Thank You for Smoking

This very good dark comedy was directed by Jason Reitman before Juno and they both showcase his many talents.

[SPOILER PARAGRAPH] It tells the story of a Washington lobbyist for the cigarette industry, the one that causes the highest number of casualties in the US per year. He rather enjoys his job, in spite of being forcefully hated by the anti-smoking lobby. He thinks of it quite philosophically, as in “Someone has to do it, might as well be me.” His adventures on behalf of his employer, however, bring him to do things morally questionable (to put it mildly), to the point where he starts to wonder if it’s the right job for him after all.

In the title role, Aaron Eckhart shines as a guy whose conscience seems coated with Teflon in order for him to survive the attacks on his moral fiber. Of note are also J.K. Simmons, who plays his boss, Maria Bello and David Koechner, who play two friends of Eckhart's who do his same job in the alcohol and gun industries respectively, and the always great Robert Duvall as the cigarette company's big wig. On the other hand, totally forgettable is Katie Holmes as a journalist who successfully seduces our incredibly handsome “hero.”

Reitman brings great performances out of his actors (which tells me that Holmes must stink as an actress, since she’s the lonely dog in the bunch), and the script is excellent, with little gems of irony subtly sewn into the film’s fabric, like the fact that Eckhart’s ex-wife’s new husband is, a doctor, which is greatly at odds with his stepson's father’s profession.

Greatly enjoyable.

Grade: 7.5