Thank You for Smoking (USA) (Fox Searchlight) (2006) ****Year: 2006iMDB
Director: Jason Reitman Cast: Aaron Eckhart, William H Macy, Maria Bello, David Koechner, Katie Holmes
A satire that hits the right notes, irreverent but with a sense of measure, Thank you for Smoking introduces Nick Naylor (Eckhart) as the lobbyist for the Tobacco industry that can spin everything, convincing everyone that the people he represents are the ones that deplore the lung cancer fatalities more than anyone else since, with each victim, they lose a customer.
The satire however, wobbles towards the end, being strongly softened and turning into a statement about freedom of choice and about ultimately making the "right" choice, quite a step away from the message put forth in the first part of the movie which shrewdly advocates that any argument may be won if it is embedded in the right spin.
Despite the softer ending edge, Thank You for Smoking is overal clever and fresh, leaving us longing for more smart satires in the movie world.
Posted by TheCasualCritic on April 2, 2006 11:33 PM | TrackBack