Spring Break
'Smoking' smokes
Daniel Gross
Issue date: 10/6/06 Section: Focus
"Thank You For Smoking," a new film currently out on DVD, is the directorial and screenwriting debut feature of short-film director Jason Reitman, son of famous comedy director Ivan Reitman. The film is an adaptation of the 1994 novel, "Florence of Arabia; The White House Mess," by Christopher Buckley. The cast is an all-star ensemble - Aaron Eckhart (Erin Brockovich), Maria Bello (Secret Window, A History of Violence), Cameron Bright (The Butterfly Effect, X-Men III: The Last Stand), Adam Brody (The O.C., Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Sam Elliot (Tombstone, The Big Lebowski), Katie Holmes (Phone Booth, Batman Begins), Rob Lowe (The West Wing, Austin Powers), William H. Macy (Fargo, Boogie Nights), J.K. Simmons (The Mexican, Spider-Man) and Robert Duvall (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now).
The plot is simple - we, the viewers, are thrust into the daily grind of tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor (Eckhart), who, as he succinctly puts it, "Gets paid to talk." He is universally despised for what he talks about - until he opens his mouth. Naylor is a very interesting character, the likes of which only someone like Eckhart could play. He is essentially a charming, voluble, fairly amoral yuppie - simply put, a walking Bret Easton Ellis novel. With a character like this carrying the movie, it could easily have become a bitter subversion piece, but Reitman adds a much-welcomed angle to this movie. This is mostly fueled by Nick's complicated relationship with his son (Bright), a subplot which Reitman added on his own. Naylor's nemesis is the ruthlessly liberal senator Ortolan K. Finistirre (Macy), whose ultimate goal is to slap a skull-and-crossbones picture on every cigarette pack in America. Ironically, Naylor turns out to be the hero of this picture, despite his outrageous demeanor, his irrational support of smoking, his massive moral blind spot and his tactless affair with journalist Heather Holloway (Holmes). There is little wonder that Finistirre turns out to be the villain.
Reitman deftly uses his endearingly cynical touch throughout the movie to great effect, but thankfully doesn't skimp on the emotional gravity or the solidly layered plot. Perhaps the greatest example of Reitman's juggling act is the plot twist an hour into the movie that I need not spoil for you. It greatly invigorates the movie with acidic irony, master plot craftsmanship and character development; all of which are thoroughly present throughout the movie's span. It is a briskly-paced, cleverly-told, well-acted story bursting with indie charm, and it bodes very well for Reitman's impending directorial career.
The plot is simple - we, the viewers, are thrust into the daily grind of tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor (Eckhart), who, as he succinctly puts it, "Gets paid to talk." He is universally despised for what he talks about - until he opens his mouth. Naylor is a very interesting character, the likes of which only someone like Eckhart could play. He is essentially a charming, voluble, fairly amoral yuppie - simply put, a walking Bret Easton Ellis novel. With a character like this carrying the movie, it could easily have become a bitter subversion piece, but Reitman adds a much-welcomed angle to this movie. This is mostly fueled by Nick's complicated relationship with his son (Bright), a subplot which Reitman added on his own. Naylor's nemesis is the ruthlessly liberal senator Ortolan K. Finistirre (Macy), whose ultimate goal is to slap a skull-and-crossbones picture on every cigarette pack in America. Ironically, Naylor turns out to be the hero of this picture, despite his outrageous demeanor, his irrational support of smoking, his massive moral blind spot and his tactless affair with journalist Heather Holloway (Holmes). There is little wonder that Finistirre turns out to be the villain.
Reitman deftly uses his endearingly cynical touch throughout the movie to great effect, but thankfully doesn't skimp on the emotional gravity or the solidly layered plot. Perhaps the greatest example of Reitman's juggling act is the plot twist an hour into the movie that I need not spoil for you. It greatly invigorates the movie with acidic irony, master plot craftsmanship and character development; all of which are thoroughly present throughout the movie's span. It is a briskly-paced, cleverly-told, well-acted story bursting with indie charm, and it bodes very well for Reitman's impending directorial career.
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