Thank You for Smoking

7,5 / 10

Putting the names of the executive producers aside, this is a great, cynical satire about the tobacco industry in which director Jason Reitman circles around the proven fact of cigarette smoking as a serious risk factor for lung cancer and respiratory diseases and focuses more on lobbyism and the mechanics of public relations and debates in the media. Thank You for Smoking disguises the dialogue-heavy work and appointments of the protagonist and spokesman of the tobacco association Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) as a verbal fighting tour: Arguments are formed like a spoken fist of words, statements get deflected through reinterpretation, openness works like a feint and silencing opponents through mean offers is also an option. Disagreements become secondary to the argument. Disproving the opponent's argument and directing the audience's attention to the falsification itself function like heavy blows to the liver which is effectively presented in an exemplary argument about which ice cream flavor is the best: “I proved that you're wrong and if you're wrong, I'm right. [...] I’m not after you. I’m after them.”

It’s Naylor’s task to satisfy his association and the tobacco manufacturers as well as the public. At all costs. Positive impression and reception make up the essence of his job. Highlights are Nick’s companions from the ridiculous M.O.D. Squad – a group of spokespersons from other industries which dines every week – and the peculiar name of the school which his son attends. One would feel bad about rooting for the lobbyist (I mean, that's his ultimate goal), but that should not be the issue as he conveys his standpoint clearly which involves the medical evidence. The tautology about the bad effects of smoking on humans is clear as day. It’s the viewers’ decision what do with the fact. Reitman is not advocating for smoking, but rather lays out the story like a PR manual for future politicians, lobbyists, CEOs as well as citizens. The next time you see one of these people in congressional hearings, interviews or talk shows, be prepared for the way they talk, how they twist arguments and how they are able to market and defend the most dubious things. An equally funny and thought-provoking film.