Or more specifically, mocking all that made them rich and famous.It's no surprise that Norman Lear would make a so-called "comedy" mocking the military, democracy, church, capitalism, big government and the "stereotypical" Americans he always targeted. That's just what he did. And ironically, that's how he made a living in a capitalist nation of democracy made possible by the military and the working class Americans he loved to mock.But what amazes me is that Dick Van Dyke, Bob Newhart and Tom Poston would have any part of this film.Let's see, first there's Dick Van Dyke: Mister dance around with cute animated Disney penguins. Mister chitty chitty bang bang inventor, loving father and heroic rescuer of imprisoned unwashed children. Mister comedy writer, middle class American father who spoiled his ungrateful son ad nauseam. Made rich and famous in films and shows that made profits out of the pockets of everyone this film mocks.Then there's Bob Newhart: Mister stand up comedian with "funny" dry humor one ended phone conversations. Mister surrounded by middle America crazies Chicago psychologist. Mister Vermont inn owner, how-to-book writer surrounded by middle and lower class Americans. Like Van Dyke, also made rich and famous in shows that made profits out of the pockets of everyone this film mocks.And finally there's Tom Poston: Mister frequent "celebrity guest" on game shows spanning back to the 50's. Mister insufferable deadpan reaction. Mister handy-man at a Vermont inn on Newhart. Like Van Dyke and Newhart, made rich and famous in films and shows that made profits out of the pockets of everyone this film mocks.This film completely changes my opinion of all of them. Especially Newhart and Poston. For some reason I've always found Van Dyke annoying and unfunny. Maybe it's his nasal infected sounding voice, the dopey look on his face, or just the fact he just isn't funny or believable in any role he's been in.My advice - unless you enjoy seeing actors mock and give the finger to the very people that made them famous, to the system that allowed them to become rich, the military establishment that kept their ungrateful asses free, then avoid it. Better yet, copy it to a VCR tape, wipe your butt with it, then take it outside and set in on fire.Because, after all, it is a steaming pile of hypocritical crap.

Merwin Wren (Bob Newhart) comes up with a plan to remake the image of Hiram Grayson tobacco magnate in the same way as the Nobel Prize has rehabilitated the image of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite. They offer $25 million to any American town that quits smoking for 30 days. Eagle Rock, Iowa is a small crumbling town with many churches but not enough work after the military base closed. Rev. Clayton Brooks (Dick Van Dyke) is one of the town leaders. They hope to attract a new defense facility but they need to clean up the town. Brooks rallies the town to give up smoking. However it gets even tougher as the tobacco company does everything to push the people to smoke.This is Norman Lear's movie. He created some of the most iconic popular TV shows of the 70s and early 80s. There are a lot of TV stars and future stars. The movie feels very quaint for it. It definitely has the lower class everyday people humor with his sense of social commentary. It also features a pretty lovely Randy Newman song. I just wish it was funnier. I also didn't care for the comedic montages. The movie seems more interested in the social commentary although the doctor in the operating room is very funny.

Norman Lear's satire is more fun than funny. Dick Van Dyke is a minister in small dying Eagle Rock, IA who rallies the townspeople to quit smoking for one month in order to win $25,000,000. The town goes crazy, eating everything in sight, bickering and even kicking dogs. Van Dyke is stoic rather than funny but it helps a lot that the town is populated by clowns likes of Vincent Gardenia, Jean Stapleton, Barnard Hughes, Graham Jarvis and Tom Poston (very funny as the town dipsomaniac). Pippa Scott is pretty fetching as Van Dyke's wife. Bob & Ray pop up from time to time as hilarious newscasters and Bob Newhart is the shifty tobacco company man who starts it all and then tries to stop the town from winning. Randy Newman's music score, his first, remains one of his best.

This is the strongest - and most vicious - satire on the American "way of life" ever filmed. Although the Vietnam War was still going on - and still the focus of national attention - director Lear wisely avoids any mention of it, and thus any use of it for political purposes; he chooses instead to concentrate on how Americans of that period saw themselves - in other words, what most Americans thought was good about America, not any of the "social issues" that were dividing the country at the time.Well, but what is this "good about America" that the film lampoons so unrelentingly? Most Americans think they have a religion - even though their ministers prefer showing up on the cover of Time magazine to living a good life. Most Americans believe TV newscasters keep them informed, even though they know that those people are just entertainers, really, reading script written out for them, that may or may not actually have something to do with current events. Americans want to believe that they are politically committed to some important cause or other - but they can get hysterical over matters as trivial as someone lighting up a cigarette.The fact is, American morality is just a big balloon - it looks impressive but it's all hot air.I should point out that satire can frequently be put to use to help with the improvement of social life, by pointing out attitudes that need changing - and, balancing this film off against Lear's television shows, there's little doubt that such is the case here. If the film still seems vicious - and it does - it's because Americans haven't yet stopped to think through the consequences of their attitudes - such as the thousands dead in Iraq, or the continuing misery of the poor.I certainly hope the day will come when I can look back at Cold Turkey as a relic of the past, with nothing more to say. Sadly, that is not yet the case. America still looks and sounds pretty much like this today, and so the satire remains as potent as when this film first came out.Oh, yes, and it is also VERY funny.