 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Christopher Buckley could quite possible be my favorite author. He is the master of political humor, nad I have trouble putting any of his books down. I was surprised when I read that Jason Reitman was making a film based on this book, as this satire is about smoking, which is a touchy subject, but I was also incredibly excited to see what Reitman could do with Buckley's amazing prose. Reitman did not disappoint.
Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is a public relations genous who has the uncanny ability to spin anything in his favor, which becomes obvious in the first scene. He works for the tobacco industry and is often the one who comes up with the great ideas to putting smoking in a better light. For that reason, and his courage (read: balls) to openly talk (or spint) to the media puts a threat on his life. But, Naylor is able to use even that to his advantage, along with every other seemingly impossible obstacle that comes his way.
The cast is absolutely top notch, with Eckhart's performance leading the way (he even looks the way I pictured Naylor while reading the book). J.K. Simmons, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy, Adam Brody and the rest of the cast all make secondary characters that are very likable. Rob Lowe's role, although small, is very odd, but a lot of fun to watch.
Reitman did an amzing job with this film, turning it into the best I've seen in a long time. Its entertaining, educational (everyone interesting in the Public Relations field should both watch the film and read the book), and full of smart humor, which a lot of Hollywood films seem to be lacking. I was hoping that they were going to set up Nick Naylor for the role he played in "No Way to Treat a First Lady," but that was nothing more than wishful thinking on my part. I highly recommend this film.
Written by: RF