Thank You for Smoking

Very funny and imaginatively directed in places, especially in the opening, when we are introduced to lobbyist Nick Naylor (the utterly brilliant Aaron Eckhart) as the "embodiment of cigarettes" in an irresistibly black and humourless sequence that approximates the number of victims of tobacco addiction. Guaranteed to amuse, too, are the apt observations about the now-fashionable curses on smoking in contemporary Hollywood ("These days, when someone smokes in the movies, they're either a psychopath... or a European."). Even at the very end, Reitman elegantly gets away with moralising that smoking may be "bad", but it is up to each of us to choose. But still, in the end, only 3 stars, albeit very strong. Despite a promising start in the opening 20 minutes, the film has too many deaf spots and unfinished scenes, which is a shame, because such a hot topic is ripe for a complete explosion of politically incorrect, sarcastic humour, of which there is woefully little. Still, the "Ghostbuster" can be proud of his son, I think there is a great talent growing here. (30/09/2006)

It starts as a very enjoyable and imaginative comedy, but then it slightly loses both its wit and, unfortunately, its originality. It's a good thing it has the great Aaron Eckhart in the lead role, he’s really convincing and better than good at talking. In sum, just another in a line of comedies that don't disappoint, but also don't dazzle. For me 70%. (02/10/2012)

The Lord of War, but this time about cigarettes. Personally, I don't smoke and I don’t like it: it makes my eyes sting and makes me cough. Still, I laughed at how easily Nick convinces everyone about “freedom of choice", mentioning only the pros of the so-called coffin nails. Moreover, Eckhart’s performance is excellent, and he's such a nice guy that you'll forgive him for everything (even the fact that he gets involved with Katie Holmes) and Cameron Bright pulled off a younger version of him to a T as well. P.S.: Did you notice that no one smokes during the movie? (21/08/2008)

Although I understand that cigarettes are not good for your health (I have always been a non-smoker, which doesn’t really help me much), but I am strongly annoyed by the sometimes hysterical reactions to smokers. What annoys me more than cigarette smoke in restaurants is the foul smell coming from the baby-changing table. In other words, if you want your children to be healthy, learn to cook instead of dragging your kids around pubs. Even in this film, I was forced to side with the bullied, which Nick Naylor made much easier for me thanks to his perfectly cynical attitude. His colleagues from the MOD squad did not fall behind. Nick went against the mainstream and didn't give up in spite of a potential melodramatic ending, and I must give him credit for that. (18/04/2020)

A smart, sharply sarcastic comedy that spares no one and nothing and is full of catchphrases from all sides, while still being true to life. In no scene or with no character does one feel anything artificial. A good screenplay was matched with a decent director and the cast is very high-quality, so together it is not a groundbreaking film, but a very quality genre film that will please fans of intelligent humor. It is exactly the kind of movie where I will surely remember certain catchphrases even years later. Overall impression: 80%. (01/06/2009)