Cigarettes in new film stir anger at studio

LOS ANGELES — Angry at Warner Brothers over images of cigarettes in the comedy "He's Just Not That Into You," an arm of the American Medical Association is demanding that the studio step up its policing of tobacco images on screen.

The American Medical Association Alliance said it intends to lodge an official complaint on Thursday with Warner Brothers and its corporate parent, Time Warner, over "disturbing images of specific cigarette brands in this youth-rated movie," said Melissa Walthers, director of the health advocacy group's effort to reduce teenage smoking.

Among other things, the group wants Warner publicly to certify that it received no payment for the product placement and is asking all Hollywood studios to ban filmmakers from showing specific tobacco brands in their work. "There is absolutely zero artistic justification for this," Walthers said in a telephone interview, adding that various studies estimate that smoking in films prompts 200,000 young people annually to start smoking.

A Warner Brothers spokesman declined to comment.

"He's Just Not That Into You," a PG-13 hit that has sold more than $100 million in tickets worldwide since its release on Feb. 6, does not depict anyone smoking, and there is a prominent story line placing cigarettes in a negative light. A character played by Jennifer Connelly leaves her husband (Bradley Cooper) not because he cheated on her — which he admits to her that he did — but because he lied about quitting smoking.

But there are numerous shots of Natural American Spirit Lights, easily identifiable by their bright yellow box. The alliance, the 27,000-member volunteer arm of the AMA, also spotted a "highly recognizable red Marlboro carton," although a person who worked on the film disputed this.

As for the story line discouraging smoking, Walthers said, "It doesn't really matter if the story line is negative or not in terms of the impact on kids."

Walthers has an ally in the fight that may strike some as unusual: Santa Fe Tobacco, the maker of Natural American Spirits. "We respect artistic license, but we have to agree that our cigarettes should not be shown in films," said Mark Smith, a spokesman for Santa Fe Tobacco. "It is something we absolutely do not condone." He added: "We were never contacted about using our brand in this film, and we sent no product."