Addiction Incorporated

PG

2011

1h 40m

Documentary

List

72%

25 Reviews

Tomatometer

64%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A young drug researcher unexpectedly discovers the ingredients of addiction in cigarettes and begins a national campaign to have it regulated.

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Audience Member

A documentary that goes back to late 70's, and the shows us the post doctoral student Dr. Victor DeNoble and his friend Paul C. Mele being both hired by Phillips Morris with the task to develop a nicotine substitute once they were getting to the conclusion that the nicotine was driving millions of people to a heart attack. With a term of secrecy signed by both scientists, and their research laboratory shut down, it took more than one decade for the tobacco industry secret to be revealed. It is worth watching.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Sometimes well intentioned documentaries just don't live up to their ambitions. At times there is just not enough substance, the content is outdated or the morals overtake the message. Addiction suffers a bit of all three. First, we all know smoking is very bad and that tobacco companies are deceitful and harmful. Second, this has been known for decades and there have been lawsuits galore in the very public eye. Lastly, the whistleblower has been uncovered. In fact there was a great movie about this with Al Pacino and Russell Crowe. Addiction is entertaining and would have been educational 25 years ago. Today it seems a bit off place and with not much relevance. The message is still valid and perhaps the real value is the idea that companies can be truly evil. Doesn't matter that they are big tobacco or big oil. That is the real message. Since the filmmaking is not great either there is really not a lot positive to say about addiction. I can't give it a worse rating since there is some marginal learning and it proves that the role of government in regulating detrimental commerce is important.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

Superb documentary - don't miss it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Audience Member

Of course this film is of particular interest to me because the subject relates directly to my work of the past eleven years. It also features one of my former coworkers (though glaringly omits mention of my current workplace). However, otherwise it is very complete in it's presentation of the recent history of the tobacco industry with respect to what they actually knew versus what they claimed to know about their product and addiction. Alas, the pace of the film leaves much to be desired. As exciting as the information may have been to the public health community, it will provide very little for the average viewer. It also has the problem of not feeling very timely. Most of the information was breaking news 10 years ago, but as presented today it is both too soon and not soon enough to be particularly interesting.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Critics Consensus: Sherlock Holmes Plays a Good Game

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Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

While it's satisfying to see fat cats tamed by science and an enraged public, the movie misses the opportunity to sustain the pressure.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 23, 2012

Full Review

Loren King

Boston Globe

Once it finds its footing in old-fashioned journalism, the film packs a wallop.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 23, 2012

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

"Addiction Incorporated" follows tobacco's journey downhill from respectability.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 9, 2012

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Kelly Jane Torrance

Washington Examiner

Charles Evans Jr., making his directorial debut, tries to liven up this old story with re-enactments. But the animated segments he inserts come off as goofy, not gripping.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 4, 2019

Full Review

Sarah Boslaugh

Playback:stl

Addiction, Incorporated feels more like a well-made educational documentary rather than something you'd care to see in a theater.

Rated: 5/10

Mar 22, 2012

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Chris Hewitt

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Anybody who's remotely interested in this topic already knows everything "Addiction Incorporated" has to say.

Rated: 1/4

Mar 8, 2012

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Synopsis

A young drug researcher unexpectedly discovers the ingredients of addiction in cigarettes and begins a national campaign to have it regulated.

Director: Charles Evans Jr.
Producer: Charmaine Parcero
Screenwriter: Don Whittemore
Rating: PG (Involving Smoking & Addiction|Thematic Material|Some Language)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $40.0K
Runtime: 1h 40m

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