Deceive by example
As a lobbyist for the tobacco industry, Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is certainly on a lot
of people's hit lists. And while his cocky swagger and gift for gab help him
push Big Tobacco's agenda forward -- he can even con a cancer-stricken teen on a
TV talk show ... more into seeing things his way -- his "moral flexibility" has pushed
away his ex-wife and is a dubious influence on his 12-year-old son. The dilemma
at the core of "Thank You for Smoking" is how much a
fast talker can con himself and whether selling his soul is worth wrongly
influencing his son and even weathering a threat to his own life. Jason Reitman's film certainly does
not give us a positive role model to root for and walks a blackly comic path,
but getting into Naylor's head allows us to better understand the nature of
lobbying and addiction to power. Some people are just born to spin.
Bing: More about 'Thank You for Smoking' |
More about Aaron Eckhart
For more movie news, follow MSN Movies on Facebook and Twitter.
(Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Close
