Thank You for Smoking (2005)

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.

Director:

Jason Reitman

Writers:

Jason Reitman (screenplay), Christopher Buckley (novel)

Stars:

Aaron Eckhart, Cameron Bright, Maria Bello

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 12 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joan Lunden	...	Joan Lunden
Eric Haberman	...	Robin Williger
Aaron Eckhart	...	Nick Naylor
Mary Jo Smith	...	Sue Maclean
Todd Louiso	...	Ron Goode
Jeff Witzke	...	Kidnapper
J.K. Simmons	...	BR
Marianne Muellerleile	...	Teacher
Cameron Bright	...	Joey Naylor
Alex Diaz	...	Kid #1
Jordan Garrett	...	Kid #2
Courtney Taylor Burness	...	Kid #3 (as Courtney Burness)
Jordan Del Spina	...	Kid #4 (as Jordan Orr)
Maria Bello	...	Polly Bailey
David Koechner	...	Bobby Jay Bliss

Storyline

The chief spokesperson and lobbyist Nick Naylor is the Vice President of the Academy of Tobacco Studies. He is talented in speaking and spins arguments to defend the cigarette industry in the most difficult situations. His best friends are Polly Bailey that works in the Moderation Council in alcohol business, and Bobby Jay Bliss of the gun business own advisory group SAFETY. They frequently meet each other in a bar and they self-title the M.O.D. Squad, a.k.a. Merchants of Death, disputing which industry has killed more people. Nick's greatest enemy is Vermont's Senator Ortolan Finistirre, who defends in the Senate the use of a skull and crossbones on cigarette packs. Nick's son Joey Naylor lives with his mother, and has the chance to know his father in a business trip. When the ambitious reporter Heather Holloway betrays Nick disclosing confidences he had in bed with her, his life turns upside-down. But Nick is good in what he does for the mortgage.

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Plot Keywords:

lobbyist | tobacco industry | black comedy | tobacco lobby | cigarette smoking | 

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Taglines:

Nick Naylor doesn't hide the truth. . . he filters it.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Thank You for Smoking

Filming Locations:

The Prince - 3198 W 7th St, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$262,923, 19 March 2006

Gross USA:

$24,793,509

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,323,027

Company Credits

Production Co:

Room 9 Entertainment, TYFS Productions LLC, ContentFilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39:1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Nick mentions how smoking was affected by the development of motion pictures, he briefly refers to a scene between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. The scene is from the movie To Have and Have Not (1944).

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Goofs

When Heather watches Nick on TV, out the window is a sky-scraper. No such structures exist in Washington, DC, because of building height restrictions. Director Jason Reitman points this out in the commentary.

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Quotes

Lorne Lutch: [in his home] Weren't you on that show?
Nick Naylor: Yeah it was me
Lorne Lutch: You're lucky you made it out of there alive
Nick Naylor: Tobacco used to be all over the television, now TV's leading the witch hunt.
Lorne Lutch: Strange business, last year when after I was diagnosed I attended the annual stock holder's convention I stood up and told them I think they should cut back on their advertising you know what your boss said to me? He said "we're certainly sorry to hear about your medical problem until we know more about your medical ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are styled to appear as cigarette boxes.

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Connections

References To Have and Have Not (1944)

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Soundtracks

Greenback Dollar
Written by Hoyt Axton and Kenneth Ramsey (as Ken Ramsey)
Performed by The Kingston Trio
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

Exceptional Anti-Hero Preaches

How does it feel to be hated by everyone? Nick Naylor is the spokesman of a cigar industry decided to "clean" the image of smoking. His character is poetic, from where he gets the nerve to go on with his job, to his utter manipulative skills and brave charisma. His character transforms those around him with major intelligence.

Reitman's job is to execute perfectly the characters into their intentions but not with their way of executing them. That's saying that he does the obvious job to show the morally correct into "stupid" and the manipulative, soul-less pig into a "hero". Etcharkt throws an unseen sparkle, and the script is in charge of putting America into the focus, bringing the movie a smart edge. Nick Naylor's relationship with his son is deep and smart, emotional and vivid.

But as Naylor says "think for yourself, don't be guided" don't let the movie convert you into a smoker or brilliant lobbyist. Think for yourself, and Thank you for Reading.