Review of Thank You for Smoking (2005) by Falice C — 13 Aug 2010

Sly, smart indy-styled satire - but no tobacco industry indictment. Rather, the film actually drips with rational argument as to how Big Tobacco's unfairly maligned. "America's biggest killer is cholesterol - so why no warning labels on Vermont cheddar cheese?" "The tobacco industry doesn't want you to die, it wants you alive, to keep smoking!".

The film's central message, however, is 'you're free to choose, don't fall for political correctness and its arguments.' Aaron Eckhart, as the go-to-guy and talking-head for Big Tobacco, makes that plain enough early-on speaking to fourth-graders: "They'll always be someone telling you what to do and what to think. If your parents told you chocolate was bad for you, would you believe it? If some expert's telling you what's right and wrong, you should say 'Who says?' Think for yourselves.".

From where is all this fascinating, clever argument born? Not Big Tobacco (surely pleased by its content), but yes, it's hatched out of the right-wing hen-house. Money by David O. Sacks & Peter Thiel, members of the (neo-con) PayPal Mafia. Distributed by Fox Searchlight Films. And Director Jason Reitman's better known for "Juno," a "hip" film selling kiddies on single-momhood being way cooler than abortion, another indy-poser with a right-handed bankroll.

Reitman's successful letter-writing campaign kipper-tin-packed TYFS with solid talent out of supposedly ever-so-liberal Hollywood: Rob Lowe, Katie Holmes, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy, J. K. Simmons, Sam Elliot, David Koechner. Cameos from Dennis Miller and Joan Lunden.

Extras include a Charlie Rose episode devoted to the film; Rose never mentions that his parents were tobacco farmers.

RECOMMENDATION: See it. You may well not agree with the arguments, but they're intelligent and thought-provoking. Plus the film's witty and quite well acted on every front.