Review of Thank You for Smoking (2005) by Dawdlingpoet — 24 Nov 2021

This is clearly quite an emotive topic and so its not a 'comedy' movie that equates to slapstick visual comedy, although it is certainly amusing in a dry, dark way in the way that it pokes fun of and highlights spin doctoring and in a sense, part of the political system in the US. I don't smoke myself, of course im aware of the health implications and I've never had an interest in taking up the hobby but the cast in this movie and what I'd heard before watching it in terms of it being a well made movie, intrigued me enough to begrudgingly add it to my rental list, so when I got it I wasn't entirely convinced if I'd enjoy it, if it was a movie about being pro-smoking but I don't think its only about that issue, its more general. Nick Naylor argues that people are entitled to freedom of choice and he tries to explain this to his son, although other parties try to paint things in a different light. I'm certainly all for the pre-choice school of thinking or what-not, I know in the UK it can feel like we live in a nanny state so to speak and given some of what goes on in this movie you can see how strongly some people feel about the issue. In the movie, Nick meets up with a few other people who work for other such semi-despised industries on a weekly basis,such as someone who works for the alcohol industry and so on and between them they complain about the grief they receive for being involved in said industries.

There is definitely a dry wit to this movie, though it clearly won't be to everyones taste, I thought that it seemed quite clever in some respects, with Nick being very sure where he stands in terms of his moral beliefs and his career. The actions of some people to try and quiet him may make you think and I think it highlights that perhaps things aren't as black and white as you may presume, although by no means would I ever condone anyone smoking as a good thing to do. I thought this was a good movie with a decent cast, including William H Macy as Ortolan Finistirre, a senator based in Vermont (which Nick makes fun of by pointing out that Vermont is well known for their cheese which can lead to high cholesterol and that in turn has been scientifically linked to deaths) who is fervently against all that he believes Nick stands for and also Katie Holmes, who plays a journalist that seduces Nick in a bid to discover details about some of the people he confides in. Nick himself is played by Aaron Eckhart, who portrays the very public pro-tobacco hate figure quite convincingly, seeming quite charming and believable in what he says. I also liked the portrayal of Nicks son, Joey, who is quite philosophical and challenging towards his dads way of thinking and who isclearly genuinely interested to see for himself what he does for a living, how he goes about defending such an industry, how he presents himself in court and so on, presenting a dilemma for Nick at times while its also clear that Nick very much loves his son and you believe he wouldn't want to over promote smoking as a hobby to him due to the health implications, yet he is very steadfast in terms of not speaking badly about the companies that he represents. It certainly makes you think, with some plot twists that again put things in perspective and I think in the end neither the pro-tobacco or the anti-tabacco sides come off particularly brilliantly. I suppose its more an exercise in debate, morals and actions, which probably sounds pretty dry but there are some witty elements that should bring up a chuckle or two in passing, though its very much a dry, dark comedy as I say.

Overall, I felt that this was quite a witty movie with a script that had been well thought out, so yes I would recommend it, although I feel that this isn't a movie that everyone will necessarily automatically enjoy. If it sounds like something that would appeal to you then check it out, otherwise maybe wait for it to come on TV but generally yes I'd recommend it. I couldn't think of a great deal to say about it, its one of those movies that you have to see for yourself and make your own conclusions about perhaps.