Thank You for Smoking

Jason Reitman, the director of several short films, writes and directs the 2006 film Thank You for Smoking. A tongue-in-cheek look at a big tobacco lobbyist, Thank You for Smoking is a witty and satirical comedy that features a well-devised script and good performances from an impressive cast. The message is packed in with the irony, laying it on thick with several satirical cutaways and other editing tricks.

Aaron Eckhart stars as Nick Naylor, the Vice President and chief spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies. The Academy of Tobacco Studies is a tobacco lobby whose purpose it is to “research”, or rather spin the research of, the links between smoking and health issues. Naylor is the voice of that research and he spins the information coming out of the scientific sources from the Academy into tangible sound bites that can be utilized to sell more cigarettes. He is great at what he does, but he is also vilified for it.

The film takes us through various incidents with a few separate plot threads, all of them based around the notion of Naylor giving off a good reputation and selling the business of cigarettes. Spiced with ironic moments and a witty script, Thank You for Smoking moves its subject matter and manipulates it much in the same way that Naylor operates. The film doesn’t take sides on the issue; it is neither pro-smoking nor anti-smoking. Instead, it runs as a commentary on debate and how, if used properly, the right debate tactic can be used to “win” every argument. An argument “won”, therefore, proves the opposing argument to be wrong, at least in the eyes of Eckhart’s Nick Naylor.

The film features a broad contrast of performers in various roles. Katie Holmes is the reporter that uses Naylor for sex and information on his cause, then exposes him and his colleagues to the world. JK Simmons is Naylor’s boss, a man that pushes Naylor to the limits and stands up for big tobacco companies at all costs. Robert Duvall is incredible as The Captain, the leader of big tobacco and the ultimate hero for Nick Naylor. Sam Elliot is also perfectly cast as the former Marlboro Man. Rob Lowe is a silly film producer that Naylor works with to try and get cigarettes pushed in a film starring Brad Pitt in space. (That segment is one of the most amusing sequences of the film).

The performances are quite good and the film doesn’t so much push character development as it does push idea development for its viewers. We are shown the way and are, as Naylor would often echo, provided the chance to make up our own minds. That appears to be the centerpiece of the film: personal freedom. The film touts an libertarian mindset, allowing for personal freedom even in light of possible danger to oneself. This is confirmed in some of the closing dialogue in which Naylor is asked about what he would do should his son want to try smoking when he turned eighteen.

Essentially, the film is very smart and witty. At times, it pushes some boundaries. For the most part, however, Thank You for Smoking actually pulled way too many punches for its own good and lost some of the real firepower because of this. The potential for creating a powerfully cynical satire was present, but it seemed that Reitman pulled away from a full-on barrage in favor of some of the more conventional aspects of film, such as the “happy ending”. Instead of a brutal and amusing satire, we get an often-funny and ironic film that wraps up in an all-too-familiar way. Thank You for Smoking is a good film, mind you, but the letdown lies in the notion that it could have actually been great.

Trailer: