Thanking You For Smoking

I also re-watched Thank You For Smoking this weekend today because it is one of my favorite movies. This movie is based on a novel of the same name and stars Aaron Eckhart as the lead with a cast of many interesting characters. The humor would appeal to those who really like satire and this movie isn't afraid to be offensive. Eckhart plays Nick Naylor, the chief spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies whose purpose is to find a link between smoking and cancer. Given that they are funded by tobacco companies, they can not find any conclusive evidence. His days range from appearing on television shows and defending tobacco companies and smokers, to fighting the senate bill to add a skull and crossbones to cigarette packages, to meeting with Hollywood produces and pitching the idea of having stars smoke again in movies. Every week he meets with his two best friends for lunch, the lobbyists for the alcohol and firearms industries. The three nickname themselves the "merchants of death." Ironically the Eckhart character is the hero of the story and the character we root for, while the villain is a senator who wants to keep people from smoking. As you watch, you realize that the movie really ends up being about choice and people having the right to decide for themselves to smoke. It is also really funny as you watch the scenes and the lines throughout about the cigarette industry and what he does for a living. My favorite line from the movie is when the boss is yelling at his staff and says "We sell cigarettes, not tic-tacs! They're cool, available, and ADDICTIVE! The job is almost done for us." I think this line captures the spirit of the movie and I laugh every time sit down and watch it.