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 | cigarette smoking | tobacco industry | political satire | black comedy | 

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Taglines:

Tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor is trying to SAVE YOU!

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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:

Gracias por fumar

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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$24,792,061, 10 September 2006

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,323,027, 31 December 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Room 9 Entertainment, TYFS Productions LLC, ContentFilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leading up to its release, it was reported by numerous trade magazines that Tom Cruise had demanded a sex scene involving his wife, Katie Holmes, be cut from the movie. At the 2006 Hay-On-Wye book festival, Jason Reitman dismissed this report as complete rubbish, explaining that these reports came from the film's first festival screening, where an overzealous projectionist had accidentally cut the scene when splicing the film together (an easy mistake to make, as the scene came at the end of a reel and followed a couple of seconds of black). At a Q&A that followed said screening, Reitman mentioned to the festival audience that there was a missing sex scene in the version they just saw, which was somehow seen by (equally overzealous) reporters as being a result of Tom Cruise and/or Scientology's involvement.

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Goofs

When Nick asks Jeff if lighting a cigarette would blow up in an all oxygen environment he responds "probably", his response is only speculation not based on fact because he has no experience in physics, chemistry and astronomy.

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Quotes

Jill Naylor: [Narrating a section of Heather's article, while sitting next to Brad at the kitchen table] Nick's own son Joey Naylor seems to being groomed as he joins his father on the majority of his business trips.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, printed under "A Jason Reitman Film" is "Established 1977", the year of Jason Reitman's birth.

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Connections

Featured in Nostalgia Critic: Did You Miss the Most Shocking Film in Years? (2015)

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Soundtracks

Melodic Tank
Written by Kevin O'Connor
Performed by Talkdemonic
Courtesy of Bridgetown Breaks Co.

User Reviews

A Thinking Man's Comedy You Can Take Your Parents To

This was the most enjoyable film we saw at Sundance. Smart and funny is not an easy pairing to find these days. Thank You For Smoking provides thought provoking content delivered through a network of great acting performances that make this film so thought provokingly hilarious.

This comedy, unlike many that grace the screen these days, is clean enough to take your parents to, and funny enough that you will forget you are at the movies with your mom. It was truly refreshing how no one in the film was filmed smoking a cigarette. Rob Lowe's character provides a wonderful satire of the corporate film world. I only hope that the intelligence level of this film does not keep it from gaining mainstream appeal.