Thank you for Smoking - movie review

I have been waiting to see this film ever since I caught the trailer on one of my weekly visits to my fave trailer site a couple of months ago. And then I missed it during the festival circuit. And then all the press about it after Sundance had to do with "the missing Katie Holmes sex scene". And then I forgot about it. And then it opened in Halifax and I had to go. Well, it was worth the wait. Best comedic satire of the year (sorry American Dreamz).

Smoking is short and sharp. Like most solid movies it comes from written source material (the novel by Christopher Buckley) and you can see it in the structure. At 92 minutes, the film might sound like a waste of your $10-13 but if people will dish out for The Benchwarmers @ 85mins. or Scary Movie 4 @ 83!mins. then the commentary-packed time of Smoking is money well spent.

Smoking centers around lobbyist Nick Naylor and follows his path from "Sultan of Spin" for Big Tobacco to, well, "Sultan of Spin" for other ethically flexible enterprises. If this journey sounds short it's not. The movie navigates through ethical debate, logical argument, and corporate responsibility. It introduces us to the MOD = Merchants of Death (tobacco, alcohol and guns), the consumers, and the consequences with a razor-sharp and intelligent approach. The film succeeds at illuminating the tobacco industry as criminal even as the central character is extolling its virtues. It's completely clever.

Acting is crucial in a film like this one. Thankfully, Aaron Eckhart is leading the way on this crusade. If you don't know him (or only know him from Erin Brokovich or The Core) then I suggest you take a look at Neil LeBute's early films In The Company of Men and Friend & Neighbors which were the launchpads for Eckhart's career. They also show that he is potentially the best actor in Hollywood to portray moral ambiguity in a character and not appear utterly villainous (i.e. John Malkovich or Willem Dafoe). In Smoking, he is in his element. He is all charm and grin and wit and eloquence. And his eyes tell you everything that he's not saying. It's wonderful to watch and makes you root for Naylor even at his worst. The supporting cast is strong with Maria Bello, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy and Rob Lowe (!) turning in convincing performances with the requisite amount of wink for a film of this kind. Sam Elliot IS the Marlboro Man - seriously. Adam Brody and Katie Holmes try their best but both are easily replaceable. Oh - and that sex scene? It's there - and its entertaining but I've never belived Holmes as a sexpot and she doesn't sell it here either.

Many things work well in Smoking. The direction and pacing are on target and keep the film hopping along. Creative set-ups and smart editing take advantage of what the film medium allows and weave the various smoking viewpoints together with style. But the best element is the character of Nick Naylor's son. As a mild Jiminey Cricket figure, the son follows Naylor on his journey and pushes the father to explain, defend, and support his actions. The interaction between the two characters is the core of the Smoking debate - one about choice. It also emphasizes the need to question assumptions and to educate ourselves (and our children) because the choice is empty if it is not an informed one. In the end, I think that Thank you for Smoking might be the best film to watch for anyone struggling with the convergence of ethics, business and health. All that in an hour and half - they must have had a smoker's needs at heart!