Hello, all.
Time to get topical with today's pick... not with any kind of allusions to this crazy Covid-19 world, mind, but with another subject that I'm sure many feel is also related to the issue of public health: tobacco... specifically, big tobacco. [Full disclosure: we had a two acre allotment for growing tobacco when I was growing up, and I'm pretty sure that everyone in the family smoked at one time or another, so this flick was maybe a little bit more up my alley than, say, some urban or suburban folks... but it's still a great black comedy].
The film, of course, is THANK YOU FOR SMOKING.
From IMDb, the plot is this: "Satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son."
When I was trying to figure out what I'd write about this one, I kinda began wondering what the catalyst for the flick might be... was it the 1994 novel by the same name? Probably, but I can't help but think that Denis Leary's "No Cure for Cancer" special released in 1992 [co-written by the late, great Bill Hicks, incidentally] helped to inform Jason Reitman when he was scripting this film.
Since this is probably one with which at least a few of you are less familiar than others in this "series," you may want to check out the trailer, embedded below:
Okay, so the "credible expert" bit in the trailer probably gets a little more over the target of contemporary concerns... but overlooking that unintentional overlap, I love a comedy that takes risks. It seems that comedians today are almost afraid of taking them - the panning of Dave Chappelle's most recent special [which I thought was funny] is only one example of what might happen if you do in a world of safe spaces and the suchlike. Yeah, this film was released back in the Bush 43 years, but even then, talking favorably about "big tobacco" was somewhat taboo. The mildly amusing "Truth" commercials were really starting to get pushed to a broader audience [the "'Splode" commercial being my personal favorite] and so I've got to give those who made this film in that specific environment some approbation, if but for the irreverent chutzpah of the subject matter.
Aaron Eckhart is one of those "Hey, isn't he the guy from..." actors, and he really does shine here. Long relegated to the land of B-movies [including the underrated PAYCHECK], he was poised for a breakthrough after his portrayal of Harvey Dent/Two-Face in THE DARK KNIGHT... and then, in the first "leading man" role to follow that, came BATTLE: LOS ANGELES. So much for that briefly opened window... but he really does do well in this flick.
As for the film, it's actually a little scarily prescient in some regards, particularly with respect to the character and actions of the reporter [played by Katie Holmes (cue Tom Cruise jumping on couch *.gif)] and the Senator [played by William H. Macy]. Taking it at face value may well be the way to go, thus, unless you're keen to debate, and there's nothing wrong with a flick that's deep enough to discuss after viewing. This one can work on both levels... and it succeeds on both, too.
Where THE HUNT tries to attack the PC crowd in a somewhat clumsy way, this one is a lot more clever and enjoyable. Give it a shot, but make sure you've read the warnings implicit above.
Enjoy! [Responsibly.]
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - GROUNDHOG DAY, Day 2 - KINGPIN, Day 3 - TRADING PLACES, Day 4 - FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF; Day 5 - MODERN TIMES; Day 6 - AIRPLANE!; Day 7 - CHEECH AND CHONG'S NEXT MOVIE; Day 8 - STRIPES; Day 9 - I MARRIED A STRANGE PERSON!; Day 10 - STRANGE BREW; Day 11 - CLERKS; Day 12 - GHOSTBUSTERS; Day 13 - MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE; Day 14 - DUMB AND DUMBER; Day 15 - THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN; Day 16 - THE NAKED GUN: FROM THE FILES OF POLICE SQUAD!; Day 17 - VALLEY GIRL]
Time to get topical with today's pick... not with any kind of allusions to this crazy Covid-19 world, mind, but with another subject that I'm sure many feel is also related to the issue of public health: tobacco... specifically, big tobacco. [Full disclosure: we had a two acre allotment for growing tobacco when I was growing up, and I'm pretty sure that everyone in the family smoked at one time or another, so this flick was maybe a little bit more up my alley than, say, some urban or suburban folks... but it's still a great black comedy].
The film, of course, is THANK YOU FOR SMOKING.
From IMDb, the plot is this: "Satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son."
When I was trying to figure out what I'd write about this one, I kinda began wondering what the catalyst for the flick might be... was it the 1994 novel by the same name? Probably, but I can't help but think that Denis Leary's "No Cure for Cancer" special released in 1992 [co-written by the late, great Bill Hicks, incidentally] helped to inform Jason Reitman when he was scripting this film.
Since this is probably one with which at least a few of you are less familiar than others in this "series," you may want to check out the trailer, embedded below:
Okay, so the "credible expert" bit in the trailer probably gets a little more over the target of contemporary concerns... but overlooking that unintentional overlap, I love a comedy that takes risks. It seems that comedians today are almost afraid of taking them - the panning of Dave Chappelle's most recent special [which I thought was funny] is only one example of what might happen if you do in a world of safe spaces and the suchlike. Yeah, this film was released back in the Bush 43 years, but even then, talking favorably about "big tobacco" was somewhat taboo. The mildly amusing "Truth" commercials were really starting to get pushed to a broader audience [the "'Splode" commercial being my personal favorite] and so I've got to give those who made this film in that specific environment some approbation, if but for the irreverent chutzpah of the subject matter.
Aaron Eckhart is one of those "Hey, isn't he the guy from..." actors, and he really does shine here. Long relegated to the land of B-movies [including the underrated PAYCHECK], he was poised for a breakthrough after his portrayal of Harvey Dent/Two-Face in THE DARK KNIGHT... and then, in the first "leading man" role to follow that, came BATTLE: LOS ANGELES. So much for that briefly opened window... but he really does do well in this flick.
As for the film, it's actually a little scarily prescient in some regards, particularly with respect to the character and actions of the reporter [played by Katie Holmes (cue Tom Cruise jumping on couch *.gif)] and the Senator [played by William H. Macy]. Taking it at face value may well be the way to go, thus, unless you're keen to debate, and there's nothing wrong with a flick that's deep enough to discuss after viewing. This one can work on both levels... and it succeeds on both, too.
Where THE HUNT tries to attack the PC crowd in a somewhat clumsy way, this one is a lot more clever and enjoyable. Give it a shot, but make sure you've read the warnings implicit above.
Enjoy! [Responsibly.]
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - GROUNDHOG DAY, Day 2 - KINGPIN, Day 3 - TRADING PLACES, Day 4 - FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF; Day 5 - MODERN TIMES; Day 6 - AIRPLANE!; Day 7 - CHEECH AND CHONG'S NEXT MOVIE; Day 8 - STRIPES; Day 9 - I MARRIED A STRANGE PERSON!; Day 10 - STRANGE BREW; Day 11 - CLERKS; Day 12 - GHOSTBUSTERS; Day 13 - MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE; Day 14 - DUMB AND DUMBER; Day 15 - THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN; Day 16 - THE NAKED GUN: FROM THE FILES OF POLICE SQUAD!; Day 17 - VALLEY GIRL]
