Thank You for Smoking (2005)

Truly Dreadful Film

I'll tell you why so serious

Best movie of this year hands down!

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

"Nick Naylor doesn't hide the truth... he filters it." God damn that is a catchy tagline."Thank You For Smoking" tells the story of Nick Naylor, a smooth-talking tobacco lobbyist. Naylor is a master of rhetoric, twisting language to make sure the people of America are smoking his company's cigarettes.note: mild spoilers followThe biggest flaw in this movie is the lack of development in its main character. At the end of the movie, Naylor isn't changed. He has undergone no apparent ethical awakening... but he's okay. For some reason, he gets a promotion outside the tobacco industry and has a better-paying, less morally objectionable job in which he can use the same talents he had as a lobbyist. This new job is the cherry on top of a character arc that makes no sense. The promotion feels undeserved, and it is an unneeded happy note to end a pretty dark film.Through Naylor, the film tells two contradictory stories. On one hand, the movie expects you to feel sympathetic that Naylor has such a terrible job. On the other, the movie argues that there is nothing wrong with Naylor's job at all, and he is an artist of rhetoric who deserves to be proud of his work.Throughout the movie, Naylor seems to apologize for his career achievements. He bemoans his choice in profession, saying that he didn't intend to be a lobbyist and he didn't study to be one. It was, in his words, "the only thing he was ever good at" and that's why he took the job. The viewer get the feeling that our tragic hero was fated into this situation. Throughout the film, he also repeatedly says that he only keeps his job so that he can pay his mortgage, almost implying that he'd leave it behind if he could.At the same time, the film argues that its hero's great tragedy isn't very bad at all. He often seems proud of his work, and there are a number of scenes that show Naylor teaching his son the tricks of rhetoric he uses. In these scenes, we get the sense that Naylor is clever and his job is something to be admired. Naylor appears to actively recruit his son to become a lobbyist, even though the movie spends so much time arguing lobbying is bad.In the climactic scene of the movie, during a court hearing, we expect Naylor to tell the truth and throw the tobacco companies under the bus. If he does this, his arc is complete. Even if this arc was a bit uneven throughout the movie, a sudden epiphany can save his character. But he doesn't have an epiphany- he sings the party line and walks out of the courtroom as pro-tobacco as ever. This is frustrating and confusing for the viewer.In the end, the viewer feels lost. What point was the movie trying to make? The movie was funny enough, and had solid acting, et cetera- but the story had no payoff and made no point. I can't recommend this movie because of its central flaw. Others may enjoy the ride, but I couldn't get over the vapid conclusion.

Personally, one of the most amazing movies I've watched. It is a light movie which sends out a very powerful message. It not just mocks the government's failed attempts against tobacco and shows strategies used by MNCs but also focuses on parenthood. It is shown how society imposes its rules over the kids from a very young age instead of telling them all possible pros and cons of the topic in question and letting them decide for themselves. It portrays how a parent must let the kids to think instead of forcing prejudices. It shows the real face of modern day media and corporations. The psychological tricks used in advertising to convince the customers is mocked as well. The actors have played their part perfectly. Not to mention the soundtrack is amazing.

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.