"Thank You

for Smoking" Directed by: Jason Reitman

Starring: AaronEckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright, Rob Lowe, Sam Elliott, Katie Holmes, William H. Macy and Robert Duvall

MPAA rating: R (for adult language, adult themes, some sexuality)

Running time: 92 minutes

Best suited for: the satirically inclined

Least suited for: those who find tobacco (and its consequences) no laughing matter

I was talking with an acquaintance the other day who related a tale of his friend flying into Los Angeles on a trip from Madrid. It was the Spaniard's first time in the United States and, upon landing in Burbank, the fellow was immediately bombarded by a barrage of Do's and Don'ts.

"The security precautions I understand," the Spaniard told him. "But we are treated like sheep. No walking in the red zone. No cellphone use allowed here. No food allowed there. Don't enter here. Don't go there."

The final atrocity was lighting up outside the terminal-in Burbank's exterior baggage claim area-and being told by a security guard, "You can't smoke here."

"But this is America!" the Spaniard complained to my acquaintance. "Isn't this the land of the free?"

Freedom with an asterisk, of course. As free as deemed appropriate by the whims of the majority. Funny, but I had the same thoughts reviewing "Brokeback Mountain."

Hey, this isn't the nicotine talking. As a nonsmoker, the cigarette wars have never affected me personally. (Take away my Diet Coke, however, and that's a different story.) Fresh in mind, however, is Calabasas' recent edict that one can't smoke unless alone in a bomb shelter, 30 feet below ground. For those of you still seething from that ordinance, this film's for you.

At first glance, "Thank You for Smoking" is a searing satire about this country's love/hate relationship with Big Tobacco.

Look deeper and you'll discover a more relevant story-exploitation by Big Government, pointing fervently with one hand, telling us what to fear, while holding equally potential harm behind their backs, hoping we won't notice what they're still pimping for profit and job security.

In that regard, "Thank You for Smoking" is exceedingly clever.

Based on the irreverent novel by Christopher Buckley, the film tells the tale of slick anti-hero Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart), a fresh-faced, smile-etched tobacco lobbyist whose job is convincing people that cigarette smoking isn't quite as bad as it seems. Nick's increasingly difficult task only fans the fire that fuels his ego. He doesn't think in terms of right vs. wrong-he thinks in terms of twisting argument into pretzels of indecipherable rhetoric. A confused adversary is one less likely to attack as to scratch his head in bewilderment, a reaction Nick regards as a personal victory.

For instance, his biggest opponent is Vermont Sen. Ortolan Finnistirre (William H. Macy), who's seeking to shut down Big Tobacco. Vermont is, of course, the Cheddar Cheese State, and Nick points out that high cholesterol and heart disease kill as many people as cigarettes, although nobody's calling for a nationwide cheese ban. It's a case of two wrongs not exactly equaling a right, but for a moment your mind's off Big Tobacco- and that's exactly what Nick wants.

Blink too often and you'll miss a bite or two. "Thank You for Smoking" is relentless that way, doling out enough of society's goofy inconsistencies to make your head spin.

Off duty, Nick hangs around a Washington bar with a couple of pals (Maria Bello and David Koechner), alcohol and firearms lobbyists respectively, the three bickering about career obstacles, even boasting about who's industry is more deadly. Nick calls the trio the MOD Squad-Merchants of Death- and this intimate glimpse is perhaps the film's most cheeky segment.

The problem for me is that Nick Naylor becomes too likeable midway through the film. There are few things worse than a social satire that finds a thread of morality and changes gears. He has a cute, intelligent son (Cameron Bright), whom he cares about deeply. Nick's plagued by death threats and is eventually undermined by a deceptive reporter (Katie Holmes).

Suddenly, one finds Nick empathetic-and when you begin rooting for Nick for all the right reasons-well, that's satire lite. Hardly a condemnation, mind you, but the film loses its finely honed edge. "Thank You for Smoking" still bites, just not enough to do any permanent damage.

In a nutshell: This one's a clever, articulate satire about a cog in the wheel of Big Tobacco. Nick Naylor is a spinmeister whose cutting wit eventually loses its edge. When Nick becomes likeable, the film leans toward the maudlin. Overall, however, it's a worthy indictment of some laughably valid inconsistencies of the American Way.