Thank
You For Smoking is a satirical, politically incorrect,
hilarious examination of the Washington lobbyist world. Aaron Eckhart
plays Nick Naylor, lobbyist extraordinaire for the Tobacco industry.
The film follows Nick “doing his job” with his twelve-year-old
son in tow. Nick’s ability to spin any argument to his favor
and against his opponent is amazing and the source of many of the
film's laughs. Though entertaining, Thank You For Smoking loses
some of its effectiveness by under developing Nick’s personal
issues and his relationship with his son. Even so, Thank
You For Smoking is an engaging, thoroughly offensive,
and genuinely funny film experience.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The
Overall Story throughline revolves around the Tobacco industry’s
efforts to prevent Senator Ortolan K. Finistirre’s from nailing
them for peddling addictive, unhealthy products (Story Goal).
Finistirre wants to accomplish this by forcing a discussion about
putting a skull and crossbones label on all cigarette packaging (Story
Driver of Decision [Deliberation]).
Through aggressive “spin,” bribes, and innovative product
placements, Tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor is able to thwart Senator
Finistirre’s efforts—at least for most of the story.
It’s not until Naylor is kidnapped by anti-smoking thugs and
nearly killed by a lethal dose of nicotine that Nick’s star
begins to fade. A “tell all” article by reporter (and
Naylor’s new sex partner), Heather Holloway, drives the final
nail in Nick’s Tobacco lobbyist career. Nick is able to resurrect
his credibility by appearing at Senator Finistirre’s congressional
committee, but Tobacco’s dirty secrets are out in the open
and it’s only a couple of months after the hearing that the
Tobacco industry is hit with major lawsuits (Story Outcome: Failure).
Structurally
speaking, Thank You For Smoking is weakened by its unclear development
of the Main Character’s personal throughline.
Nick Naylor is clearly the Main Character. His son, Joey, is supposed
to be the Impact Character. The MC/IC Relationship throughline is
supposed to be about their divorced dad/son relationship.
So what’s wrong with Nick’s personal throughline? I
think the problem comes from confusing Nick’s role as protagonist
in the Overall Story throughline (pro-smoking advocate) with his
role as absent parent and role model for son Joey.
As protagonist,
lobbyist Naylor is a steadfast supporter of Tobacco even offering
to buy his son his first pack of cigarettes on his eighteenth birthday
if his son wants to try smoking. This is as it should be. As a
character in the Overall Story throughline, the protagonist doesn’t change. However, over the course of the story Nick
seriously questions his steadfastness and the moral correctness of
his position on tobacco. When he does, his son reminds him of his
skills and goals and gets Nick back in the game. That’s Main
Character and Impact Character stuff and does not belong as part
of the protagonist’s journey through the Overall Story.
As Main
Character, Nick goes from emotionally absent father who puts work
above family to a father first and foremost. We see this by Nick’s
refusal to go back to work for the Tobacco lobby in order to go
independent. As a lobbyist for hire, he controls his time and makes
sure his new priorities dictate his schedule (MC Resolve: Change;
Story Judgment: Good).
Herein
lies the structural problem with Thank You For Smoking. Nick doesn’t grow to the point where he can change—he
just changes.
The
confusion between protagonist and Main Character functions shows
how character development is made in the wrong place within the
inappropriate context. The story COULD have been about a lobbyist
questioning the amorality of his job. The story COULD have been
about an absent father changing his life priorities in order to
spend more time with his son. But, the story cannot have a Main
Character trying to do both. They are different problems with different
paths toward resolution. The reason Thank You For Smoking doesn’t make an effective
argument is because the Main Character Growth explores Nick’s
questioning of the correctness of his profession yet the Main Character
Resolve addresses Nick’s desire to be more available to his
son Joey. The solution? Pick one topic and explore the MC Growth
and MC Resolve in terms of that topic. Once you’ve done that,
the Impact Character throughline and the MC/IC Relationship throughline
are much easier to develop properly.
Thank
You For Smoking’s structural flaws aside, the
story holds together as an entertaining, if irreverent and lopsided,
inside look at the world of Washington lobbyists. On the whole,
it works well. Clarifying the Main Character throughline would
make the story better by making it as emotionally satisfying
as it is intellectually.
