Analysis "thank You for Smoking"

Tariana Gandy

Ms. Yates

English 103

October 3, 2014

Analysis Essay: Thank You for Smoking

        You would think after reading the title of a movie called Thank You for Smoking, that the movie would be somewhat promoting people to smoke or maybe about a cigarette company making it’s come up. This movie in fact is not about any of those topics. It’s actually about a man who works in supporting the tobacco industry and experiences of the damages of smoking. Such as sickness, death and negative influence on children, with the many people he knows and meets throughout this film. Although he starts out defending cigarettes, he soon realizes what is most important and comes to terms with his line of work and the negatives of smoking that is pointed out in this film rather than the good, if there is any.

        The movie follows the protagonist, Nick Naylor, a father who is the chief spokesmen and Vice-President of the Academy of Tobacco Studies. He mostly spins arguments and defends the cigarette industry in the most difficult situations, and he is too good at his job. One of the main arguments and accusations he has to defend is that smoking kills. In the first scene in the movie, Nick is on a talk show with a young boy who has cancer. The next scene is of him at his son Joey’s school speaking about cigarettes in a positive way to his classmates. Even though everyone knows that smoking can cause lung cancer and other illnesses and deaths, Nick finds a way to spin it and argues that smoking is a matter of choice in both scenes. This statement is actually true in nature. Even though the public is aware of the risk of smoking, some still choose to smoke. We can’t fully blame the tobacco industry for the deaths of people from smoking. All they did was advertise and create a product for consumers, and left us with the choice to buy it, which some religiously do. All he has to do is prove the other person wrong and he will look right. Nick used that to his advantage and so did the other industries. Nick has a group of friends called the Mod Squad, a.k.a the Merchants of Death, which consists of workers of 2 other industries that threaten lives; liquor and guns. They would sit and dispute about which of the industries they work for killed the most people.

        Nick tells his son that his job requires “moral flexibility”. Meaning that he has to do immoral things for moral reasons. His moral reason for convincing people smoking is not bad for you, is to pay the mortgage and provide for his son. An example of this act is when he has to pay a visit to the Marlboro Man. The tobacco company fired the Marlboro Cowboy due to the fact that he was a smoker and developed cancer. Of course they did not want anyone else to know that was their motive. They sent Nick to his house with a suitcase of bribe money to keep him quiet. Joey rides along with Nick and when they get there, Nick was immediately shown unwelcomeness at the end of a shotgun barrel. After seeing his son was with him, the Marlboro Man let him come inside. Nick then explains his visit and the Marlboro Man does not seem very willing to take the money, until he dumps all the money on the floor, tempting him with it. Nick tells him that if he takes the money and still goes public about Marlboro, he will have to donate the money and won't be able to keep it. The Cowboy did not like that idea and thinks about the fact that he will need the money for his family due to his cancer. Nick and Joey then leave the property, without a suitcase. He immorally bribed him with money but for a moral reason. Nick tells Joey he knew he wasn’t crazy and would be able to use the money for more important things, rather than getting back at the company.