It was mentioned in the Elon Musk book that he helped finance "Thank You For Smoking" -- an unusual move for him -- so I had to rewatch it. In the director's commentary Jason Reitman (Ivan's son) points out that the private jet Aaron Eckhart climbs into, to fly to Texas to meet with the tobacco head honcho, that jet belongs to Elon Musk.
Not only that, but the guy holding the limousine door for Aaron is Elon. He's on-screen for all of a half-second.
The movie itself? Meh. I never thought it was more than a 4 out of 10. It wants to be a comedy but none of the lines are funny. There is some wry irony, but no laughs. The machinations of the tobacco lobbyists (as well as the alcohol lobby and firearms lobby) aren't really fodder for making comedy, and the tone of this movie veers between over-the-top caricature and totally-believable characters. It never really commits to being either factual, or a farce -- and by being something in-between, it falls flat on its face, IMO.
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