Big tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand got the star treatment in 1999, when he was portrayed onscreen by Russell Crowe in “The Insider.” Big tobacco whistleblower Victor DeNoble, on the other hand, plays himself in the new documentary “Addiction Incorporated.” It’s not just the difference in star power that makes the latter film pale in comparison. The story itself seems worn by now. Thanks to films like “The Insider,” the “60 Minutes” segment on which that film was based, and countless articles and documentaries, we all know that cigarettes are addictive and harmful to health — and that the people who have sold them have known this, too.

“Addiction Incorporated” still tells a decent tale, though — one that’s more interesting the less it is about tobacco. It’s the human story here that proves most engaging. We learn how DeNoble became the first person in his family to attend college — his dad told him it would be a good place to meet “smart girls” — and eventually set his sights on a research career in academia. That was until Philip Morris called.