Glengarry Glen Ross
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Movie Reviews of Glengarry Glen Ross
Movie Review: Gutwrenching Masterpiece, 10 Stars
Summary: 5 Stars
Probably in my all-time Top 10...the only other ensemble film I can think of in the same league is 12 Angry Men. There are lots of similarities: a group of men caught in the same situation, whose starkly distinct personalities expose a cross-section of humanity that is terrifying in its realism. GGR of course has no Henry Fonda as a pillar of justice and reason, nor a Robert Webber/Jack Warden character to ease the tension. It is not a feel-good movie, and if you're looking for some sort of plot-driven pay-off, you'll be disappointed. The "plot" is inconsequential to the film - the thing could have taken place any day of the week in this office...which gives a viewer with any imagination even more reason to sweat bullets. True, people either love it or hate it.
Jack Lemmon: Bold words to ascribe to a man of his stature and legend, but I think this could be his finest performance. The character is pathetic and reprehensible at the same time...and it appears Lemmon was able to tap into a part of his soul that recognized had his life not gone the way it did, he might very well find himself in this horrific situation. The desperation is, as another reviewer said, very difficult and painful to watch. You see him slipping a few notches in each succeeding scene...a man literally crumbling before your eyes...made worse by the all-too-obvious self-illusion and fantasy that he is operating under: The Machine is on the comeback trail. What makes this performance bearable and wondrous is Lemmon's mastery in making you want to believe in the legend: unfortunately, the dying embers of his former smalltime glory do little to shelter one from the relentless rain that pours down on this movie and on this sad character.
Al Pacino: I have to believe that this is withtout a doubt his greatest role. He was born to play Ricky Roma...it's pure poetry, astounding. His scenes in the restaurant selling the dupe are as good as anything I've ever seen in cinema. Interesting (for me at least) that for all of the huffing and puffing Pacino is known for, it's the sly, whispered, understated dialogue here that leaps off the screen with a deftness of touch that is awe-inspiring. The scene with Lemmon at the office in front of the reluctant client is a delightful master class in portraying deceit (probably the only moment that offers some temporary relief)...and it's so convincing, you want him to prevail. The relationship between he and Lemmon that reveals itself in the last part of the film is heart-wrenching; Lemmon sees what he once was, and what he mistakenly believes he can be again; Pacino demonstrates a half-hearted deference for Old School, and sees what he wants to believe he won't end up as.
Kevin Spacey: Cold and ruthless as they come...as another reviewer pointed out, he only tolerates Pacino's character because he's currently the producer in the office. We all know that situation has to - and will - change. Spacey's skillfully-nuanced relationship with the others immediately establishes the graduated office hierarchy - from Blake and the boys downtown, to the office doormat (Arkin). Spacey's scenes with Lemmon are the most difficult of all to watch, it almost makes me wonder how they did it.
Ed Harris: Dripping with venom, and bringing new meaning to the word "bitter." The kind of guy you feel for on one level, but nontheless despise - until you see him confronted by the likes of Alec Baldwin. This character is the ticking time bomb in the movie, and you cringe to see the influence he's having over Arkin. Their scenes together are fascinating, as you realize neither of them is going to make it. The dialogue between them is brilliant, and the editing enhances the urgency of their predicament.
Alan Arkin: I was so glad to hear his commentary in the Special Features, because his description of the background he invented for his character matched precisely my ideas about the guy. Mealy-mouthed, weak-kneed, and swimming amongst sharks, he'd be the first to die if this were an action flick. Part of what makes his character so compelling is that he reminds us scruples and morality have no place in the seedy business of third-class sales.... It's tough to see someone doing a job that you can tell from a mile away they don't have a prayer at.
Alec Baldwin: Every actor should be so lucky to get 10 minutes like that....an extraordinary opportunity for an extraordinary role amongst the top people in the profession. He was perfectly cast, I can't imagine another actor in this part. This SOB could make ANYONE feel like a complete failure. There is a strong underlying sexuality to the character, and a hypnotic appeal that makes you hate and fear him (of course), but there's more.... he brings out in the viewer a dark side that admires this kind of power and determination - an almost giddy, willing subservience. Part of you actually starts thinking his way: "Yeah, geez, you guys are losers."
Jonathon Pryce: It's a strange sensation rooting against a victim! This guy was a tremendous launching pad for Pacino's character. A brow-beaten, hen-pecked, shadow of a man who has difficulty standing up for himself even when he's right. Lulled and reeled in by the vituoso Roma over drinks, you end up resenting him for spoiling the dream and tarnishing Roma's golden touch. A great and understated performance.
Again, the storyline is almost superfluous IMO. As for the language - it would be odd if the film were not steeped in crude invective, that's how this class of businessman talks; it's absolutely essential to the film.
I really like another reviewer's remarks about the deadly atmosphere generated by characters we never actually see: Mitch and Murray, Jerry Graff, Shelley's daughter in the hospital, Mrs. Lingk, the Nyborgs, etc. They weigh gloomily over the characters, and create a genuine sense of un-ease within the viewer. I've never seen this device used so effectively.
This film is far more disturbing than any conventional violence or horror, because this is the kind of horror that touches many more lives than guns and ghouls. It happens everywhere - grown men grovelling to eke out a meager existence under the thumb of inhuman bosses, and brown-nosed middle-management. As awful as it is to witness, the performances of this stellar cast are so far out of the ballpark, I find myself inexorably riveted to every single word, line, gesture, and facial expression.
This is a monument of horrible beauty, epic in its dissection of a brutal world, and the men that are consumed by it. I'll watch this film for a long time to come. Thank you David Mamet, James Foley, and the aforementioned actors for making this masterpiece.
Movie Review: How much you make?
Summary: 5 Stars
Playwright David Mamet certainly has something to say about the art of selling with "Glengarry Glen Ross," and the overall statement isn't good. I don't have a clue as to what his background was before he struck it big in the entertainment biz, but I suspect Mamet either worked in sales himself or had a family member who went through a similar experience. How else could he capture perfectly the seedy underbelly of boiler room scam artists? Because "Glengarry Glen Ross" is first and foremost a story about real estate scam artists trying to con a buck out of the average Joe. I think many viewers forget this point. It's disheartening to see so many people take the lessons of this film and apply them to all sales jobs. For example, my father worked as a salesman for his entire career and never experienced anything remotely resembling the horrors seen in the film. On the other hand, everyone has dealt at one time or another with a salesman who just cannot accept "no" for an answer. So in some respects, "Glengarry Glen Ross" rings true even as it exaggerates for dramatic impact. Regardless, the film version of Mamet's play is a fascinating experience.
Spirits are low in a branch office of Mitch & Murray, a shady real estate concern that sells properties of dubious value to anyone with a few grand in a savings account. The office is a cauldron of seething resentments as the salesman grind away day after day to seal that elusive deal that will translate into one more day on the job. You've got Shelley "The Machine" Levene (Jack Lemmon), an old timer who once ruled the roost but has since fallen into a dry spell that leaves him wondering about his job on a minute by minute basis. Ricky Roma (Al Pacino) has superseded Shelley as the new lion, a young, spiffy, silver-tongued con artist with the ability to rack up sale after sale. Dave Moss (Ed Harris) and George Aaronow (Alan Arkin), both peripheral figures in the larger scheme of the office, have their own problems. Aaronow too has hit a dry spell, and Moss spends so much time complaining about the lousy job that he barely has time to go out and sell. Presiding over this insane asylum is office manager John Williamson (Kevin Spacey), a smarmy, by the book type despised by the others because he has never sold a darn thing in his life.
Then Blake (Alec Baldwin) struts into the branch office, and what was once a pressure cooker of a job shifts into a primal struggle for survival. Swaggering, brash, insulting Blake announces a new contest for these poor wretches. They will, announces Blake, clear out all of their old "leads" (cards filled in by potential customers and mailed to the company) before receiving a shot at the fresh, exciting Glengarry leads. The salesman who closes the most deals wins a new Cadillac. Second place is a box of steak knives. Everyone else gets a pink slip. Even worse, Blake threatens, he swears, he impugns the salesmen's manhood; he does everything he can possibly think of to motivate these guys to hit the street and sell. After all, he made nearly a million dollars closing these leads, so anyone who falls below his stellar record is dirt on his shoes. With their very jobs hanging in the balance, the office rapidly disintegrates into chaos and pure panic. Only Roma racks up a sell, to the odd James Lingk (Jonathan Pryce), but even that potentially falls apart in the end. Levene nearly has a nervous breakdown trying to save his skin, a breakdown fueled by the thought of his daughter's desperately needed operation. Some of the salesmen try to bribe Williamson into giving them the Glengarry leads; others plot to steal them out of Williamson's office. You won't figure out how this film ends in a million years.
I'm finding it difficult to write about this movie largely because the film lives and breathes through its characters. "Glengarry Glen Ross" is all about dialogue slathered with a generous helping of profanity and rage fueled rants. It's what goes on behind the dialogue that makes the movie a winner. Mamet sets up this Catch-22 situation (the salesman can't get the good leads until they sell the bad leads, but it's impossible to sell the bad leads) in order to examine the damaging aspects of the "sell, sell, sell," all or nothing mentality on the human psyche. The despair etched in the faces of these men, who will probably never find another job if they lose this one, speaks louder than the set pieces or even most of the mundane dialogue. Sure, a lot of these rants are hilarious in and of themselves, but there's a raging desperation behind them that puts a damper on the giggles. Isn't there something fundamentally wrong about a business strategy that drives men to consider stealing in order to protect not only their jobs but also their sense of self? You bet there is, and that is the point Mamet drives home in "Glengarry Glen Ross."
You get a bunch of extras on these two discs. An audio commentary, a short "Always Be Closing" documentary on selling, a tribute to Jack Lemmon, clips from "The Charlie Rose Show" and "Inside the Actor's Studio," and a bunch of other goodies should keep you watching long after the movie ends. What I discovered most from watching these extras had little to do with the movie, surprisingly, but the realization that Peter Gallagher is one of the most annoying people on the planet (watch the Lemmon tribute to see why). No review will do this monument to modern American business justice-just watch the movie and experience it for yourself.
Movie Review: Best Sales Movie Ever
Summary: 5 Stars
Exaggeration & Repetition: Performance keys to live byThere are two keys to being a good performer, whether you are writing or telling a story, whether you are selling something or selling yourself: Always exaggerate things by one thousand percent, and use repetition at least 500 percent.
Those who understate a story or product that may not be very strong in the first place, will fall victims to making that story or product look weak. The way to avoid making yourself or whoever/whatever you are representing look weak is to follow the aforementioned keys. The way to do that when the product or story is weak is to learn how to "B.S." That is where being a good performer comes in...
You are an actor, and being outgoing and to the extreme will always give the impression that whatever you are talking about is "the best." A good actor can do this perfectly and not come off as overly co.cky or obnoxious. Always say what the other person wants to hear. The customer is always right. Do whatever you can to "nail the gig."
There is something else to keep in mind when doing this particular form of "B.S.-ing," and that is the "K.I.S.S." method of "keep-it-simple-stupid." That may sound like a contradiction to the keys, but it is not. Keeping it simple, is not disclosing the real specifics, but still making your case sound like it's above and beyond every other possible option. This comes in handy particularly when someone asks you a question that you may not know the full answer to. That is where "filling" comes in---something that students do when writing an English essay on a test. If you have a general idea of what you want to say but don't have a specific reply to a portion of the question, you "fill" that essay with long winded run-on sentences. However, the whole thing must be coherent, and if your essay is well-written and has a good amount of clever puns and humor, you cannot lose. If you are a slick actor or writer, you can fool even the best of English teachers into at least giving you an "E" for effort.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you will never lose if you can "meet in the middle." What that means is this: Suppose a shirt looks like it is worth $15 to a customer but you build it up so much and make it sound like it's worth $50... By the end of the conversation, if you are doing your job, you are going to get them to meet you in the middle and the final conclusion will be that the price of the shirt is around $25. The real worth may be no more than $15 (and maybe even less), and certainly nowhere near $50, but you still get the "E" for effort and earn $25. You aren't really getting into details on why the shirt is worth so much more than the customer thinks, but you are pounding it into their head that it's worth $50. You are exaggerating and repeating. You are using adjectives that may or may not apply to that shirt but you are making it sound great and far above what it's worth. So finally, they will concede a price of $25. You were stretching the truth about the shirt being worth $50 and they may have been undervaluing it at $15. Essentially, you are both lying and both playing a game with one another, but finally, a minimum of $25 is agreed upon. No one may ever find out the true value, but it's irrelevant anyway. This works in any situation.
Exaggeration and repetition. But remember to K.I.S.S.
These keys could have been discussed in one paragraph, but it took an entire page, yet you as the reader were compelled to hang onto each word from start to finish. So I succeeded as a writer in that this essay was read from start to finish and my point was proven.
The "Whale"
A whale is a customer that you pull in, hook, line and sinker and mount on the wall. He is a golden nugget, a superstar, a monster. This type of customer that you get lucky enough to snag will be your customer for life. That means, you will either be set up for life from one deal you strike up or you will have him as a repeat customer that you can call back as a strong possible prospect forever.
Sometimes it is tough to spot a whale, he may not always be overly outgoing or obvious about being a "buyer." So anyone can be a whale. The way to learn if someone is a whale or not is to simply get into their home and learn about their life and about them. So anything you can do to get your foot in the door will work.
Start off small and discuss something that may appeal to their interest and work your way into their world. Don't pre-judge them until you learn about them. This will take time and patience, but all you need is a small "in" and then you can build on that and if you win the whale's trust, all it takes is one big deal to set you up for life.
So practice the "A.B.C." method of "always be closing" with everyone, because anyone can be a prospect. While the impression may be given that you genuinely care about them, the main objective is getting them to sign on the dotted line.
Of course the obvious "Gordon Gecko" type whales who go around showboating their spending habits and their skills are the true whales that if you are lucky enough to somehow snag, you are set.
Movie Review: "Hit the bricks, pal!" if you don't enjoy this movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
In my years of watching all genres of movies, none has ever struck me like this one. It's the most intense and thrilling flick that doesn't involve a moment's violence. The cast is perfect: Al Pacino as the confident, slick Ricky Roma; Jack Lemmon as the down-on-his-luck Shelley "The Machine" Levene; Ed Harris as the hot-headed yet shrewd Dave Moss; Alan Arkin as the ever-insecure George Aronow; Kevin Spacey as Mitch & Murray's "Company Man" Jon Williamson; and Alec Baldwin as Mr. Limpkin, the perfect symbol of upper-management arrogance and cruelty. Never has a movie gone so far with basically just a half-dozen people on screen at any one time. (A then unknown Jonathan Pryce has a supporting role as James Link, one of Roma's clients/victims, but he's vastly overshadowed in this movie.)
The storyline is one of an ever-frustrating vicious circle: real estate salesmen in a struggling economy are trying to get on a hot streak again. Middle management of Mitch & Murray is no help, only promising that "new leads" will be introduced. In walks Limpkin, there to supposedly give them a pep talk. Instead it's an insult-fest: Shelley goes over to get a cup of coffee and is immedeately chastised: "Coffee is for closers only!" Limpkin further attacks Levene, snidely remarking, "You call yourself a salesman, you son of a b****?" One after another, these salesmen are ripped apart as being weak and incompetent. The company sales competition is then reviewed....first prize, a Cadillac El Dorado; second prize, a set of steak knives; third prize? You're fired! Then, just as quickly as the new Glengarry leads are introduced, Limpkin reveals that they're not for "losers" like them: "To give them to you would be like throwing them away. They're for closers." Baldwin's performance is brilliant here. His combination of intensity and cool cockiness has the effect of a boxer's punch: brief but stinging. And it helps set the tone for the movie's story of how the other salesmen react to his not-so-pleasant visit.
Meanwhile, the one salesman on a hot streak, Ricky Roma, shows why as he casually talks a random man from the local restaurant (Pryce) about life, loves, and, eventually real estate. His approach to closing is more suddle: get to know the person, buy them plenty to drink, pretend to care and empathize with them, all the while sizing them up for the deal. At the same time, Moss concocts a plan to break into Mitch & Murray's and steal the new leads...with the help of a co-conspirator. Dave needs a second person to do the dirty work, since he's been so vocal in his criticsm of M & M's handling of sales, so he works George over mentally to go along and illegally swipe the leads and sell them to a rival real estate agency. Shelley, after failing to convince Williamson to loan him a couple of new leads, is out trying to close the old-fashioned way: going door-to-door. In one scene, probably the most uncomfortable in the whole film, Levene does his best to smooth-talk a young husband to buy land, using all sorts of jargon to make the deal look and sound sweet, when both he and the young man know that no deal will be made. In a moment, it crystalizes what hard-luck the salesmen (except Roma) are going through.
The next morning, the robbery of the leads has indeed taken place, and personal situations change: the files for Roma's previous closings are also missing, along with every phone in the office. Each salesman is being interrogated by police, to seemingly no avail of finding answers. Shelley then enters, excited over a sale he's finally made. The experience is almost like a conquest: he's more confident,cheerful, and, like Roma, bust Williamson's butt for his lack of sales experience, among other things. From here I won't give much more away: through a series of events, each salesman gains and loses something. All I'll say is that George probably ended up with the steak knives!
I know I went into long detail, but I love this movie!! Writer/Screenplay David Mamet obviously worked in this field at one point; there is much attention to detail, between the sales-improving corporate-speak of "A.B.C." and "A.I.D.A", to the indignant sign above Williamson's office which reads "SALESMEN ARE BORN NOT MADE", I'm willing to bet that this story had to come from some real-life experience. I also thought the movie was actually enhanced by the exclusion of two things: scenes of the robbery itself, and when Shelley "closes" the deal with the Nyhborgs (I probably spelled that wrong, but so what?) This is a movie that is relevant in any era or any business; it shows the downfall of what was once considered an eternally existent profession. Substitute "real estate" with "car" or "insurance" salesmen and it would still have the same effect. Funny, brutal, with a twist of irony at the end, this is a movie I could watch every day and never be sick of.
Movie Review: An excellent, complex, well-acted film
Summary: 5 Stars
"Glengarry Glen Ross" is writer David Mamet's masterpiece. In the 1992 classic, his rapid, incisive dialogue is quicker and more brutal than in every other movie he's done, and the characters, played by such people as Kevin Spacey, Al Pacino and Jack Lemmon, all exhibit a kind of rowdy vileness and vitriolic disposition that is appalling, engaging and astounding. Mamet's message is not just that real estate is a cutthroat business; the real focus of Mamet's screenplay, based on his 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning play, is the struggle between men--the need for a weak, hurting, woeful individual to lash out against those who prevent him from being better; and the need for those at the top of their game to slander those they know are starving.
The movie's portrayal of a bummed real estate office down on their luck could be the portrayal of practically any tableau of unhappy, unruly men prepared to do anything to make a dollar. It's Mamet's characterizations--Al Pacino as Richard Roma, the slick, conniving, office leader; Jack Lemmon as Shelly "the machine" Levine, an old timer on a bad streak; Kevin Spacey as Williamson, the boss, a man who garners no respect from those below him; and Ed Harris and Alan Arkin as frustrated salesmen at the end of their wits--that makes the movie so important, so timeless. These are men of character who possess a twisted uniqueness, but also possess a common connection to all working people; they're fed up with work, with bosses, the unknowns, the pay, the long hours. They go through their routine gripped by spite and depression, confusion and anger, aware of how terrible their lives are, but too entrenched in their career to do anything about it. They're a part of the American dream but at the bottom rung of the ladder. They're living as capitalist independents but are no more satisfied with their work in the 20th century as a man might have been one hundred years before. They wear nice suits and ties and shoes, and some of them drive nice cars, but none of that can erase feelings of hopelessness and subjugation. When an upper level real estate agent gives a pep talk to Jack Lemmon and his coworkers on a dreary rainy night, he doesn't try to lift their spirits; he motivates by poking fun, denouncing, condemning and harassing.
To Mamet, the real estate business doesn't try to make a man feel better about himself; it's there to make a man feel worse--to feel brutalized, hopeless and frustrated. And even those who make it-like the rich real estate agent who verbally tears down all he thinks are less than him--even they don't have any real end in life; for at the top, men still care about possessions and power.
It's as though business traps a man, telling him what is good and right in life while shutting him out of every potential alternative. And as we see Jack Lemmon and Ed Harris and Alan Arkin battle against the relentless tide of job fulfillment, we see they have no other desires; all they care about is finding leads, twisting people's arms, making a few dollars. They come to believe that selling real estate is the most important thing in life, paramount to everything else, and their blinded pursuit ruins them, making them slouch in their chairs, making their eyes big and puffy, making them attack other men--good men--who were probably different people before they started. The film is visceral, bewildering, and depressing, showing what life could be for those who can't break out of a rigid system, who can't break free from a lowly, unhappy, position in life. The delivery of Mamet's dialogue by the actors is superb, ranking among the best ensemble casts of the 1990s. There is hardly a movie that more accurately shows people struggling to stay afloat in their job, besieged by inequities, dislike, and disrespect.