It's not often that a budding director manages to secure a film that sets a high standard for all future films much less a comedy, since all comedies nowadays seem to fall under the categories of: A) soppy, cheesy, romantic comedies with the predictable Happily Ever After ending; or B) teen comedies with gross-out moments and crammed full of gratuitous nudity. But Jason Reitman has achieved this impossible. He must've learned from his father Ivan's mistakes and decided to go in the opposite direction. The result is astonishing: a hilarious send-up of all that is politically correct. Neither side of the smoking debate was safe from the film's scathing wit. And that is the star of the show: Reitman's screenplay (adapted from Christopher Buckley's novel) is sheer genius. The comedy is smart and sophisticated. The clever one-liners came thick and fast, all delivered deadpan by a cast comprised of indie stars. Here is another strong point of the film. The ensemble cast is flawless and not one of them drops the torch which carries the consistent tempo throughout. Of course Aaron Eckhart (Nick Naylor on-screen) is the hero here. He steals the show with such credibility as the smooth-talking, charismatic charmer and manages to coax us into empathising with him, despite being the "villain protagonist" of the film. He personifies the perfect spin doctor; his oratorical rhetoric is practically intoxicating. It was simply empowering and inspiring to watch a master at work, triumphing in the face of all odds in a way that makes you wonder "How the hell did he do that?" minutes later.
His supporting cast does exactly that - support. Each of them symbolises someone unique attached to his life and everyone managed to extract the maximum amount of laughs out of their roles, no matter how short their screen time was. Maria Bello and David Koechner provided the perfect backseat commentary to the film a much needed relief when the plot accelerates to a terminal velocity. Rob Lowe manages to supply a parallel to Nick, an equal that hints at what the film would be like, had the subject of satire been Hollywood rather than the tobacco industry. William H. Macy as Senator Finistirre is Nick's opposition, destined to trip up against our protagonist and to have his ass handed to him with style. J.K. Simmons was pitch-perfect as the disgruntled boss, Cameron Bright served as the inquisitive product of his father, and Katie Holmes was irresistible enough for us to believe her as the young, seductive reporter who manages to tease the information out of our seemingly-impervious Nick, by the common weakness to all men.
The plot itself comes secondary to the artistic style, unsurprising due to the sheer brilliance of it. Nick's life takes various twists and turns while he juggles a threat at work and fatherhood. The soundtrack is a collection of golden oldies from the 1940s and 50s. It gives a solid backbone to the story, especially when Nick spends some time alone to reflect upon his life.
A joy to watch and highly recommended if you're looking for one and a half hours of entertainment. Just sit back and bask in the glory of its dry and witty script, perfectly executed and enough to send the audience into a state of mesmerised euphoria.
His supporting cast does exactly that - support. Each of them symbolises someone unique attached to his life and everyone managed to extract the maximum amount of laughs out of their roles, no matter how short their screen time was. Maria Bello and David Koechner provided the perfect backseat commentary to the film a much needed relief when the plot accelerates to a terminal velocity. Rob Lowe manages to supply a parallel to Nick, an equal that hints at what the film would be like, had the subject of satire been Hollywood rather than the tobacco industry. William H. Macy as Senator Finistirre is Nick's opposition, destined to trip up against our protagonist and to have his ass handed to him with style. J.K. Simmons was pitch-perfect as the disgruntled boss, Cameron Bright served as the inquisitive product of his father, and Katie Holmes was irresistible enough for us to believe her as the young, seductive reporter who manages to tease the information out of our seemingly-impervious Nick, by the common weakness to all men.
The plot itself comes secondary to the artistic style, unsurprising due to the sheer brilliance of it. Nick's life takes various twists and turns while he juggles a threat at work and fatherhood. The soundtrack is a collection of golden oldies from the 1940s and 50s. It gives a solid backbone to the story, especially when Nick spends some time alone to reflect upon his life.
A joy to watch and highly recommended if you're looking for one and a half hours of entertainment. Just sit back and bask in the glory of its dry and witty script, perfectly executed and enough to send the audience into a state of mesmerised euphoria.