Thank You for Smoking (2005)

Hearing good things about Thank You for Smoking I sat down to watch a no doubt indie take on the evil lies and deception of Big Tobacco. I could not have been more wrong. Instead, I got an entertaining inside look at the life of Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart), a lobbyst for the tabacco industry. Nick is so smooth he makes Ferris Beuller look like a fumbling George W Bush. He can easily spin any issue and make it work to his advantage but is he good enough to convince America that smoking is ok? A life long non-smoker, I was could not believe the thoughts going through my head by the time the credits rolled. I am still not sure which side the makers of this film are on. Sidenote: I don't think I saw a single person smoking in the film--am I wrong?. Maybe the message of this film is to beware the spin no matter which side it comes from.

It is a petty crime that I let two years go by without seeing this film. Aaron Eckhart was not even on my radar but after this brilliant performance I need to check out his other work. Actually, everyone in this movie puts on a good show including the impeccable William H Macy as a liberal, birkenstock wearing Vermont Senator.

5 stars out of 5