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Thank You for Smoking
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Robert Duvall, William H Macy, Sam Elliott, Adam Brody, Katie Holmes, Rob Lowe
Director: Jason Reitman
A modest satire aimed at the tobacco industry. Eckhart top-stars as its smooth-tongued spokesperson, who makes mincemeat of senatorial opposition (Macy), while trying to bring up his own son (Cameron Bright) to appreciate a reasonable set of values.
Mild amusement follows, as Eckhart has to find off Macy and his minions, while bedding a manipulative reporter (Holmes) and negotiating with a millionaire enterpreneur (Lowe) to reinstate film stars smoking as a status symbol.
'These days,' Eckhart is told, 'when anyone smokes in the movies, they're either psychopaths or Europeans.' Maniacally non-PC, the film amuses but lacks bite and the end fizzles when it should be a killer. The UK certificate is very harsh.
David Quinlan
USA 2006. UK Distributor: 20th Century Fox. Colour.
92 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.
Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.
Review date: 18 Sep 2006