In essence Thank You For Smoking is a slice-of-life story, the life in question being that of Nick Naylor, played to perfection by Aaron Eckhart as the most unconscionable, audacious and downright likeable scumbag you’re every likely to meet. Nick is a spokesperson for the tobacco industry, whose job it is to deflect all those depressing rumors about lung disease and passive smoking and to play up, instead, the other side of the argument – for example, what company would deliberately kill its own customers? And why the hell don’t people smoke in movies any more?
Nick isn’t a popular guy. Love-interest to-be reporter Katie Holmes points out on first meeting him, “my other interviews have pinned you as a mass murderer, blood sucker, pimp, profiteer and my personal favorite, yuppie Mephistopheles.” He doesn’t really have any friends – only his fellow spokespersons for alcohol and guns, the other members of the self-proclaimed Merchants of Death. And the only things that much matter to him in life are his job, and his son – played fairly likeably by Damian-a-like Cameron Bright. It’s their relationship, as well as Nick’s ill-conceived fling with Holmes’ reporter that creates what semblance of plot there is to Thank You For Smoking.
As doubtful as his morals may be, Nick Naylor will win you over – it’s what he does. As he puts it himself, “Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I talk.” And Nick aside, there’s a great supporting cast around to plug any gaps – Rob Lowe and J K Simmons are on particularly great form, with William H Macy following close behind as Naylor’s smug, self-appointed nemesis senator Ortolan K Finistirre.
Writer/director Jason (son of Ivan) Reitman has created a movie that’s just as smartly obnoxious as its protagonist, and for the first few minutes the voice-over, the narrative and directorial trickery feel a little forced. But, appropriately, there’s substance beneath the surface, and every scene contributes satisfyingly to the whole.
If there’s any grounds for criticism it’s the lack of consistency – as hilarious as some scenes are, others only raise the occasional cynical smile. But to try and pin Thank You For Smoking down as a comedy is perhaps a mistake in itself – Reitman is comfortable enough with his movie to throw just about anything at the screen and for the majority of it to stick. It works as social satire, whilst also slipping some pretty dumb (but no less funny) jokes under the radar. It pulls off the father-and-son bonding without becoming too maudlin. And, in its best moments, it creates a portrait of our society that feels more current and more accurate than any film in recent memory – not just milking its obvious flaws for cheap laughs but also celebrating some of its more neglected achievements. After all, this is ultimately a film about free speech.
And if that sounds kind of dull, I should mention that I was laughing so hard at one point that I cried and nearly fell out of my chair. And if that’s not a recomendation then I don’t know what is.