Never in film history has a movie started with the spitting of a giant loogie, but leave it to the film Thank You for Smoking to pave the way.
At the tender age of 29, Jason Reitman adapted and directed Smoking and got all of Hollywood to sign onboard for his first feature-length film.
Based on the satirical novel by Christopher Buckley, Smoking tells the story of Nick Naylor, played by Aaron Eckhart (Erin Brockovich), a smooth-talking lobbyist and Big Tobacco's go-to guy. Naylor is described as "the Colonel Sanders of tobacco" with a "bachelors in kicking ass and taking names."
Naylor's got his work cut out for him, defending the almighty cigarette with style to America's doctors, politicians and parents.
Apparently, the novel was based on a question a reporter posed to a tobacco lobbyist about what his son thinks of his career. Naylor's relationship with his son in the movie takes a different angle on the issue of what makes someone a good role model.
Naylor is the king of B.S. and knows it; he tells his son it requires someone with "moral flexibility" to do his job. Despite his questionable morals, Naylor is a responsible parent who teaches his kid the only thing he knows -- the art of argument.
Eckhart is flawless as Naylor and looks like he's having a hell of a time playing the role. Although it's about family issues, Smoking is a biting and cheeky comedy filled with wonderful characters that could make a great political comic book.
Joining Naylor as the other members of the M.O.D (Merchants of Death) Squad are the representative for alcohol, Polly Bailey, played by Maria Bello (A History of Violence), and the representative for firearms, Bobby Jay Bliss, played by David Koechner (Anchorman).
These fellow compatriots gather every week to swap stories of skirmishes with nonprofits and compete for death rates. It sounds grim, but remember, it's a comedy.
Naylor meets a number of roadblocks in the form of Vermont Sen. Ortolan K. Finistirre, played by film legend William H. Macy (Seabiscuit), who tries to bring Big Tobacco down. I was even pleasantly surprised by the other half of TomKat, Katie Holmes (Batman Begins), who plays a manipulative reporter for the Washington Probe.
If you ever wondered what Rob Lowe would look like in a geisha outfit, your prayers will be answered by Lowe's hysterical performance as Hollywood hotshot agent Jeff Megall. Even the iconic Marlborough man makes an appearance, and we learn he's smoked KOOLS all along.
Higher up in the tobacco ranks is the "Captain," played by Robert Duvall, who sees Naylor as his poster child and shows him a taste of the good life, flying "Tobacco One" and other perks.
Going along with the playful nature of the film, Smoking's soundtrack is full of old- time hits, from the likes of Tex Williams, Patsy Cline and Otis Redding, singing about America's longtime vice.
Good satire is in short supply lately in Hollywood, and it's about time a film came along to poke fun at one of the most despised businesses today.
Naylor is the antihero, whose job defines him, and yet his character is impossible to dislike. As he puts it, "Michael Jordan plays ball, Charles Manson kills people and I talk."
As easy as it is to criticize a film, I could find no fault in this one. With hilarious dialogue and unforgettable characters, it offers a classic look at American culture and the war on tobacco.
Whether you smoke or not, you can enjoy this guilty pleasure.
Grade: A
