Here are the facts:
Directed by
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Screenplay by
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Jason
Reitman
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Based on
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Music by
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Cinematography
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James
Whitaker
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Release date
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March 17, 2006
(United States)
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Budget
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$10 million
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Box office
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$39.3 million
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- Aaron Eckhart as Nick Naylor, a spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies
- Cameron Bright as Joey Naylor, Nick's son
- Katie Holmes as Heather Holloway, a reporter for the Washington Probe
- Maria Bello as Polly Bailey, a spokeswoman for the alcohol industry.
- David Koechner as Bobby Jay Bliss, a spokesman for S.A.F.E.T.Y (Society for the Advancement of Firearms and Effective Training for Youth).
- William H. Macy as Senator Ortolan Finistirre
- Robert Duvall as the Captain, founder of The Academy for Tobacco Studies
- J. K. Simmons as "BR", Nick's boss
- Marianne Muellerleile as Joey's school teacher
- Kim Dickens as Jill Naylor, Nick's ex-wife
- Rob Lowe as Jeff Megall, a Hollywood super-agent
- Adam Brody as Jack, Jeff Megall's assistant
- Sam Elliott as Lorne Lutch, the original Marlboro Man
- Todd Louiso as Ron Goode
- Dennis Miller as Himself
1. Here are the posters for the film:
Which one best captures the film's content? How?
2. As several of you said at the end of class today, Nick Naylor is both charming and horrifying. We think it is interesting to compare him with Ruth. Take a few minutes to play around with that idea and record what you come up with.
3. OR is this film a serious treatment of a father and son relationship? Here is one of the conversations that Nick and Joey have:
https://youtu.be/_T_2DUw4noI
What do you think about this relationship?
By process of elimination, I think that poster 2 best exemplifies the real content of the film. Poster 1 only shows cigarettes, which though drive the plot of the story, aren’t necessary, as they could be replaced with many other regulated substances like alcohol and firearms. Poster 3, however, shows very little detail besides Nick in front of an American Flag with a lighter. Poster 2 shows images of smoking, like the lighter and sign symbol, while also referencing the complicating morals that pervade this film with an angel’s halo.
ReplyDeleteRuth and Nick are two types of people generally looked down upon by society: junkies and strawmen, and they each have flexible moral codes and suffer with addiction, but their similarities go farther than that. They are both being used by massive groups because of their conditions, and eventually turn on these large groups. Though some parts of their situations are similar, they are two different people. First of all, Nick is a smart and skilled guy who is responsible enough to get his life together and care for his kid, whilst Ruth would rather huff paint on the street than get a job. Also, Nick cares for people other than himself, shown by when he steps down from Big Tobacco after coming to a realization that he couldn’t support an industry that he knew was hurting people. Ruth on the other hand, is only motivated by self pity and grief, and only leaves the crazy (anti)abortion advocates for her own monetary gain.
I think that this film, though mean to be funny, absolutely has sincere aspects, and one of these aspects is the son-father relationship between Nick and Joey. I know that I’ve had conversations like the one shown in this video with my dad before, where he tells me what he believes is right, demeaning my education, and trying to teach me about how to succeed. An important part of this relationship, too, is Joey trying to understand his dad even though he’s heard horrible things about him. I think that this aspect is certainly a serious treatment of the son-father relationship, and it adds to the film by grounding it in some normalcy that leads away from the ridiculous politics of this world.
1. I think that the second poster best captures the contents of the film. What immediately stood out to me when deciding which poster was most relevant was the description of Nick: “He doesn’t hide the truth… he just filters it.” From the start of the film, Nick is honest about his role in the tobacco industry. He clearly explains that he is the talker, the people-pleaser, the tobacco industry’s version of the boy who gets all the girls. I mentioned this in class as well- to me, he is very similar to the notorious stereotype of a car salesman. He wants you to feel good about yourself so that you can feel good about him. Though Nick effectively proclaims utter BS throughout much of the press conferences and interviews- dying teens actually hurt the tobacco industry with their halted participation in the commerce, he says- later on, near the end of the film, he does admit that he is aware of the medical problems that tobacco can cause. And essentially, this allows for a more dangerous character. As the movie poster boasts, Nick is quite aware of the truth of the product he is selling. But at the same time, he takes that truth and spins it into what he wants people to see. His proclamation from the hospital bed, “smoking cigarettes saved my life” is twisted just enough so that his reasoning actually seems plausible. He blatantly tells his son how to use this tactic as well- Nick believes that as long as you are a good debater, then your argument is right. As someone mentioned in class, you don’t have to be right. You just have to prove the person you’re debating that they are wrong. He uses a kind of dangerous persuasive tactic, which allows the audience to want to believe what he is saying. His smile and “sultry” attitude draws his next victim in, and he then delivers his filtered truth with such confidence that you cannot help but believe him. I think that this is apparent in the movie poster by the duality of the ring over Nick’s head. At first glance, I saw an angel halo- but it could also be a smoke ring. Two seemingly opposite ideas- unless there’s a whole bunch of little cherubs flying around smoking two packs a day- but they connect to this filtered truth. The angle halo presents Nick as an understanding, likable guy, as many of us immediately recognized in class. But personally, the stark red background of the movie poster, along with the red flame of the lighter, seems aggressive and hellish. A seemingly helpful little angle- Nick’s charms and flirtatious attitude easily present him this way- but underneath that facade, he is little more than the devil selling away people’s lives with the flame of his cigarette lighter. His body attitude on the poster seems inviting and a portrayal of “hey, why don’t you try a cigarette out? It couldn’t possibly hurt you that bad….” But the sly little smirk on his face is not that far behind. And his angelic halo ring could really be little more than the dangerous exhales from a cigarette. So, in my opinion, this poster expercely portrays the duality of Nick’s character. Friendly enough to pull you in, convincing you of his honesty by using filtered truth.
ReplyDelete2. When comparing Nick and Ruth, I am first reminded of the scenes in Citizen Ruth where Ruth seems to be playing the part people expect of her. When on the “side” of the Baby Savers, Ruth is pushed into protesting at the abortion clinic, but later, when at the house of the pro-choice (pro-abortion?) group, she demands the church group to listen to her when she says, “My body is my choice!” but then falters and says, “Right?” In both of these instances, Ruth seems to be in a tug-of-war between what the Baby Savers want her to say and what the pro-choice group wants her to say. So even though she does concede and follow their demands, it is not really because she wants to. Instead, she must ally herself with one side in order to stay afloat. I see a similar predicament in Nick, who honestly knows that his profession is selling lies. He compares himself to other people remembered in history for people’s deaths, and at one point in the film, he stands behind a rapidly rising toll of people dead from cigarette usage. However, Nick continues to perform his narrative with his filtered truths and persistent proclamations that cigarettes can be life-savers. In order to get where he needs to get- his excuse of “everybody’s got to pay the mortgage-” he is complacent to adopt this facade of an all-knowing businessman who will not admit that the tobacco industry is responsible for people’s deaths and addictions. However, I see a naivety in Ruth that I do not see in Nick. To me, Ruth’s switch back from pro-life to pro-choice is never really her decision. She is easily convinced by either side because she is not used to being able to make her own decisions. Ruth’s body never seemed to belong to her, so she has no experience with creating her own narrative and standing up for herself. And because she has no reason to believe that she should stand up for herself, Ruth allows other people to force her to stand up for them. They use her to achieve their agenda. However, I do not believe that Nick is abused by the system that he partakes in. He is fully aware of his double-faced actions, in a way so obviously presented that it forms the satire. He is literally part of a trio that competes for the most deaths from their industry, so I wouldn’t believe for a minute that he was forced into his role there. He seems to enjoy his job of tricking people into believing that he is correct- which leads me to believe that Nick is more similar to the Baby Savers/ Pro-choice group than he is to Ruth. Nick is in control of his role in the tobacco industry and is not afraid to use whatever tricks he possess up his sleeve to come out on top. Somehow, he was able to be the only sane, knowledgeable person on a panel consisting of a mother-lead group that advocates against the use of cigarettes by teenagers and pulmonary scientists who are aware of the scientific results of tobacco use. Nick, the representative of the tobacco industry, was able to make more sense in the interview by uttering lies than the actual scientists and parents armed with scientific fact were able to. Similar to Nick’s actions, the leader of the Baby Savers was aware of a problem with bribing Ruth to have the baby. The problem was not with the bribe, however. The problem was that the bribe was not large enough. And the pro-choice group was no different, wanting to use Ruth as a precedent for the abortion debate. Both sides tried to present their self-interested lies and tricks in a neatly wrapped little present of “money for the baby,” or “to support you to make your own decision,” even when everyone could see through their sly little smiles. So I notice a similarity in Ruth and Nick’s adaption to the role they must play- however, Ruth appears to be forced into her situation, whereas Nick appears to actively enjoy his.
ReplyDelete3. I believe that an essential part of the film’s storyline does pertain to the relationship between Nick and Joey. When we first see Joey in his class at school, he seems embarrassed- as most children are- about his father’s presentation on career day. We see Nick next to the “heroic” figure of the firefighter, and then he enters his son’s class and challenges a little girl on whether or not her mom is right to believe that cigarettes are dangerous. But by the end of the film, Joey is much closer to not only Nick, but also to his father’s job. Someone even says that Nick is grooming Joey to take over his job one day. And as the movie progresses, Joey learns more and more from his father about the strength of an argument, and how to win said debate. But at the same time, Nick’s very job is detrimental to his son’s well-being. As Nick’s ex-wife’s boyfriend- the doctor (more satire)- says, Nick’s very use of cigarettes can cause dangerous damages to his son through second-hand smoke inhalation. And as we discussed before, Nick is obviously aware of the severity of the danger of the product that he represents. Not only is he endangering the consumer, but his son’s growing body is also put at risk by his two-faced job. And what is most frightening to me about Joey’s relationship with his father is that by elevating him on a pedestal, Joey does not see the dangers of his father’s job. This is apparent when Joey meets Bobby and Polly, and Bobby pulls out the mini pistol. Joey is interested in the weapon, and the immediate reaction of the adults is to support his interest. Only after agreeing with this young child that the pistol is cool do the adults quickly realize their actions and hurriedly point out the dangerous capacity of the weapon. And Joey seems to lose his sense of doubt as his father schools him in the art of argument. Though Nick’s advice to his son’s class was to be apprehensive of the information you are told, he essentially teaches his son the opposite. In the discussion on chocolate vs vanilla ice cream, Joey continues to ask his father why vanilla ice cream is better. And his father never really answers him. As we discussed in class, Nick just teaches his son by distracting Joey from his questions. This scene ends with Joey still questioning his father’s opinion, but the next scene shows the two of them on the ferris wheel eating vanilla ice cream. Though Joey might just enjoy vanilla ice cream, the staging of the two clips appears as if Joey retreats his opinion on the flavor of ice cream. Though their discussion was not too serious, the topic of their discussion- how to win an argument- was pretty severe and influential to Joey. He stops doubting his father and begins to see Nick as heroic. But what further complicates Nick’s relationship with his son is that some elements of his parenting really do seem “heroic-” that is, supportive. Nick explains that he moved out of his own house so that Joey, Joey’s mother, and Joey’s mother’s boyfriend could live there. That’s pretty generous. And when Joey is doing his homework in the clip above and begins to write down what Nick has said, his father stops him and explains the whole concept to his son, wanting him to really understand what he is writing about. So at the same time that he is endangering his son’s life by encouraging the use of cigarettes and reducing the amount of skepticism his child has for his job, Nick also seems to care for Joey.
ReplyDelete1. I think the second poster captures the message of the film the best. Nick does simply "filter" the truth, and it is how he has become so successful. He has mastered the ability to persuade and disprove other viewpoints. He says that it is not necessary to prove that what you are saying is accurate, but rather prove that whoever you're arguing against is wrong. I also like the smoke ring above his head, because he is portrayed as an angel to the tobacco world. He, in a way, is the face of death. 1. I think the second poster captures the message of the film the best. Nick does simply "filter" the truth, and it is how he has become so successful. He has mastered the ability to persuade and disprove other viewpoints. He says that it is not necessary to prove that what you are saying is accurate, but rather prove that whoever you're arguing against is wrong. I also like the smoke ring above his head, because he is portrayed as an angel to the tobacco world. He, in a way, is the face of death.
ReplyDelete2. I think Nick and Ruth are similar in that they both have complex personalities that can be perceived in different ways. Nick is excellent at his job, but can be considered a scumbag for defending tobacco. Ruth is someone who is trying to pull her life together, but can’t seem to get any real help. The Tobacco corporations use Nick to keep them out of trouble, and the babysavers and pro-choice groups use Ruth to push their agendas. Both characters are being used, not for their self interest, but for the betterment of the large corporations. In both cases the “little man” is being played.
3. I think that the relationship that Nick and Joey have is important for the development of the story; however, I think this is primarily used to show us that Nick is not a horrible person. Truthfully, I agree with most of the lessons Nick is teaching Joey. It is important to be able to make your own decisions, and it is also important to recognize that sometimes you do have to pay the mortgage. Nick is not mincing his words when he speaks to Joey, but his realistic approach clearly has some benefits. Joey wins his debate contest at school, and has become very good at expressing his values.
Out of the three covers, I find it to be a tie between the two first ones. The first one shows the facelessness of the movie’s premise. A lobbyist in the movie is just a manifestation of the company they are representing. They adopt the ideas and fight for them. This seems accurately represented in the first poster. However, this movie focuses on Nick. Nick is the face of the corporation for those in the movie, but to us we see more of Nick and his own life. The second poster then takes the outside view of Nick the people see and put it on the poster showing us him handing out a cigarette.
ReplyDeleteThe two people are both traditionally hated people. However, we feel sympathetic for the both. They are people who are governed by the larger groups that have a stance on the situation they are in. They both are spokespeople for their groups, whether they be manipulated to be them or not. And while they are hated by the general public, they are seen as saviors by their individual groups. They are both pawns in the groups’ fight in the grand scheme of things.
The relationship between father son helps us feel more sympathetic towards Nick. We see how much he cares about his son and how his son sees him, and it is in those moments that we see where the humanity that we feel is lost in Nick with his profession manifests. We then see that the father-son relationship helps us understand Nick’s tactics better. We see how easily people are manipulated and how easy it is to understand these basic principles in the art of argument. We then get to see Nick’s influence on his son and just how useful his tactics are once he starts using them. The two aspects of the relationship give us a better understanding of Nick as a whole being.
I think that the first poster, the one that looks like an Uncle Sam poster, is the best photo for the film. The Uncle Sam posters were used by the U.S. Government in order to attempt to get people to enlist in the army. The posters showed patriotism. This relates to what the film is about because that was what Nick Naylor’s job was about. He lobbied for the cigarette companies and persuaded people into purchasing cigarettes by stating that studies have been done that show no comparison between smoking and lung cancer and other diseases. He is stating that smoking is the backbone for America, just like the army was in the Uncle Sam posters.
ReplyDeleteNick Naylor and Ruth are similar because they try and manipulate others for their own benefit. While Nick’s speeches aren’t directly benefiting himself, he is benefiting the tobacco companies and the Academy of Tobacco Studies, which in term will appreciate his work and benefit Nick. Ruth “went” with the abortion (she still killed the baby, she just didn’t have an abortion, she had a miscarriage) so she could get fifteen thousand dollars, and benefit herself. Both people also start conflicts that they themselves are not directly involved with. Ruth started the big protest and shouting match outside the abortion clinic even though she would not give birth to the child or have an abortion. She caused a battle between pro-life and pro-choice only to have a miscarriage. Nick kept the conflict going between the government and the cigarette companies going, even though in the end he did not want to be connected to the cigarette companies. Nick debated the senator just because he wanted to argue with him.
There is definitely a good relationship between Nick and his son. Nick is just trying to show his what his job is, and why he is good at it, not trying to convince him to pick up smoking. Nick is a good father, and he is trying to pass on his knowledge to his son, and teach him how to win an argument. He is only trying to show his son what the real world is.
1. I think that the second poster best illustrates the themes of this movie. It features the same slogan as the other two, but this one places Nick on a bright red background sporting a halo and offering up a lighter. The lighter is obviously a reference to how the lobbyists offer thinly-veiled encouragement to smoke. The halo references the fact that both Joey (his son) and Big Tobacco see Nick as an angel- and the movie almost paints him that way too. We begin to sympathize with him and support him as he carefully manipulates the point of view in order to curry favor with the viewer.
ReplyDelete2. I think that Nick and Ruth are very different for obvious reasons- Ruth is a homeless pregnant woman addicted to huffing paint, while Nick is a smooth-talking lobbyist with a son and an ex-wife. However, they do share the trait of being pretty terrible people that the viewer begins to sympathize with. Their main similarity is their manipulative abilities- Ruth uses hers to get money and food, while Nick uses his to defend a deadly industry. Over the course of each film, though, we learn more about the two and begin to wonder if they really are the awful people they seem to be. Ruth is stuck between two parties trying to use her unborn baby to "send a message", while Nick is trying to form a relationship with his young son.
3. I think that Nick and Joey's relationship is certainly an important aspect of this film, but it's not the real focus. I see it as merely a tool to help the viewer stay on Nick's side throughout the duration of the movie. Nick truly cares about his son, and they seem to have a good relationship. Joey worships his father, which is common for boys his age, and Nick enjoys telling Joey about his life and showing him the ropes. However, we see Joey's mother's concern that he will grow up to be just like his dad and have "flexible morals." This relationship is just another tool for Nick to use in his arguments- this is clearly displayed in his speech before the Senator.
1. In my opinion, the second poster best captures the film’s content. The fact that Nick has a halo shows that he is still seen as an angelic figure, even though he is holding a lighter. Smoking is bad, there is no doubt about that. But when someone like Nick can persuade society otherwise, we should all be concerned. His face portrays who the public wants him to be, nice, personable, and likable, but the lighter in his hand says otherwise. This poster clearly represents Nick’s two sides best.
ReplyDelete2. Nick and Ruth are very similar characters. They're both selfish, and will do whatever it takes to get their way. However, for some reason we can't hate them. Their sarcasm and rugged charm makes them appealing to a number of audiences. Each have horrible addictions (Nick’s is promoting smoking and arguing at all costs while Ruth’s is of course sniffing paint), and they attempt to feed this addiction at all times.
3. I think that at the end of the day, Nick loves his son. While Nick’s morals are questionable, he still wants to be a good role model for Joey as most parents do. Joey does however need a stronger role model whose job isn’t to actively promote smoking. Nonetheless, they help each other. Nick gives Joey perspective, and tells him that it’s okay to stick to what he believes in, even if it questions authority. Joey helps Nick remember that he is capable and can come back from these public embarrassments he’s suffered.
1. I find the second poster to capture the film very well because the cover's red color and the lighter create devilish imagery, which contrasts to the halo of smoke around Nick's head. This is similar to how the audience feels about Nick, his personality and charisma make him appealing to the audience, but he is supporting and defending smoking, something that is so blatantly bad for people. This poster more obviously displays the paradoxical elements of Nick's character and the movie. the other posters are good, however, they obviously gesture towards smoking and cigarettes while the second one is more specific to this film.
ReplyDelete2. Both Nick and Ruth, oddly, make the audience sympathize with them. We see Ruth struggle with her addiction and being used, similarly to seeing Nick deal with his family issues and how he is treated at the company. Also, both characters ultimately become the dividers between groups, whether that be pro-life vs pro-choice, or cigarette companies and the people. Both characters, as quoted by Nick, have flexible morals, or non at all.
3. I think the father and son relationship has a lot of love, but Nicks job personality never seems to be completely switched off, so he ends up just creating himself in his son. He is bonding with his son by showing him what he likes and getting his son to like it too. Nick is so devoted to his job that he creates his son around it, rather that letting his son change how he feels about his job. This is shown in the last scene when Nick testify that he would buy his son his first pack of cigarettes if he wanted to, In doing this, he uses his son and their relationship to send a message about who he is a person. We see Nick almost die from nicotine patches, and so by saying that about his son, he shows he will use anything as a pawn to prove to other people they are wrong, and be a true lobbyist.
I’d say the poster that best describes the film’s content is poster two. Poster one puts too much focus on the tobacco aspect of the movie, and I believe Nick Naylor’s character arc is the focus of the film. Poster three also has taken too much of the focus off of Nick as his personality is what made the entire film. Poster to best shows off Nick’s likeness and the kind of chaotic-neutral energy that he gives out. I also believe the many subtle parts to this poster, such as the smoke ring halo above Nick’s face, give it a very unique quirk to it. Although the focus is on Nick, he is still holding a lighter and a cigarette which allows some of the focus to has to do with Nick’s affiliation to the product.
ReplyDelete2. I find Nick and Ruth to be very different characters, but they both have one thing in common: they don’t care about other people, at all. Both of these characters are content screwing other people over as best they can in order to make things easier for them (I can’t blame them either). The difference between Nick and Ruth is intelligence and drive. Nick finds his passion and confidence in his work, so when he is unable to work his social skills get worse and his apartment becomes kinda nasty (as we saw after the reporter released her article about Nick). Nick screws people over because he simply finds joy in being right and on top of things. Ruth screws people over in order to get things that she doesn’t have whether than be glue, money or a bed to sleep on. Ruth is less socially and rhetorically skilled as Nick but she is just as apathetic towards other people as Nick is.
3. It seems like Nick and Joey have a strange relationship, but a close one. It seems like Nick feels a little awkward around his son as he is used to telling people they’re wrong all the time. When he gets with Joey he doesn’t want to be a negative force in his life so he tries to fight his argumentative tendencies when dealing with Joey’s many questions. I personally think Nick gives Joey good advice, because Nick has always encouraged Joey to think for himself always. The film suggest a less than amicable relationship with Joey’s mom and her boyfriend. It is possible that the divorce has changed how Joey feels about his father. It’s possible that his mom bad mouths Nick to Joey all of the time in order to curry his favor.
I think the best poster was the 2nd one. It just had added components that made it look a lot better than the others. First, there is is a halo above Nick’s head, but it is in the form of a smoke ring. This shows both the good and evil you see in Nick Nayler, and although he is charismatic, he is fighting for a bad cause. He is holding out a lighter, which magnifies the ability of his charisma. The words “He doesn’t hide the truth, he just filters it” which perfectly describes the role of Nick nayler in this movie
ReplyDeleteI don’t think Nick Nayler has much in common to Ruth. Nick in a way is a likeable character. Even though he is fighting for a bad cause, he is so convincing I find myself rooting for him to succeed. Nick has good in him, and he is a very charismatic character. Ruth, on the other hand, is a very annoying and distasteful character. I do not feel sympathy for Ruth. She makes a lot of bad decisions and isn’t a very smart character. Nick, however, is extremely smart and rarely makes bad decisions or says the wrong thing. The nobly thing the characters have in common is that they are both a centerpiece in a real life issue(abortion and smoking).
I think the father son relationship is an important part of the movie. Joey accompanies Nick for much of the movie. He learns a lot throughout the movie and appears to become a miniature version of Nick. Even at the end, he wins the debate championship, which is Nick’s forte.Joey is put in this movie to show that Nick genuinely cares about people, despite his decieving advertising about cigarettes. In the courthouse, he was reluctant to say he would allow Joey to smoke cigarettes, and I’m not sure he believed in his final answer. Nick is not a terrible person, and this makes feel even more empathetic towards him.
1. This looks like a common campaign poster in contemporary times near a store or a gas station. Those posters are ironic because the captions does not show show any prove or persuade people to start smoking cigarettes for a certain reason, just the simple fact that the customer should take a cigarette. The second poster even said people who are advertising cigarettes like Nick are not insuring that its healthy, he just needs to convince you enough to forget about the effects.
ReplyDelete2. I think the comparison between Ruth and nick are fair to debate, because both characters are portrayed to be anti-heroes who are motivated by self gain. With Ruth it seems that she always wants to do whatever and uses people’s sympathy towards her against them. The difference between Ruth and Nick is that Nick’s characteristics is more relatable to us. I feel like this is because I can argue that on average, most paideia students have their own morals that allow them to argue anything they need to in order to get what they want, which is different than manipulating people like Ruth. While though both characters have their enemies, Ruth builds her enemies by her failed relationships with the people who were trying tho help her. Whereas Nick make sure people know what he is trying to get out of which makes the situation less awkward because it gives a clear view on who Nick is rather than having to hurt people’s feelings on the way.
3. I believe this was a good film about the discussion of relationships between son and father. We see in the beginning when his son says “don’t ruin his life” because fathers are an important part of sons childhoods. They can affect how the sons grow because sons seem to take most of what their fathers moral is. It was interesting to see that Nick wanted his son to believe in his own thoughts while still having the same reasoning to prove his thoughts like his fathers ideal.
1. I think the poster that best reflects the movie is the second one. I think this because it shows off more of his personality than the other posters, and he is the main character in the movie. It reflects how the audience is supposed to see Nick. The juxtaposition of the lighter and halo really show how Nick is very charismatic and likable while being not the best person.
ReplyDelete2.I think Nick and Ruth are very different characters but they get you to sympathize with them even though they are very selfish people and okay with manipulating and screwing over other people for their own gain. But what makes them different is their drive and place in the world. Ruth is a paint huffing homeless woman that can't get a stable hold of her life while Nick is a wealthy spokesperson for big tobacco. Nick is also better at picking his battles and being social, this is something Ruth has a hard time with throughout the movie, but is Nick's biggest strength.
3. I like the relationship between Nick and Joey. I think Nick did the best he could with the time he was given from the divorce and the fact that Joey is obsessed with his dad and wants to learn everything he can about what his dad does. I think Nick really loves his son and wants him to grow up with the ability to be independent. He cares about Joey a lot and while it might not seem like he is the best father ever, he is teaching him what he thinks is important and will benefit him most in life.
1. I personally think that poster number two best captures what the film is about. Neither of the other two posters had the same aspects that poster 2 had that best referenced the what the movie is about. Poster 2 shows an image of Nick smoking a cigarette, referencing what the film is about. Also, Nick has a halo over his head, telling you that in this film, you will see Nick fight his morality.
ReplyDelete2. In my opinion, I don’t think that Ruth and Nick are not like each other at all. Ruth is a sketchy, selfish drug addict that lies and steals from anyone when she gets the chance to. Its almost as if Ruth doesn’t realize that what she is doing is wrong anymore, but Nick is the opposite. Nick is educated, smart, clean, well dressed, confident, and knows what he is doing. He knows that the cigarette company that he lobbies for is evil, but he does it because they pay him a lot of money. I think the only way that Ruth and Nick are alike is that it is very easy to sympathize with them.
3. I really liked the father son relationship between Nick and Joey. I think that Nick tried to do his best when he got a divorce with Joey’s mom, and i think that Nick tries to be a really good dad, by inviting Joey with him on business trips to hang out with him. You can really see how much Nick loves Joey, and how much Joey idolizes his father.