Thank You For Smoking

My first impression was that this film was a shiny rehash of Andrew Niccol’s smug polemic “Lord of War.” I was right. However, oddly, it actually works. In this case, writer/director Jason Reitman (son of Ivan Reitman) takes on the tobacco industry, a ripe target for the kind of deconstruction and criticism for which Niccol is known (also see “Gattaca” and “The Truman Show”).

Based on a novel by Christopher Buckley, “Thank You For Not Smoking” centers on the life of tobacco industry lobbyist Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart), and, to a lesser extent, his cohorts, gun lobbyist Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner) and Polly Bailey (Maria Bello), representing the alcoholic beverage industry. Together they form an unholy triumvirate which they comically refer to as the MOD Squad (Merchants Of Death). Nick alone represents an industry that, he openly admits, kills 1200 people a day. At their usual hang out, the MOD squad, as it were, delights in comparing death tolls brought about by the products of their respective industries.

Nick works for a boss almost more scheming and duplicitous than he, B.R. (J.K. Simmons), who himself reports to a captain of the old guard who, incidentally, is referred to as Captain (Robert Duvall). Of the Captain’s ability to spin, Nick says, “The man’s a genius. He could disprove gravity.”

The central plot is rather weak: Tobacco’s chief enemy in Congress is Senator Ortolan Finistirre (William H. Macy), who’s on a crusade to label cigarette packaging with “POISON” stickers. One’s mind immediately shifts back to the 1980’s, Tipper Gore and how the PMRC’s campaign for “Parental Advisory” labels on music essentially backfired by putting the spotlight on albums that contained profanity. Now recording artists wear these labels like a badge of honor. The film, unfortunately, doesn’t go that far. Instead, it falls back on the old standard balance between career (Naylor’s objective to kill Sen. Finistirre’s project) and conscience (Naylor’s relationship as a role model to his ex-wife’s son).

The film does take an unusual turn, however, in that Joey Naylor (Cameron Bright) isn’t looking to his father to be anything more than he is. What Joey understands is that Nick is an exceptionally-skilled spin doctor. Trying to write a speech for class, Joey asks, “Dad, why is the American government the best government in the world?” Nick quickly responds, “Because of our endless appeals system?”

Nick elaborates to Joey, “That’s the beauty of argument. If you argue correctly, you’re never wrong.” Funny he should mention this, because it seems to be the central philosophy that’s taken over the airwaves in the latest phenomenon in journalism: Talking Head Syndrome. Ever notice how every news channel now has it’s share of pundits squaring off on allegedly opposing sides of the debate? The interesting difference between science and debate is that science requires one to substantiate their case by empirical observation in a way that can be scrutinized through repeated trials by different researchers. Debate, on the other hand, sets a much lower bar: Whoever argues best must be right. Murrow must be spinning in his grave.

It rarely occurs to audiences in a debate, who have little time to actually check the facts there and then, that both sides could theoretically be wrong. Suffice it to say that in modern debates, usually neither side is a reputable expert on the subject matter being discussed. People who consistently prefer debate over empirical science as a proving ground know that they haven’t the ability to substantiate their case on the basis of facts.

Sorry, I got a little off-tangent there from the actual movie. Another subplot in the film involves teen smoking. “Our bread and butter,” B.R. calls it. Nick comes up with the idea of partnering with the motion picture industry to bring smoking back to the big screen. The thing about being a shark is that you work with sharks, and therefore it’s unwise to completely trust anyone. When the Captain calls on Nick to meet with him, personally, Nick learns that B.R. made it appear as though the movie connection were his idea. Nonetheless, if Nick can make the Hollywood connection work, he’d be worshiped as the man who reinvigorated the cigarette business. Who better than Hollywood’s own beleaguered Rob Lowe to play the power broker Jeff Megall?

Megall is a man whose dedication to making money (i.e., “greed”) makes Nick a philanthropist by comparison. His eccentric excesses, including having a zen gardener raking sand on the payroll (among other things), aren’t quite enough to make Dennis Kozlowski green with envy, but let’s say they’re close. “Jeff,” asks Nick, “When do you sleep?” Nick replies, “Sunday.” Megall reminds one of Wally Cook’s (Frederic March) description of Oliver Stone (Walter Connolly), “A cross between a ferris wheel and a werewolf.” (“Nothing Sacred,” 1937)

The punchline to all this setup, I suppose, is that the MOD squad are ultimately fucked over by someone even more unscrupulous than them. I won’t spoil who it is, but I’ll say it should be relatively obvious. The film doesn’t rely entirely on the twist, though, for its entertainment. It’s not quite as dark a satire as “Lord of War,” and its protagonist’s jolly attitude, resembling (frighteningly) a more rational sort of Timothy Treadwell, does distract one from taking in the sparse facts and figures thrown at you about the industry. But in that way, the movie is never in danger of being crushed by it’s own weight.

I do think that Niccol’s film was far better, but that’s largely due to his experience as a writer. Reitman, at 28, is off to a pretty good start here. People will be distracted somewhat by the criss-crossing plots that don’t seem to center on one main narrative, but the characters are the point of interest here—especially Joey. While you may not agree with Joey’s interpretation of the world, you have to acknowledge that being raised by a father such as Nick makes his character’s predilections entirely believable.

You might expect Nick to have learned a lesson after he’s hit rock bottom, but the reality is usually different… Consider, for example, Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey) in “Two For the Money.” The story was based on the real-life story of a high-stakes bookie. In the movie, Lang learns his lesson and goes back to doing something respectable. In real life, however, the minute Brandon Lang gained notoriety from the release of the film, that’s right… he capitalized on it by going right back into sports betting. Isn’t it obvious from that film the only reason that Brandon decided to clean up and coach kids’ football was because he lost his ass financially? So, it’s not surprising to learn how Nick Naylor deals himself back in the game, but in this twisted world of spin vs. spin, it’s entirely plausible.

Thank You For Smoking • Dolby® Digital surround sound in select theatres • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 • Running Time: 92 minutes • MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content. • Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures