Product: The Insider [VHS] (1999)
Rating: 2.0
NOT THAT IMPRESSED
I just saw this movie last night, then read all these reviews. I have to say, I wasn't too impressed. Overdone, over-dramatic, way too self-important and smug - stereotypes of the good whistleblower and the evil corporations, I've had it with Hollywood, which has popularized the "coolness" of smoking since the 40's, maybe even the 30's. The acting was good enough. But to me, it's just another political message from Hollywood. And what was the end result of all this angst? A multi-billion dollar settlement, most of which went to lawyers, and the cigarette companies are still operating as usual. The government could have banned cigarettes, but they want the tax revenue. People smoke because they want to, and no one is going to stop them until they decide they want to stop. And come on, everyone knew way before this 'expose' that cigarettes caused cancer. Did they beef up the nicotine properties? I guess so, but again, if cigarettes cause cancer, they cause cancer, whether there is a little more or less nicotine per cigarette. Hey, I hate cigarettes and never smoked. But let's get real here.By the way, I saw "Avatar" last week and again, the political message and stereotypes- evil Americans against hippie-tree worshipping pagans, ruined it for me.