ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

THE SMOKING BAN has brought a breath of fresh air to Scottish life. An evening at the pub or a meal out no longer entails a foggy atmosphere or the risk of cancer. It is a definite blow against the evil of cigarettes.

The tobacco industry isn’t about to stand by and watch its profits disappear, however, as we discover in ‘Thank You For Smoking’, a wickedly funny satire of soulless spin doctors and the inadequacies of modern morality.

In a breezy, charismatic performance, Aaron Eckhart plays Nick Naylor, a smart, cynical lobbyist for the tobacco industry. It is his job to discredit any attacks on tobacco and the demon weed. He is said to have the kind of silver-tongued charm that could disprove gravity.

He has no scruples and is content to do whatever is necessary to argue his case and pay the mortgage. He is not a monster, though, as he shows a commitment to freedom of choice and a concern over the future of his impressionable son, Joey (Cameron Bright).

Over the course of an impressionistic film, Nick clashes with finger-wagging Vermont Senator Finistiree (William H Macy), falls fouls of seductive journalist Heather (Katie Holmes), and tries to enlist Hollywood in his campaign to make smoking seem sexy again.

The pace is fast and the humour is brazen in a provocative film that takes aim at tobacco, the media and the hypocrisy of our political leaders. ‘Thank You For Smoking’ is a film of bracing irreverence that manages to make you think at the same time as it entertains. That’s a rare and winning combination in contemporary American cinema.

Nationwide release
Director: Jason Reitman
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, William H. Macy, Katie Holmes, Maria Bello, Robert Duvall, Rob Lowe.
Screenwriter: Jason Reitman based on the book by Christopher Buckley
Certificate: 15
Running time: 92 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2005

© Allan Hunter, 2006