Thank You for Smoking
The main character of the movie is Nick Naylor which is being played by Eckhart. Nick is the chief spokesman for a big tobacco company and earns his living by defending the rights of smokers and cigarette makers in todays neo-puritanical culture.
The movie comprises of fantastic satire and the best thing about the movie is that it has a great mixture of humor with hardcore realities. The movie exposes uncomfortable truths about people who spin and earn their livings by such act. The movie could be said cynical but even though some scenes that involve mocking also had a purpose.
Another thing that makes the movie very interesting is the clash of the two main characters of the movie the hero who is a tobacco and giving him tough time in the movie is the villain who is an anti smoking senator. The conversation between the two makes the movie really interesting.
The plot of the movie revolves around the lead character Nick who has been handed over the apparently impossible task of promoting cigarette smoking in an era when the people are getting more and more health conscious and the health hazards of doing such activity has become unavoidable.
The beauty of the movie is hidden in the fact that how Nick because of his job uses arguments and twisted logic to place.
Some of the dialogues by Nick Naylor
Dialogue 1 After watching the footage of the Kent State shootings, Bobby Jay, then seventeen, signed up for the National Guard so that he too could shoot college students.
Now in this dialogue Nick is relating the influence part with smoking, when he was argued that promoting cigarettes or showing advertisement on front or electronic media would influence new smokers. In reply to this argument Nick gave reference of the Kent State Shooting where several students were killed by the National Guard. The point which Nick is trying to make is that its not necessary that a person would get influence and if thats the case a person can be influence by anything, that doesnt mean that companies would stop advertisement.
Dialogue 2 How many alcohol related deaths a year 100,000 Thats, what, 270 a day Tragedy.
This is another example of Nicks use of fallacy where he uses statistics and figures of reasons causing casualties. Her he compares cigarettes with alcohol and presents his argument in a very sarcastic manner by stating Tragedy. The point which he is trying to make is that alcohol also damages health and its use can cause serious complications so why is every one after smoking.
Dialogue 3 Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I talk. Everyone has a talent.
In this dialogue Nick is justifying his talent by stating that everyone has some talent and so do I that is I talk. The reason why he is saying so is because of the criticism that he faces from the media, the anti smoking agencies and other health related department that he is playing with human lives and human health. In response to these arguments Nick presents this idea that everyone has some talent and I have got the talent of talking and so there is no harm in utilizing my talent.
Dialogue 4 The number 1 killer in America is cholesterol, and here comes Senator Finisterre whos clogging the nations arteries with Vermont cheddar cheese.
This is another classic example of sarcasm in which Nick is again trying to divert public attention away from smoking. In this case he is targeting cholesterol and according to Nick cholesterol is the number one killer in America. Again the point which he is trying to prove is that there are so many ways people can become sick or they die then why is just smoking getting all the negative remarks. The writer of the movie has put in so much effort in the script that for one moment the viewer tends to agree with the arguments that are presented in favor of smoking in the movie.
In another occasion there is a sequence in which Nick is having a conversation with a child, the child ask Nick about what he do, Nick says that I speak on behalf of cigarettes. The child replies that my mommy says that cigarettes kill. Nick in reply says Now, is your mommy a doctor, A scientific researcher of some kind The childs answer is in negative. Nick says that, she doesnt exactly sound like a credible expert now, does she And the conversation ends here. Again here also nick is protecting his profession by presenting arguments that are not logical but at that moment of time they seem logical and satisfying.
Due to the job that Nick does through out the movie he has been called with different types of names like in a scene with Heather (Katie Holmes) who is a journalist she says that in my other interviews they have pinned you as a mass murderer, blood sucker, pimp, profiteer and my personal favorite, yuppie Mephistopheles. This shows that Nick has been portrayed as an evil person who is enjoying his life full of luxury but indulging more and more people towards smoking.
In another scene Nick indirectly criticizes Hollywood by stating that the message Hollywood needs to send out is Smoking Is Cool. The director is trying to aware people about smoking and its related health issues, as most of the people are very much influenced by Hollywood movies this is another point that has been made.
In another sequence Nick has been invited to The Joan Lunden Show. Sitting next to Nick is a bald-headed boy named Robin he is a 15-year-old boy who is dying of cancer, but has stopped smoking. Nick rises smoothly to the challenge and convert the wholes situation by saying that Its in our best interests to keep Robin alive and smoking too and. The anti-smoking people want Robin to die. This is another classic example of elegant satire in which Nick presents the anti smoking agents as villain.
To cut it short we can say that it is an actual satire, and a fantastic movie. Smart, hilarious, and accessible, this is a movie that demonstrates fantastic writing, great directing, and a cast of actors and actresses who knew how to work together on the big screen for the greater good of the whole.
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