Film Review: Thank You for Smoking

For HumanistNetworkNews.org
April 19, 2006

Directed by Jason Reitman
Rated R
In English, 92 mins.

Thank You for Smoking is a glossy satire that fails to deliver.

The film was directed by Jason Reitman. This is his first major release. The film was based on a book written by Christopher Buckley. Aaron Eckhart (Paycheck) stars as the tobacco lobby's golden boy Nick Naylor, and J.K. Simmons (Spiderman & Spiderman II) stars as his boss, Budd "BR" Rohrabacher. Katie Holmes (Batman Begins & Pieces of April) also works her way into the film as a reporter who is as ruthless as Eckhart's character.

Thank You for Smoking explores the life of Nick Naylor, a tobacco lobbyist. Nick used to be the best in the business, but now is beginning to feel some emotional conflict over the messages he is sending to his son.

Aaron Eckert does well as Nick Naylor. Onscreen, he moves seamlessly and shows the two sides of his character, a powerful lobbyist by day and a lonely father who is trying to figure out what the heck he is doing at night. Reitman is also able to extract a great performance from Katie Holmes, almost akin to her work in Pieces of April.

Despite its solid casting, the first word I would use to describe Thank You for Smoking is underwhelming. The film follows the formula for a political satire almost to well. It has the right mix of characters, follows the rules for character conflict, and has a nice twist at the end. However, there is nothing in the film to make it stand out from any other film in this genre.

The film did have a few brilliant moments, and I look forward to Reitman's future pieces.

Some of my favorite moments in the film where when Eckart's character was interacting with his son. Like when they were riding down the deserted highway and his son was looking out the window. Reitman and the cinematographer filter the clips so they appear like old home movies on the screen. These brief moments humanize Eckhart's character and add an interesting element to the film.

Thank You for Smoking follows the formula for a political satire, but lacks the lacks the kick to make it unique.

Carolyn Braunius lives in Albany, N.Y. and recently completed her master's degree in English at the University at Albany. In college, she minored in film and has reviewed films for her campus newspapers.