"Thank You For Smoking" is the best comedy I have seen in several years. It is the feature length directorial debut of Jason Reitman, son of Ivan (who directed one of my favorite movies ever, "Ghostbusters"). The film is about a hotshot lobbyist (Aaron Eckhart) for the tobacco industry. While the film appears to be a simply a satire about big tobacco (and it is, although that is not the point of the movie), it is really about a man who is great at his job realizing that he's not so great at everything (such as being a parent).
Reitman has a very controlled style that belies his inexperience. Like "Batman Begins," the movie features an impressive cast with the exception of Katie Holmes. (Actually, Holmes isn't terrible. She's not exactly good either. It's just that any actor who is constantly paraded around in the media just makes me not be able to get behind their work. I just see them as famewhores, not actors. That being said, like "Batman Begins," Holmes seems to benefit from being surrounded by great actors. However, it also accentuates her lack of real talent. For this Katie Holmes rant, I feel I should apologize to Josh, who loves her).
This movie is hilarious. I waited a bit too long to write this review. The movie is no longer fresh in my mind, and I am having trouble remembering things I wanted to discuss. But that is really for the better, because comedy is always best experienced fresh. Talking about comedy is pointless unless both people have heard the joke. So, go see this movie.
