I saw this movie on HBO. It gives a dated look at smoking, which is interesting. It's interesting that even back in '71, big tobacco is the enemy. I'd be interested to see what they would do with this premise in a modern movie.
While it's cute in some areas (the rev. and the wife dealing with nicotine withdrawal by "engaging in the act of physical love" constantly), I left feeling a little let down. The ending seems rushed and I'm not really sure what the moral is. The town quits smoking, but then ends up in a greed-infested society. And in the end, they get a missile plant that causes more pollution than a town of smokers couldn't possibly compete with. So is this a movie that we should quit smoking? Cuz it seems that the town got only more problems when it did that.
But on the other hand, the scenes with the town coping with nicotine withdrawal are some of the most humorous I've seen in an old movie. My guess is that this movie opened the door on attacking smoking, but didn't have the gumption to take it all the way. It's interesting to note that big tobacco is already fingered in taking some of the blame in the smoking epidemic - I didn't realize that so early on they were already seen as a culprit.
I give this movie a 7 because for the majority of it, I enjoyed myself. I am surprised that I haven't heard more about it around, but I'm not surprised that it's not on DVD. I'd recommend it if you're in the mood for something cutesy, dated, and not too deep.
While it's cute in some areas (the rev. and the wife dealing with nicotine withdrawal by "engaging in the act of physical love" constantly), I left feeling a little let down. The ending seems rushed and I'm not really sure what the moral is. The town quits smoking, but then ends up in a greed-infested society. And in the end, they get a missile plant that causes more pollution than a town of smokers couldn't possibly compete with. So is this a movie that we should quit smoking? Cuz it seems that the town got only more problems when it did that.
But on the other hand, the scenes with the town coping with nicotine withdrawal are some of the most humorous I've seen in an old movie. My guess is that this movie opened the door on attacking smoking, but didn't have the gumption to take it all the way. It's interesting to note that big tobacco is already fingered in taking some of the blame in the smoking epidemic - I didn't realize that so early on they were already seen as a culprit.
I give this movie a 7 because for the majority of it, I enjoyed myself. I am surprised that I haven't heard more about it around, but I'm not surprised that it's not on DVD. I'd recommend it if you're in the mood for something cutesy, dated, and not too deep.