Thank You for Smoking: A Movie with a Message and a Sense of Humor

First of all I just have to say to everyone involved with creating this film, "Thank you for this film!" That is not a play off the title (well, honestly it is, but that isn't the real reason why I said it) it is an actual heartfelt expression of my gratitude.

"Thank You For Smoking" is a movie about fictional big tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor. Nick is a smooth-talking S.O.B. who could convince just about anyone to buy just about anything. The movie shows us the life he leads including weekly lunches with fellow lobbyists from the booze and firearm corporations, meetings with Hollywood execs to do some uber-product-placement in an upcoming movie to boost cigarette sales, and most importantly we get to see Nick's relationship with his son. No matter how much you really should despise Nick, it is just impossible not to root for him as the movie progresses.

From the beginning of this film spot-on jokes are fired left and right; poking fun at lobbyists, politicians, political correctness, and just about everything. "Thank You For Smoking" is so freaking great! I giggled like a schoolgirl nearly non-stop while I was watching this movie. As a kid who from birth entered a world where political correctness is a part of day to day life I found it very refreshing to watch a movie that has a guy telling grade-school kids to, "Think for yourselves" and "Don't be sheep".

Big Tobacco isn't really forefront in today's political world, nonetheless it is still impacting to watch a faux meeting where the head honcho at the table (played by the amazing J.K. Simmons) is yelling at the other people at the table about how cigarettes are addictive so it shouldn't be so damn hard for them to sell the darn things.

It isn't the look at the world of tobacco lobbying that is the most engaging and relevant aspect of this movie for today's audiences. It is the look at lobbying itself and the amount of political correctness in the world that should really be what strikes viewers. With all the talk and controversy about lobbyists in D.C. these days, "Thank You For Smoking" really hits the spot.