Thank You for Smoking
Thank You for Smoking | |
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Fox Searchlight Pictures | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 92 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $10 million[2] |
Box office | $39.3 million[1] |
Thank You for Smoking is a 2005 American
The film was released in a
Plot
Nick Naylor is a
Senator Finistirre, one of Naylor's most vehement critics, promotes a bill to add a
Naylor tells the press about his affair with Holloway and promises to clear the names of everyone mentioned in her article. He then appears before the Senate committee, admitting to the dangers of smoking but arguing that public awareness is already high enough without extra warnings. He emphasizes consumer choice and responsibility and claims that if tobacco companies are guilty of tobacco-related deaths, then perhaps Finistirre's state of Vermont, as a major cheese producer, is likewise guilty of cholesterol-related deaths.
Although BR offers Naylor his old job again, Naylor rejects it as Big Tobacco is
Cast
- Aaron Eckhart as Nick Naylor, spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies
- Cameron Bright as Joey Naylor, Nick's son
- Katie Holmes as Heather Holloway, reporter for The Washington Probe
- Maria Bello as Polly Bailey, spokeswoman for the alcohol industry
- David Koechner as Bobby Jay Bliss, spokesman for S.A.F.E.T.Y (Society for the Advancement of Firearms and Effective Training for Youth)
- William H. Macy as Senator Ortolan Finistirre
- Robert Duvall as the Captain, founder of the Academy for Tobacco Studies
- J. K. Simmons as B.R., Nick's boss
- Marianne Muellerleile as Joey's school teacher
- Kim Dickens as Jill Naylor, Nick's ex-wife
- Rob Lowe as Jeff Megall, Hollywood super-agent
- Adam Brody as Jack, Jeff Megall's assistant
- Sam Elliott as Lorne Lutch, the original Marlboro Man
- Todd Louiso as Ron Goode
- Connie Ray as Pearl
- Dennis Miller as himself
- Melora Hardin as Interviewer
- Daniel Travis as Brad, Jill's current partner
Director Jason Reitman asked many of his prospective actors and actresses to be in the film by writing each of them a personal letter. Every one of his first choices accepted his or her part and most thanked Reitman for his letter. Reitman was also able to persuade Eckhart, Holmes, Macy, and Lowe to sign on to the film with minimum pay.[4]
Production
Mel Gibson's Icon Productions bought the rights to Buckley's novel before its release. Initially, Gibson saw himself as starring as Nick Naylor in the adaptation.[2] However, the satiric nature of the book meant the studio lacked a way to film it and the project lacked a usable script.[5] Reitman became interested in heading an adaptation after reading the book, and independently wrote a draft for Icon executives after he discovered they owned the rights to the film. Reitman saw himself as a comic writer with a voice similar to Buckley's, and consciously attempted to maintain the satiric flavor of the book for his draft.[6] The script was received favorably by Icon, and Gibson called Reitman to tell him how much he loved it.[2] But over the next three years, the project languished because of a lack of financing and big studio interest, as most studios wanted Reitman to rewrite his script to include a more anti-smoking and uplifting ending. According to Reitman, studios wanted Naylor to have a change of heart by the film's end and repent for his past.[4]
It was only after meeting David O. Sacks, who had made his fortune as the former COO of the Internet payment company PayPal, that Reitman found a financier for his script. A first-time producer, Sacks spent over a year trying to acquire the rights to the film from Icon. He financed most of the film's $8.5 million budget and let Reitman keep most of his original draft.[2] The project marked Reitman's first feature-length film as a director, though he previously directed short films and commercials and had worked on the set of his father, director Ivan Reitman.
During the filming, Reitman made the conscious decision not to show any actual smoking of cigarettes. The only scenes that include smoking are older films the characters watch, such as when John Wayne lights up in Sands of Iwo Jima.
Before the film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, internet rumors claimed that an extended nudity scene between Eckhart and Holmes had been cut down after pressure from Holmes' husband, Tom Cruise. Reitman and executives denied that such a scene had ever existed but welcomed the publicity it garnered for the film. Reitman later said that "Half the questions that I've been getting are thoughtful questions about the moral of lobbying and how does satire work. And the rest is just, 'Is there actually any nude footage out there?'"[7]
Controversy also arose after the film was screened at the Toronto Film Festival. Thank You for Smoking was met with tremendous popular reception and afterward disputed claims emerged as to who had signed a distribution deal with Sacks.
Serial entrepreneur
Other members of the tight-knit and influential "PayPal Mafia" credited alongside Sacks and Musk as Executive Producers are Max Levchin and Peter Thiel (the Mafia's "don").[10]
Release
Critical reception
The film received mostly positive reviews from film critics. Film-review aggregator
Box office performance
Thank You for Smoking initially opened at the box office in the U.S. as a limited release in just five theaters, and grossed $262,923 in its debut weekend for an average of $52,584 per theater, making it one of the top 100 average gross per theater films of all time. The film was later released in 1,015 theaters across the U.S. on April 14, 2006, and has gone on to gross $24,793,509 domestically and $14,529,518 outside the country, for a total of $39,323,027 worldwide. The highest it ever rated at the North American box office was #8 on the weekend of its wide release.[15] Although the film's box office performance was excellent for Reitman's directorial debut, it paled in comparison with his next two films, Juno and Up in the Air, both of which made well over $150,000,000 worldwide.[16] As of 2017, the movie is the 14th highest-grossing political satire film.[3]
Criticism
The main contention most critics had with the film was its lack of continuity. Karina Longworth of Cinematical notes "Thank You for Smoking has a vague emotional arc, but narratively it plays out like a constellation of sitcom sketches, connected by the most tenuous threads of character evolution",[17] while Empire observes "the problem's not so much with the movie's aim, as with the number of targets it's aiming at."[18] Other reviewers criticized the film's overacting. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times notes "although he [Reitman] steers his cast through its paces with facility, he tends to oversell jokes that were already plenty loud in the book."[19] The Hollywood Reporter wrote "While often entertaining, the film keeps hitting the same comic notes",[20] and Salon said, "The actors here are entertaining enough to watch, even if they sometimes seem to be taking their mission (whatever they think it is) a bit too seriously."[21]
The Nick Naylor character has been compared to real-life Richard Berman of the Center for Consumer Freedom.[22]
While Thank You for Smoking the book was praised as a sharp criticism of both anti-smoking lobbyists and the tobacco industry, the film has received more mixed reviews on its satirical content. Steve Palopoli of Metro Silicon Valley writes that "no matter" how much the hype machine might hard-sell the idea that the movie "skewers both sides of the issue", "any child old enough to recognize Joe Camel can tell that underneath the sarcastic joking, this is a bitterly anti-smoking film."[23] Palopoli goes on to say "the supposed case against the anti-smoking lobby has been reduced mostly to some limp jokes at the expense of William H. Macy's senator character, who is fervently against the tobacco lobby". Many felt the film's relatively sappy ending negated the slicker, darker tone of the book. The Washington Post's Desson Thomson thought that "as written and directed by Jason Reitman, Smoking is filtered too heavily with moral redemption."[24]
Reitman has maintained his purpose was to match the tone and satirical message of the book as closely as possible. "What I wanted people to think about was political correctness. I wanted them to think about ideas of personal responsibility and personal choice. I think cigarettes are a wonderful location for that discussion because cigarettes are something we know all the answers to", he posits. "I wanted to look into this idea of why we feel the need to tell each other how to live and why we can't take personal responsibility for our own actions when we fall ill from things that we know are dangerous."[25] Stephanie Zacharek of Salon agreed with Reitman, saying "Despite its title, the movie doesn't come packaged with a strong anti-smoking message, because it doesn't need to: Everyone knows that smoking is bad for you, including people who continue to do it."[21]
There is no point during the film at which any of the characters smoke. Dargis of The New York Times unwittingly states, "Thank You for Smoking is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It includes mild violence, discreet sex and, of course, countless cigarettes."[19] In the film, even Robert Duvall's filtered cigarette maverick "The Captain" is shown repeatedly drinking mint juleps rather than smoking cigarettes. Some critics argue that Reitman's reluctance to show the characters smoking is further confirmation of the film's anti-smoking stance. Reitman has issued statements disagreeing with this view. He said in an interview that "While it's not anti-smoking, it's very important people don't think that this is a pro-smoking movie. It's about freedom of choice."[26] Buckley said about the decision to omit smoking that "[I]t was very deliberate, and I think rather cool."[27]
Industry reaction
The tobacco industry itself has been reluctant to take any sides or comment on the film. When Though Thank You for Smoking pokes fun at the industry, the novel it was adapted from is a much harsher critic of tobacco lobbyists, and the major tobacco companies have mostly kept quiet on the issue.
Accolades
Thank You for Smoking did not receive a wide variety of nominations from the major award circuits; however, it did garner two
Soundtrack
Thank You for Smoking (Music from the Motion Picture) | |
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Lakeshore Records |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [32] |
The Thank You for Smoking soundtrack was released April 14, 2006, and the CD came out on April 18, 2006. The first nine tracks are popular songs about smoking taken from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The famous track "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" opens the film. The final four tracks are instrumentals from the original score of Rolfe Kent, who had been nominated for best original score for his work on Sideways. AllMusic wrote that "The thread is obvious, but the selections sound handpicked rather than researched solely on the basis of their subject matter." Other critics have called the soundtrack "demented."[33]
- "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" (Tex Williams) – 2:54
- "Smoke Rings" (The Mills Brothers) – 2:55
- "Greenback Dollar" (The Kingston Trio) – 2:52
- "Little Organ Fugue" (The Swingle Singers) – 2:23
- "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (The Platters) – 2:40
- "Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray" (Patsy Cline) – 2:16
- "Cigarettes and Whisky" (Ramblin' Jack Elliott) – 2:02
- "Cigarettes and Coffee" (Otis Redding) – 3:52
- "Another Puff" (Jerry Reed) – 4:06
- "Intro & Tobacco One" (Rolfe Kent) – 3:02
- "Donate It & Sex Back in Cigarettes" (Rolfe Kent) – 3:01
- "Joey & Drums of Doom" (Rolfe Kent) – 2:59
- "Spanish Epilogue Revisited" (Rolfe Kent) – 3:00
- "Wind of Change" (Scorpions) – 5:11
Home media
The
Proposed television series
Variety reported on November 24, 2006, that NBC planned to create a television series based on the film.[34] Sacks headed the adaptation as executive producer, with Rick Cleveland attached as head writer. After NBC passed on the project, it was brought to NBC's cable network, USA. James Dodson was set up as head writer as well as co-executive producer alongside Sacks. USA's chief programming executive Jeff Wachtel initially described the character as living between the morally ambiguous character of the film and Robin Hood.[35] The series planned to adopt a different title and sought to start where the movie left off. The project never materialized and no official series of the movie has since developed. However, ABC's show Better Off Ted has been described as a "TV-sized version of Thank You for Smoking".[36]
References
- ^ a b "Thank You for Smoking". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Waxman, Sharon (September 10, 2006). "The Son Also Directs". The New York Times. pp. B9. Retrieved April 25, 2006.
- ^ a b "Weekend Box Office". BoxOfficeMojo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2006.
- ^ Herald Sun (Australia). pp. I18.
- ^ a b Turan, Kenneth (March 17, 2006). "Thank You for Smoking". Los Angeles Times.
- The Houston Chronicle. p. 10.
- ^ Rea, Steven (March 19, 2006). "He'll take publicity—good, off-the-wall—thanks much". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. H02.
- ^ "Joe Rogan Experience #1470 – Elon Musk". YouTube. May 7, 2020. 1:36:15. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
- ^ "Elon Musk: Neuralink, AI, Autopilot, and the Pale Blue Dot | Lex Fridman Podcast #49". November 12, 2019. 8:45. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ "Transcript - Slate Money Goes to the Movies: Thank You for Smoking". slate.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ "Thank You for Smoking (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- CNET Networks. Retrieved December 25, 2009.
- ^ Travers, Peter (March 7, 2006). "Thank You for Smoking (review)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 7, 2007.
- ^ Puig, Claudia (March 16, 2006). "'Thank You for Smoking' is a breath of fresh air". USA Today.
- ^ "Box Office Mojo: 'Thank You for Smoking'". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
- ^ "The Numbers: 'Jason Reitman'". The Numbers. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
- ^ Longworth, Karina (January 22, 2006). "Sundance Review: Thank You For Smoking". Cinematical. Archived from the original on February 20, 2006.
- ^ Jolin, Dan (May 26, 2006). "Thank You For Smoking". Empire. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
- ^ New York Times.
- ^ "Thank You for Smoking". The Hollywood Reporter. December 27, 2005. Archived from the original on April 18, 2007.
- ^ a b Zacharek, Stephanie (March 17, 2006). "Thank You for Smoking". Salon.com.
- ^ O'Brien, Dennis (October 6, 2006). "Standing up for the big guys". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
But even some critics concede that [Richard Berman] can be charming — they compare him loosely with Nick Naylor, the lead character and spokesman for the tobacco industry in the movie Thank You for Smoking.
- ^ Palopoli, Steve (March 29, 2006). "The New Insincerity". Metro Silicon Valley. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006.
- ^ Thomson, Desson. "Thank You for Smoking". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
- ^ "Thank You For Smoking Interview". abc.net.au. August 16, 2006. Archived from the original on March 6, 2007.
- Seattle Post Intelligencer.
- ^ Bosman, Julie (March 10, 2006). "For Tobacco, Stealth Marketing is the Norm". The New York Times. pp. C4. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- New York Times. pp. A4. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ "64th Golden Globe Awards Nominations". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ "THANK YOU FOR SMOKING In the Awards Spotlight". Searchlight Pictures. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ "2006 Archives". National Board of Review. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
- The Toronto Sun. pp. E8.
- ^ "NBC Gets in 'Smoking' Habit". Zap2It.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved November 24, 2006.
- ^ Adalian, Josef (October 7, 2007). "USA lights 'Smoking' spinoff". Variety.
- ^ Deggans, Eric (February 22, 2009). "Networks Missing the Mark". Tampa Bay Times. pp. 2E. Retrieved October 9, 2022.