Memorable, crazy movie

Awesome Movie

Blistering performances.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

"Thank you for Smoking" is the best social satire and downright controversial character study that no one is talking about. Eckhart leads a fantastic cast as a lobbyist for big tobacco as the film explores the ups and downs that come with the job. The screenplay features almost Sorkin like dialogue that is endlessly entertaining to watch be performed especially in the scenes with the "MOD squad" or "Merchants of Death"With Eckhart at career best, a fantastic screenplay, biting social satire and Sam Elliott in the role he was born to play this movie is a must see.

Alright, I've noticed several reviews that discuss the bad effects of smoking rather than the quality of the movie itself. I'm not going to get into that; I know smokers who are happy with their lifestyle and aren't sick and they've been smoking for years. I also know smokers who have gotten cancer. There may never be a right or wrong and I won't waste your time getting into all that.This movie is a laugh-riot, with very minimal crude humor and a look at the point of view of a spokesperson for tobacco. Nick lives a wealthy life money-wise, but standing up in favor of tobacco has cost him his marriage, many friendships, the respect of people nationwide and if he isn't careful, his career might also cost him his twelve-year-old son, who is conflicted between the anti-smoking propaganda at his school, and the information from his father. He has to decide which is more important, his family or his job.This is not an environmental hippie propaganda crud movie, which made me ecstatic since I love polluting things on purpose. It was nice to find a movie that explained both sides of the matter. Although it sort of shows the tobacco corporation in a bad light, Nick is not an "evil businessman monster", h truly does care about his son although taking Joey on a business trip to Big Tobacco likely wasn't the best idea, nor was the comedic parent-teacher scene. The real sleazeball in this movie is Brad, Joey's step-dad.If you're a smoker, don't worry, this movie doesn't shove all that anti-smoking crud down your throat; anything anti-smoking related in it is no different than what you see on those cigarette packages. I will warn that if you don't have a sense of humor with this type of movie, or if you don't enjoy movies like Silkwood, A Civil Action or The Insider, you may find yourself bored or annoyed at the movie.I highly recommend Thank You For Smoking. The acting for the most part is really good, the soundtrack is great and the plot is original. Definitely worth seeing at least once.

Thank You For Smoking. Some movies really fall into different territory all together. Just think of people who are playing the role of Merchants of Death like our hero Nick Naylor played by super Aaron Eckhart who is a lobbyist on behalf of companies who make billions by selling cigarettes and are root cause of 1200 deaths every day. Our hero just does not defend them, he makes sure no one thinks of them being bad people. Although he has facing a personal battle where he has to justify his stand to his growing son who is so fond of him. Directed by Jason Reitman of Juno and Up In The Air fame, this movie is a little cracker with delicious and witty one liners coming at rat a tat speed, characters which are so well defined and screenplay which as clean as water in mountains. I wish the war with senator was given more length as I felt that movie was over before its due time. I am going with fantastic 8 out of 10 for Thank You For Smoking. It is such a delicious comedy and drama with out of box idea that will keep you thinking for days

It's often interesting to see the directorial debut of someone who has gone on to make so many great movies ever since. In so many debuts, like "Duel" or "Following", you can see traces of some of the best tropes or idioms used by a certain director. "Thank You for Smoking" is no different, and provides us with a glimpse of the origins of Jason Reitman's fantastic and often dark sense of humour.The film follows Nick Naylor, a lobbyist for cigarette companies, through various different tasks and problems with his job and family. Nick's relationship with his son is really interesting, and gives the film some of its more touching moments. Plotwise, the film is fairly thin, and takes the shape more of a series of sketches or vignettes with interconnected stories and themes. However, this doesn't bog the film down at all, and just gives it the potential for even more humour and new situations. It's filled with a barrage of fantastic supporting characters too, from Katie Holmes' manipulative journalist, to Rob Lowe's Hollywood agent, and no part of it feels unnecessary or stuck on.The script is the movie's greatest strength, and it reaches a great level of satire, making you think as well as laugh. While smoking is the centre of the movie, it never is encouraged, since we know that Naylor is sweet-talking and slimy. The "Merchants of Death" meetings are a particular stroke of genius, bringing together three controversial industries and making them seem foul. From the very first scene of the film, where Naylor is attempting to put a good spin on cancer when he is opposed greatly on a talk show, even by a boy suffering from lung cancer, you can see that the film is not afraid of being controversial, but manages very well to bring its message across through humour.Lead by a fantastic set of performances and a razor-sharp script, "Thank You for Smoking" is a great start for Jason Reitman, paving the way for his later successes such as "Juno" and "Up in the Air", and manages to be touching, informative and down-right hilarious throughout.