This movie is playing in all of two theatres in Toronto, which is Not On. I had time to kill between the end of class and meeting a friend for dinner before the opera, so I took myself to the movies, and I’m quite glad I did. Thank You For Smoking was hysterically funny, and if you’re looking for a 90-minute comedy (which I often am), then this is definitely a great choice.
First, and this doesn’t really impact the quality of the film but I thought I’d mention it anyway, I love love LOVE movies that have self-contained purposeful opening credits. All of the title cards were designed to look like old cigarette packages — which were totally hot, btw — and did a fantastic job of conveying the retro cool smoking used to portray in the movies, which of course becomes a plot point later on.
I can’t think of anything I’ve ever seen Aaron Eckhart in previously (and if I have seen him in something, it certainly wasn’t memorable), but he did a fantastic job as the zealous tobacco lobbyist spin doctor extraordinaire; as inane as everything is that he says regarding the tobacco industry, there’s a little part of you that sort of believes it on a minor level, or would believe it if you were presented with someone equally charismatic in real life. Which is morbidly depressing, of course.
Cameo of the year would have to be Rob Lowe as the big time entertainment exec who single handedly can control the movie industry and the messages it sends through film. THAT KIMONO OMG. [KIMONOMG?]