News

Medical Group Rips 'Hulk' Cigar Smoking

    June 16, 2008 – In the latest example of a PG-13 film getting complaints over content, an advocacy group says the The Incredible Hulk is more consistent with R-rated films because of smoking. A New York Times article says physicians group A.M.A. Alliance is critical of non-stop cigar smoking by movie bad guy Thunderbolt Ross, who is portrayed by William Hurt.
    The movie is distributed by Universal Pictures and comes from Marvel Comics.
    The article quotes Dianne Fenyk, president of the advocacy group, saying “Hollywood studios should be especially embarrassed for using comic-book movies, which they market to children and know youth will want to see, to promote tobacco.” A.M.A. Alliance has 27,000 members that it alerted to press the issue with the media outlets.
    The article by Brooks Barnes says Universal responded that “advertising materials for the movie prominently place a parental advisory about the cigar-chomping.”
    For a related article, see “Advocacy Group Rips Iron Man, Burger King” from April 23, 2008.

For full text, click link below:

www.nytimes.com/2008/06/16/business/media/16smoke.html