Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent satire, December 9, 2007
Thank You For Smoking is one of those few dark comedies that truly had me laughing all the way; and I can't remember how long it's been since I laughed so much watching a movie! The lines are funny; the acting is convincing and the movie manages to make a great point about "spin" (aka bulls***) in today's world.
The action begins with tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) appearing on a talk show to put a spin on the fact the smoking causes cancer. Nick, smirking all the way, says that the tobacco companies want a boy with cancer to live so they could keep another customer. Nick argues further that health officials would love to see the young "cancer boy" die so their budgets would be fatter. This is just the tip of the iceberg, folks; Nick goes through his whole life putting a spin on tobacco to make it seem safe, romantic and glorious.
Nick's partners in crime include two people he meets for lunch from time to time; and they call themselves "The Mod Squad." Look for great performances by Maria Bello as Polly Bailey and David Koechner as Bobby Jay Bliss who work for the alcohol and gun lobbies respectively. Nick's slave driving boss, B.R. (J.K. Simmons) puts in a great performance and the head honcho of the tobacco group, simply referred to as "Captain," is played wonderfully by Robert Duvall.
Nick's personal life isn't peachy--he's separated from his wife. When a seductive female reporter Heather Holloway (Katie Holmes) gets the real scoop on Nick's secrets and lets it all out in a tell-all article in a prominent Washington, D.C. newspaper, Nick's world comes crashing down around him.
Will Nick be able to bounce back from the negative publicity he gets? Will he keep his friends and his job? What will his young, impressionable son Joey (Cameron Bright) think of him when the whole truth comes out? Watch the movie to find out these answers and more, folks--there are no spoilers here!
The DVD comes with a plethora of extras. We get an interview with Aaron Eckhart and others on The Charlie Rose Show; there are quite a few deleted scenes with optional director's commentary; there's a brief "making of" featurette; a director and cast commentary; storyboard and more! I am very impressed.
Overall, I would highly recommend Thank You For Smoking for people who enjoy indie movies that are really funny and try to playfully make a point at the same time. You'll notice that no one in the film is ever filmed smoking a cigarette! However, this is not a family movie; there is a fair amount of swearing and there are some violent scenes that could upset small children. (The kidnapping scene is one of them; but I won't say much more to save the juicy plot for you.)
Now THAT'S what I call a great flick!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
(Mostly) Lighthearted satire, with great results., January 5, 2007
To be brief, Thank You for Smoking is one of my favorite movies in recent years. It's witty and smart without being a movie that you need to set out too much time for, given that its runtime is a mere 92 minutes.
While it is brief and inviting to pick up and watch, it does have a serious touch of satire in it, providing a critique of modern day society's overall standards and morals. In one scene in particular Nick Naylor, the main character, talks to his son in a way that makes his job appear even noble, while protecting corporations that claim thousands of lives each year.
Overall, without getting too technical: at LEAST rent this if you like satires, but if you enjoy sarcastic wit and humor, the odds are in favor of a purchase.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
WOW!!! A major motion picture that is both funny and smart..., November 14, 2006
I tend to be hard on a lot of major motion pictures because, to be frank, they mostly suck. However, this only turned into a "major motion picture" after Fox Searchlight bought it after it's screening at the Sundance Film Festival. Before that it was the vision of fledgling director Jason Reitman to independently bring Christopher Buckley's tremendously smart and funny book of the same name to the screen... and he does a good job. There's a reason why this film is loaded with the (mostly unpaid or underpaid) who's who of Hollywood talent. The script and screenplay are that good. This is not the typical low-brow, fart-joke riden crap you're used to seeing out of Hollywood. There are good acting performances throughout as well. If you are a person of above average wit and have a dry sense of humor, you'll like it.
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