Thank You for Smoking makes persuasive talk entertaining without requiring it to become honest. Aaron Eckhart gives the satire its energy, though some of the targets are easier than the film seems to think.
Spoiler-free review.
Aaron Eckhart is very good at making an answer sound satisfying without actually answering the question. That is the main pleasure of Thank You for Smoking. Nick’s confidence is a professional tool, and Eckhart makes it easy to understand why people keep listening. The performance gives the satire a person to follow rather than only a target.
Jason Reitman keeps the film moving. Arguments are like contests with tactics, timing, and an audience in mind. The dialogue is most fun when a shift in emphasis quietly changes the question being discussed. It shows how persuasion can work without needing an honest exchange of information.
The personal relationships give Nick some situations that cannot be managed quite as neatly as a public appearance. I liked those interruptions to his professional fluency. The film is more interesting when it notices the limits of his method than when it is simply impressed by how quickly he can find another line of defence.
Some targets are broad, and the satire sometimes feels too happy with clever responses. I wanted it to linger on the uncomfortable implications a bit longer. Still, the central performance and the pace keep it engaging. It's a sharp, accessible comedy about the difference between having an argument and having something worth saying.
2005 · English. Film details · Film details · Poster source · Artwork © its respective rights holders.
Thank You for Smoking makes persuasive talk entertaining without requiring it to become honest. Aaron Eckhart gives the satire its energy, though some of the targets are easier than the film seems to think.
— Desly