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Clever comedies are few and far between these days. Slapstick antics and gags about unpleasant bodily functions seem to have taken the place of witty dialogue. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve sat through a gross-out comedy and not laughed once. So nowadays I find myself approaching a “humorous” film with a real sense of trepidation. But though I didn’t realise it as I took my seat, I needn’t have worried about Thank You for Smoking. This film came as a breath of fresh air (pun intended).
Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is a lobbyist for a conglomerate of the largest cigarette manufactures in America. Seeing as these days being a smoker is akin to being a mass murderer, being someone whose job it is to promote smoking is the same as being Ghenkis Khan, Vlad the Impaler, and Jack the Ripper all rolled into one. Nick isn’t bothered, though—he loves a challenge, and he loves his job. He’s good at it, too. Bearing in mind that his job doesn’t lend itself to making friends very easily, his two closest acquaintances are in the same sort of business. Polly Bailey (Maria Bello) is a spokesperson for the brewing industry, and Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner) is the mouthpiece for all things to do with firearms. Together, they make up a lunch club called MOD (Merchants of Death).
Everything is going well in Nick’s life until he runs into Heather Holloway (Katie Holmes), a reporter for a large daily newspaper. Using her feminine charms, she tricks Nick into revealing the existence of MOD, and thus making him an even more hated figure in the eyes of the public.
Besides being really funny, Thank You for Smoking shows that you don’t need a big-name lead to make a film work. Eckhart delivers a top-notch performance, as do all the supporting cast members. Chief amongst these are J.K. Simmons as Nick’s backstabbing boss, and Koechner as the gun lobbyist. William H. Macy and Robert Duvall are also in there, and, as usual, they don’t disappoint. Rob Lowe also pops up as a slightly deranged Hollywood producer who only sleeps on Sundays and has an unhealthy obsession for Japanese art.
Having such a talented cast, however, would count for nothing without a script of equal strength, and that’s just what this film has. There’s not a wasted line of dialogue. Every word pushes the story forward, cements the characters’ personalities, and more often than not provides a laugh. It’s also one of those films where at times you’re laughing so much you miss the next joke, so it’ll certainly stand up to repeated DVD viewings. If only all funny films were as good as Thank You for Smoking, then it would help to take the fear out of comedies.
