Thank You For Smoking

Based on the satirical novel by Christopher Buckley, Thank You For Smoking follows slick tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) as he encounters obstacles and quirky characters over a particularly tumultuous period in his career. The film, written and directed by Jason Reitman (making his debut here), is enjoyable enough – the opening half hour, in particular, is fast-paced and funny – but there comes a point at which it becomes increasingly obvious where all this is going. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Nick is going to have a Jerry Maguire-esque breakdown, although – to be fair – Nick never entirely denounces his profession. As a result, the film loses its comedic edge as it approaches its conclusion – until finally becoming a surprisingly tedious character study. Effective as Eckhart is in the central role, Nick never entirely becomes a thoroughly compelling protagonist – which makes it difficult to care about his third-act revelations. Still, with a cast comprised of familiar faces – including William H. Macy, JK Simmons, and Robert Duvall – Thank You For Smoking remains a pleasant enough way to kill 92 minutes (although one has to imagine that Buckley’s book packed more of a punch than this).

**1/2 out of ****