our self-righteousness. It is a breath of fresh air. I not only recommend it, I intend to see it again.

A Thinking Man's Comedy You Can Take Your Parents To

Author: haley-jeffrey from Boulder, Colorado
30 January 2006

This was the most enjoyable film we saw at Sundance. Smart and funny is not an easy pairing to find these days. Thank You For Smoking provides thought provoking content delivered through a network of great acting performances that make this film so thought provokingly hilarious.

This comedy, unlike many that grace the screen these days, is clean enough to take your parents to, and funny enough that you will forget you are at the movies.with your mom. It was truly refreshing how no one in the film was filmed smoking a cigarette. Rob Lowe's character provides a wonderful satire of the corporate film world. I only hope that the intelligence level of this film does not keep it from gaining mainstream appeal.

"Thank You" for a good satire!

Author: Pax Whitmore from United States
25 March 2006

First of all, sorry for the cheesy title. I couldn't help myself. Second of all, "Thank You for Smoking" is, in fact, a darn good satire - one of the best I've seen since "Election". Aaron Eckhart holds the picture together with a witty, charismatic performance as a tobacco lobbyist. The film is basically about his profession as he spins the news, pitches a movie idea, dodges a subpoena, has an affair with a reporter (Katie Holmes), tries to spend time with his son (Cameron Bright), and has lunch with an alcohol lobbyist (Maria Bello) and a firearms rep (David Koechner) - where they literally compare body counts. The performances are excellent across the board,from William H. Macy's crusading Senator to Rob Lowe's smirking Hollywood agent who struts around his office in a kimono. Even Adam Brody is enjoyable as Lowe's hyperactive assistant whose in-joke with a co-worker earned one of the biggest laughs of the movie.

The majority of the credit, however, needs to go to first-time feature director Jason (son of Ivan) Reitman. Adapting from Christopher Buckley's novel, Reitman has fashioned an enormously clever script, consistent and strong in character, yet not forgetting to be incredibly funny. The style is also perfect - brisk, light-hearted, with impeccable timing marred only by a tangental subplot including Sam Elliott that is, sadly, not very funny. Overall, however, the pace is fast enough where the laughs keep coming.

Reitman also does the unthinkable: he keeps the satire dark and funny to the very end. While most comedies stray blindly into the sentimental, "Thank You" avoids unnecessary emotional tripe and - thankfully - avoids sermonizing about the dangers of smoking or of the flaws of the political process. Eckhart's flawless performance and Reitman's wonderful screenplay anchor an uncommonly perceptive comedy, provided you take yours black. If you need a little cream and sugar, "Fun with Dick and Jane" might still be at the dollar theater.

Very funny edu-tainment that doesn't take sides

Author: besttom from DC
17 March 2006

I saw this movie at a screening in DC last night. It was great. Aaron Eckhart, the single leading man with the WORST haircut in Hollywood (full disclosure - I'm damn near bald) matches very well with the direction of Reitman. From the get-go, it's a fast-paced send-up of everyone and everything in the tobacco war. The entire cast does a good job (w/ the exception, maybe, of Katie Holmes). Rob Lowe is hysterical in his cameo, but I have to say Eckhart & his MOD squad buddies (Maria Bello & David Koechner) really light up the screen. Their scenes of discussing the dealing out of death through the industries they represent over drinks are a real strong point of the movie.

The fact that this movie doesn't take sides - and really, could be about any issue, because it's more about the MAN behind the spokesperson - but makes fun of all sides in the tobacco issue.The interaction b/w Nick Naylor (Eckhart)& the old Marlboro Man(Sam Elliot)is priceless as is the back-and-forth between Naylor & Senator Ortolan Finistirre (William H. Macy) towards the end of the film -it's basically good actors doing what they do well - and it's very funny.

The movie's also a little bit touchy-feely, focusing for a bit on the relationship b/w Naylor & his son, Joey (Cameron Bright) - the kid's good & some of the lines written for him are priceless.

There was one odd, stupid thing - and my wife agrees w/ me on this, so I'm not just being a guy; there are 2 'sex' scenes w/ Eckhart & Katie Holmes, but zero nudity. Nada. Not even partial. We see them having sex in multiple places & positions, but they're almost completely clothed. It just took away from the credibility is all I'm trying to point out here - as I said, my wife actually made the comment before I did.

Bottom line, it's a great movie - well worth the price of admission. It's funny, it's entertaining & it moves, what more could you ask for?