Thank You For Smoking

Thank You For Smoking was on my list of movie-to-see all through the summer and yet, I never got around to actually sitting down and watching it until just yesterday night. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Christopher Buckley. The movie stars a smooth-talking lobbyist played by Aaron Eckhart who basically has the job of fooling the whole US into think that smoking is not as bad as it seems. His trick though is not to argue that smoking is “good”, but to really just prove that the other person is “wrong” — even if it means proving it based on something that has nothing to do with smoking. Eckhart’s character knows exactly what the people will respond to and uses that in his arguments throughout the movie to win his case.

The movie is a satirical but rather honest look into how lobbyists of all sorts spin truth to manipulate the public mind. But entertainment-wise, I really enjoyed the movie because it was funny and smart and just well shot overall. Plus, there were some interesting things said about the state of arguments that really struck me as odd and insightful. Of course, I wouldn’t use them all the time, but I do think there’s some truth to what he mentions in the movie while he talks with his son. Watch the flick to see what I’m talking about and see if you feel the same.

The movie was released on DVD on October 3rd. Go ahead and watch it, I recommend it.