thank you for smoking

Nick Naylor: You know the guy who can pick up any girl? I'm him on crack.

Lisette and I saw Thank You For Smoking (website) (trailer) tonight and it is quite entertaining. It is witty, well-paced and fabulously dark. If you enjoy light political humor, catch it while it is in the theater or be sure to rent it once it is released on DVD.

Aaron Eckhart plays Nick Naylor is a top lobbyist for Big Tobacco. Like fellow Merchant of Death (MOD) members who head the firearm lobby and the alcohol lobby, Nick’s job is to defend an industry in an increasingly hostile scientific, political and public opinion climate. In public Nick is charming and sly, always changing the subject and winning his argument by making the other person lose. In private his conversations are irreverent and refreshingly politically incorrect.

Eckhart is perfect for this role, but his is not the only well cast character. Cameron Bright plays Joey Naylor, Nick’s 3rd grade son, and has several scene-stealing moments. J.K. Simmons is perfect as BR, a tough veteran lobbyist and Nick’s boss. Robert Duval plays “The Captain” (a top tobacco executive) and William H. Macy is their foe as a Senator from Vermont with an anti-smoking agenda. Rob Lowe and Dennis Miller turn in great cameo appearances.

Thank You For Smoking is based on Christopher Buckley’s 1994 novel. Christopher is the 53 year old son of William F. Buckley, Jr. and author of more than 15 fiction and non-fiction books.

Bonus link: The New Yorker’s review of Thank You For Smoking