Thank You For Smoking (no spoilers)

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  • Thank You For Smoking (no spoilers)

    I was really looking forward to this film and I finally caught it tonight. It's a wonderful piece of film and one of the best directorial debuts in recent memory.

    It's interesting that this movie comes out the same weekend as V For Vendetta because both films feature bad guys as the hero. In this case it's a big tobacco lobbyist. It's remarkable how you cheer for this man. Maybe it's because Aaron Eckhart is so unbelievable good and charming in this role. I mean, the character is just a very likeable guy despite his his job. He's a talker. That's what he's good at. What he talks about isn't really the issue to him. For now. Or maybe it's because the message (keep smoking, please) is so ridiculous that it never feels offensive.

    The movie raises some fantastic facts about smoking and you do realize what a cunning and evil business it is. Sure, it's a one-sided argument. But the film really convinces you that there is no second side. There's no way around it -- smoking kills. But for Eckhart it's not about the right or wrong of smoking or the health issues. It's about his ability to take an issue and present it in a way that can't be argued. He has a talent for making a discussion less about proving he's right and more about proving the other person isn't...all without having to prove that person wrong. It's a tricky game. But it makes for some truly engaging dialogue and some very smart writing in this movie.

    You'd probably figure Jason Reitman to have a knack for comedy considering who is dad is. But honestly, Ivan could learn a few things from this guy. The shots, the photography, the editing are all top notch. There's an art to them. And this touch never sacrifices comedy. It's a consistently funny film from start to finish. It's not Stripes funny. It's not Ghostbusters funny. It's different. More meaningful, in some ways. It accomplishes what Ivan failed to do in his more mature films like Junior and Father's Day.

    This film has the chance to be an indie breakout. It's accessible to anybody and if word of mouth spreads, it could be huge. But if not, it's a guaranteed cult smash. This is a special film and the start of a great career for Reitman.

    Ele...

  • #2
    Re: Thank You For Smoking (no spoilers)

    (SPOILERS AHEAD)

    I saw this a couple weeks ago at a screening so my memory may be a little hazy.

    The one thing that bothered me about this movie is that Nick Naylor has no arc whatsoever.

    It seemed like no matter what happened to him, he was never really shaken by it. Sure he gets a little depressed when that article comes out and he gets fired, but he gets out of it rather quickly and goes back to doing the same thing he was doing at the beginning of the first act. Did anyone else see this too?

    Other than that, I thought it was really freakin' funny. A great send up of the bullsh!t industry that really runs the country.
    Last edited by RBoss; 03-20-2006, 11:24 AM.
    "If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you"
    "If I didn't have inner peace I'd totally go psycho on you guys all the time." - Carl Carlson

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    • #3
      Re: Thank You For Smoking (no spoilers)

      How 'bout a spoiler warning when you put them in a spoiler free thread, boss?

      ele ... thanks for the spoiler free rave. Looking forward to this.
      http://confoundedfilms.com

      http://www.myspace.com/confoundedfilms

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      • #4
        Re: Thank You For Smoking (no spoilers)

        I love the cast.
        Can't wait to see it when it opens wider. It's only in one theater in LA at the moment.

        This isn't the Howard Johnson's.

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        • #5
          Re: Thank You For Smoking (no spoilers)

          But it's the best theater in LA.

          It was a really good movie. The problems that Boss had, I thought were the film's strengths.
          "I dub thee: Sir Non Sequitur." - sc111

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          • #6
            Re: Thank You For Smoking (no spoilers)

            It is the best theater in LA, but I don't feel like driving down there to deal with you "city folk".
            I'll wait a week.

            This isn't the Howard Johnson's.

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            • #7
              Re: Thank You For Smoking (no spoilers)

              Very smart and funny dialogue and an incredible performance by Aaron Eckhart. Great cast in probably the best film I have seen in '06 so far.

              And David Koechner just makes me laugh.

              This isn't the Howard Johnson's.

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              • #8
                Re: Thank You For Smoking (no spoilers)

                **POSSIBLE SPOILERS BUT NOTHING BOSS HASN'T SAID ALREADY**




                I found it subtly disappointing and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe, like Boss said, it was the lack of arc.

                There were some really funny moments in it, though.
                "Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.-
                ― Ray Bradbury

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                • #9
                  Re: Thank You For Smoking (no spoilers)

                  **OMG SP0IleRZ**



                  I liked what you're all complaining about, I thought it made him more likeable that he just didn't care.


                  On a side note, right before the movie started the last trailer they showed at the theater I was at was United 93...talk about a downer before watching a comedy...

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                  • #10
                    Re: Thank You For Smoking (no spoilers)

                    Finally caught this and I'm really glad I did. Very very funny movie. Yet even a sophisticated NY audience didn't seem to catch all of the jokes ... for some of it I think you might have had to be a public health geek like me. Lots of great lines throughout.

                    Interesting that I saw this and The Yes Men within days of eachother since The Yes Men is almost the non-fiction version except they're posting as WTO spokemen rather than being them ... nevertheless they're saying things that are just as ridiculous as Nick's stances in Thank You for Smoking.

                    I've got to say Rob Lowe stole his scenes. So fantastic as a charicature of a bigshot Hollywood agent. So did Robert Duvall as a Mint Julip swilling big tobacconist.

                    Agree with ele's rave. This is a very funny movie that never loses its comedy despite some darker scenes late. I felt as though Nick had an arc, even if subtle. He didn't take the job back at the end. He realized he could do what he was best at without continuing to sell his soul to big tobacco.
                    http://confoundedfilms.com

                    http://www.myspace.com/confoundedfilms

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                    • #11
                      Re: Thank You For Smoking (no spoilers)

                      Just finally showed up in my mailbox from netflix; and I'd have to say I loved it.

                      Unabashedly funny with nary a fart joke. And I'd have to agree on the arc-he could do what he loved without having to be the most hated guy in America.

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