I had high hopes for Thank You For Smoking, a satire about smoking and the way the media, politicians and people in general act in relation to the issues it generates. I found it to be disappointingly tame in its derision of the hypocrisies and manipulation of the various groups and characters in the film. Sure, it presents a number of interesting ideas, but most of them just don't really go anywhere. William H. Macy's character in particular seems plainly unoriginal and pointless.
However, the real problem for me is that this just isn't nearly as funny as it ought to be. Although some bits of it are pretty funny and others original and thought provoking, the remaining sections are often to be quite frank, dull. Much of the humour misses (in my opinion) and some scenes are borderline boring. The occasional witty line is not enough to engage an audience and tell a meaningful story. Furthermore, I found the film confusing in its tone. It's too silly for its plot to be taken seriously, but then it spends so much time on establishing an elaborate plot that goes nowhere in particular.
Aaron Eckhart is very good as Nick Naylor while the supporting cast is solid. However, none of the characters are explored deeply enough to truly add any depth to the movie with perhaps the exception of Nick Naylor and his son. In fact, some of the most intelligent and memorable lines come from the son but for me they were still unrealistic and lacked subtlety. That's a problem with the movie as a whole; the characters aren't real and as good as some of lines may be, they don't fit in with the characters and situations.
Another odd problem with the movie was the colour. It often seemed to have some kind of yellow tint to it - I thought there was a problem with our DVD player or something. Also, the cinematography felt limited and languid, accentuating the slower, weaker parts of the movie. The music by Rolfe Kent, although probably alright per se similarly added nothing in my opinion (unlike the use of his music in Sideways for example).
Perhaps the worst thing about Thank You For Smoking is how forgettable it is. I remember I enjoyed some bits but I find it difficult to recall any of them. Thinking back I am primarily reminded of how much of a missed opportunity it ended up being.
However, the real problem for me is that this just isn't nearly as funny as it ought to be. Although some bits of it are pretty funny and others original and thought provoking, the remaining sections are often to be quite frank, dull. Much of the humour misses (in my opinion) and some scenes are borderline boring. The occasional witty line is not enough to engage an audience and tell a meaningful story. Furthermore, I found the film confusing in its tone. It's too silly for its plot to be taken seriously, but then it spends so much time on establishing an elaborate plot that goes nowhere in particular.
Aaron Eckhart is very good as Nick Naylor while the supporting cast is solid. However, none of the characters are explored deeply enough to truly add any depth to the movie with perhaps the exception of Nick Naylor and his son. In fact, some of the most intelligent and memorable lines come from the son but for me they were still unrealistic and lacked subtlety. That's a problem with the movie as a whole; the characters aren't real and as good as some of lines may be, they don't fit in with the characters and situations.
Another odd problem with the movie was the colour. It often seemed to have some kind of yellow tint to it - I thought there was a problem with our DVD player or something. Also, the cinematography felt limited and languid, accentuating the slower, weaker parts of the movie. The music by Rolfe Kent, although probably alright per se similarly added nothing in my opinion (unlike the use of his music in Sideways for example).
Perhaps the worst thing about Thank You For Smoking is how forgettable it is. I remember I enjoyed some bits but I find it difficult to recall any of them. Thinking back I am primarily reminded of how much of a missed opportunity it ended up being.