Oct 18, 2006

Thank You For Smoking

The best part of this disappointing film is over within three minutes; I could watch those gorgeous title screens all day. A few more rewrites would’ve pushed this film solidly into the black comedy realm where it rightfully belongs. Instead, the laughs fall flat, and the tongue is not placed firmly enough in cheek for the humor to have any real teeth. While casting about for a plot, the filmmaker can’t decide whether we should despise or care about the main character, so in the end we do neither. The film boasts a great cast, including Aaron Eckhart, William H. Macy and Maria Bello (Katie Holmes is horribly miscast), but they don’t have a lot to work with here. At one point, we’re expected to believe that a journalist would actually write — and her editor would not catch — the phrase, “his son appears to be being groomed…” D.

http://toddprouty.com Todd Prouty

Haven’t seen it and don’t plan to, despite liking most of the cast. I’m just sick of “issue” movies that beat you over the head with a political perspective. The Life of David Gale was one of the worst. As I remember it, the movie was pretty well done and had an interesting plot. In the end, though, it used a highly unlikely and manipulative scenario to make a political point, forcing the creators’ view on the death penalty down the viewer’s throat. It wasn’t the point made that bothered me as much as the way it was done. What was an interesting murder mystery turned into a heavy-handed diatribe.

I expect I’d be annoyed with Thank You For Smoking for the same reason. I’ve never smoked, never would, and have had relatives that died from it, but I don’t feel the need to pay Hollywood to inform my opinions.