Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Thank You For Smoking

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Lesson in PR & lobbying as much as how the cigarette industry tried to stay out of trouble

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2020

Thank You For Smoking is about how the cigarette industry tried to deny that it was responsible for cancer. It focuses upon one of its main spokesmen Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) who works for the Academy of Tobacco Studies. He specialized in spin. For instance in the opening he claimed that the cancer researchers were profiting from the deaths of people, while the cigarette industry was most interested in the health of America’s children and was starting a multi-million campaign to convince people not to smoke. He could walk into any situation and twist things around and turn the tables on them. It’s obviously an ironic black comedy.

An example of the cynicism and comedy of the film is when Naylor gets in an argument with two of his best friends who are lobbyists for the alcohol and gun industry. He tells them that cigarettes are way worse than they are given how many people die from smoking a year compared to their products. Another time he gets kidnapped and covered in nicotine patches to get back at his work.

The movie focuses upon how far Naylor can push the industry given his gift for gab. Will it ever catch up to him? Does he feel any guilt?

It turns out to be a lesson in public relations and lobbying as much as about the lengths to which the cigarette industry tried to stay out of trouble.
C

4 people found this helpful

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Joan Jansen

Funny, but dishonest.

Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2019

Time and time again, they avoid and deceive about the addictive nature of cigarette smoking and concentrate on the only chemical element that isn't generally harmful to health unless it is used in very large doses, nicotine. There are well over 4000 chemicals in cigarettes and it is primarily the combustion that is harmful. The fact that tobacco is a MAOI compound which is an anti depressant is never mentioned anywhere. Big pharma and the AMA and all the states and agencies that get funding from the 1998 tobacco settlement would make big tobacco look like absolute saints.

6 people found this helpful

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From the United States

Lloyd Richardson

One of the worst films EVER!

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2013

Verified Purchase

Parody is one thing -- stupidity is another. This film is billed as a comedy. It is as funny as a root canal. It defines "poor taste." If you are considering buying this film I suggest you take a deep breath, then hit the delete button as soon as your reflexes permit.

2 people found this helpful

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David Schauweker

A Dishonest Film About Hype

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2014

This film purports to be a satire of the hype prevalent among Washington lobbyists, politicians, and the media.

It is not a satire, because satire requires some moral point of view, while this film has none.

Not only is the film itself dishonest, but the bonus material accompanying the DVD hypes the film in a very dishonest way.

The film seems to adopt the point of view and values of the protagonist, Nick Naylor (played by Aaron Eckhart), a tobacco lobbyist, who is striving to prevent health warnings from being included on cigarette packages.

Apparently Nick has been prettied up a bit from the novel on which the movie was based, and Nick's attempt to create a relationship with his son plays a big part in the movie, but not in the novel. But I don't see Nick as that great of a father. What kind of father teaches his son that issues are all a matter of presentation and argument (the facts themselves are unimportant?). That "paying the mortgage" justifies everything (the end justifies the means?). That being good at what you do is admirable, even if what you are good at hurts people (he jokingly calls himself a "merchant of death")?

Well, Nick smirks his way through the film, and at the end is none the wiser. I see no point in doing a detailed analysis of this movie. It's less than the sum of its parts, slick and shallow like its protagonist.

But the people who made this movie obviously do see it as worthy of a detailed analysis, as evidenced by the bonus material.

I see this bonus material as a combination of Hollywood types hyping their product and the fact that these people take themselves way too seriously.

There is a discussion of the movie, led by Charlie Rose, with the director, one of the producers, actor Aaron Eckhart (who played the lobbyist, Nick Naylor), and Christopher Buckley (the author of the novel). There is also a full-length commentary on the film.

A discussion of this film with Charlie Rose? Please, get real. This is just an attempt to make this look like an important film with some depth. And a full-length commentary is justified for a movie like this? What do they think this movie is, another "On the Waterfront?"

5 people found this helpful

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e. verrillo

A very nicely done bad movie

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2007

Thank You for Smoking, although clever and funny, was about as poorly conceived as an apologia for the KKK. (Not that it hasn't been done!) Hollywood makes movies good, not good movies. And this film is a prime example of that maxim: good set-up, good actors, good directing, good camera work...bad movie.

Now, before you get all hot and bothered about the fact that I didn't like a movie that you thought was funny and cute, stop and think for a minute. What makes a movie good? Is it the special effects? The visuals? The cute female (male) lead? The fact that you laughed? Well, no, actually. (Although all those things help.) What makes a movie good is the IDEA behind it. And this movie was based on a very bad one.

If you watch the special features, you'll hear a lot of people say that this movie is about "spin." That's pure spin. The movie (if you pay close attention to what the director says) is about "political correctness." In this case, since you are rooting for the "bad guy" (an amoral liar and all round despicable person), and boo-ing the "good guy" (the be-sandaled Senator from Vermont), the "correctness" part can be argued. Is it merely politically correct to try and curtail smoking? Is it on a par with saying "physically challenged" or "differently abled" rather than disabled or crippled? No, it is not. It is a hard, proven fact that cigarettes do indeed kill, that the tobacco lobby doesn't give a rodent's derriere about that, and that any laws passed through the efforts of lobbyists (like the protagonist of this film) will cause you direct and personal harm.

The other reason this film is bad is that it simply didn't work as a film. You can't make a feel-good movie about a man who is immoral. The teary-eyed Child who loves and supports Dad doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy. Instead you feel like slapping him, as much for the sentiment as for the stilted, all too adult-sounding, and blatantly expository lines he is forced to deliver. There is no godly reason for us to feel good about the son, or about the ex-spouse for that matter, who somehow, inexplicably decides to support her ex-hubby in the end. No, a plot like that only works if the main character comes through with a change of heart. And this one didn't.

Two thumbs down on this one. If you want to see a GOOD movie about spin, watch "Wag the Dog."

10 people found this helpful

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Levine

Never got out of 1st gear

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2012

I watched the first half of it and since it's 1am I decided that I would trade the other half for an hours sleep. I guess it was kind of a good example of how lobbying works and it could have been a pretty good show.

There was just virtually no exciting moments to it just kind of drags along.

One person found this helpful

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Michelle Polk

Smoking....

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2007

because it is on fire in my backyard! Sorry, not into the feel angry because the tobacco companies are making a lot of money! When hollywood stops producing movies glamourizing thugs and drug dealing maybe then they should start trying to convict others of their bad decisions. Until then just keep your opinion to yourself! Junk movie!

5 people found this helpful

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From other countries

Ron

Didn’t play

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2019

Verified Purchase

The disc didn’t work. Unable to resolve via Amazon as the return window had closed by the time I tried to watch it.

WSH

I spent that time waiting for it to start to be funny, start to be a story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

I gave up on this film after half an hour. I spent that time waiting for it to start to be funny, start to be a story. Humour obviously is not universal; I guess the people writing favourable reviews of this film found it funny. In our house it did not raise one chuckle. In the interests of fairness I thought I should add this user warning to the packaging.

2 people found this helpful

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