THE REEL CRITIC

Author: JOE BERGAN

It is rare to come across a good satire in these days of safe plot lines and characters who flirt with the edge but do not jump right in. "Thank You for Smoking," however, takes the full plunge. Once you get the courage to go to Burlington to see this gem, desensitize yourself first. Get George Carlin on tape, shoot a gun, eat red meat, for never has a trip out of the "Middlebubble" been so holistic and cleansing. This is satire at its finest. A good satire allows one to indulge in the non-politically correct, and through laughs realize how bad that thing is (See "Bamboozled," "Dr. Strangelove" for further examples). It is rare to find a great satire that molds form to function.

The film, based on the novel by Christopher Buckley, follows Nick Naylor, (Aaron Eckhart), the lead tobacco lobbyist in Washington as he fights a Vermont senator (William H. Macy) who attempts to put "poison" labels on all cigarette packages. This sends him into a frenzy. Nick quickly loses control with only his two other friends, Polly Bailey (Maria Bello) and Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner, of "Anchorman" and "Whammy!" fame) to support him. These fellow lobbyists represent the alcohol and firearms industry, respectively. In a similar narration style to "Amelie," there are a lot of laughs in their exposition. Nick's smooth-talking narration allows you to see why he's as satisfying a guilty pleasure as the cigarettes he pushes. He explains, "You know the guy that can get any girl? I'm him…on crack."

The cast has some heavy hitters - William H. Macy as the Vermont senator, Katie Holmes as a sexy reporter - but also some purely refreshing faces. The young Cameron Bright is right on as Nick Naylor's son is entering the age at which most underachievers run to the convenience store and try to pass as eighteen. Adam Brody, The O.C. star, almost steals the show as the perfectly-written Hollywood secretary.

Though the performances keep you laughing, the tone of this film is perfect for satire. From the 1950s country soundtrack to Nick Naylor's perfectly frosted hair, one realizes, however, that the guilty pleasure of this film is more than cigarettes: it's the American way of life and the American government. This film is a big stack of pancakes at IHOP or a Big Mac - yeah it will kill you, but hell, I'm an American.

"Thank You for Smoking" is not about smoking or cancer, or thanks. It is about the irony that is America, a country supposedly ruled by "the people," but where mounting evidence suggests that money rules all. A small sign sits behind the table where Nick and his friends eat everyday - it's one of those stitched pillows you find in your grandma's house. Throughout the film, it clearly reads: "America, the best government money can buy."

This movie embraces the type of humor that is appropriate when you are yachting around the Caribbean making a deal that will put deadly chemicals into a water source and give children cancer, and you laugh a bit, because you are going to be filthy rich. Then you have an affair with the help on the ship. That's how Nick Naylor, the Republicans and the Democrats of this movie's world operate. Everyone is looking out for number one.

Like a cigarette, "Thank You for Smoking" presents the "American Dream" as a quick drag of a menthol. You may think you'll be Humphrey Bogart, but you'll probably just get lung cancer.

Nick Naylor repeats throughout the film "I do it for the mortgage," and isn't that what America is? Everyone spins, tries to tell themselves that they do it for the trees, or the children, or the whales. This movie scoffs at this notion, and maybe we will too, when, in a couple of years, you will beg for room draw to find you a house that people clean daily.

"Thank You for Smoking" plays at Merrill's Roxy Theatres, College St., Burlington.