by Martin Unsworth
Writer/director Quentin Dupieux is known as a quirky filmmaker, having the likes of Rubber (2010), Mandibles (2020), and Incredible but True (2022) under his belt. Smoking Causes Coughing continues that trend but proves Dupieux can deliver a memorable and fun ride too.
Tobacco Force is a group of costumed superheroes, much in the style of the Power Rangers, who protect the world from giant creatures and promote the dangers of smoking to the general public. We’re thrown right in the midst of the action as the team is fighting Tortusse, an evil turtle. The group’s strength is when they work together, combining their individual powers – Benzène, Méthanol, Nicotine, Mercury, and Ammonia – to blast the creature with deadly cancer, causing it to explode in a gloriously gory fashion. Despite this success, their boss, Chief Didier (a ragged, drooling puppet that resembles Roland Rat on crack) demands that they work on their team spirit and send them to a remote retreat. There, they hang out and tell each other scary stories, but there’s a deadly peril threatening Earth that demands an extreme solution.
Working as a splatter-filled spoof of Super Sentai-type shows, the film takes a skewed look at bonding while also being an absurd anthology of sorts. There are a couple of creepy tales to make up for little else happening, but they are superb and a lot of fun. It also lets us hone in on some of the characters that make up Tobacco Force. Obviously, with a running time of around 75mins, you’re not going to get an in-depth study, but we get to see what makes a few of the team tick. This includes finding out which members have a ‘thing’ for their Meet the Feebles-esque chief (let’s not forget, this is the guy who brought us Flat Eric, so this fella’s not out of place!) and how some deal with their family life back home and struggle to be heard in a group situation. There’s an understated tone to the humour, and it comes from some quite surprising places.
In lesser hands, this could have been a mess of ideas, but Dupieux uses the surreal aspect to allow it to be gloriously irreverent but strangely keep its cohesiveness. The director’s main flaw is his failure to stick the landing, as it were. The climax may leave you wanting more, but what we have is an incredibly fun ride that will make you wish all superhero films were like this.
Smoking Causes Coughing is in UK cinemas from July 7th.
