Glengarry Glen Ross
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Movie Reviews of Glengarry Glen Ross
Movie Review: Excellent film version of scalding Mamet play
Summary: 5 Stars
David Mamet's GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS is, in many ways, a DEATH OF A SALESMAN for today. Like Miller's classic theater drama, it shows the American Dream gone wrong as it follows (real-estate) salespeople and their desperate attempt to make an honest buck. It is a marvelous play, and frankly better than DEATH OF A SALESMAN. Certainly, it is nowhere near as sentimental or preachy as SALESMAN occasionally was. Mamet achieves a kind of "poetry of the commonplace" with his fresh, witty, and sometimes painfully reverberant dialogue. The dialogue, as well as the compelling characterizations, ensure that GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS rises above its 1980s origins and becomes something more timeless and universal: a devastating portrait of desperation and broken dreams, set in a self-contained universe in which the name of the game is, really, just to make enough money to get by...even if it means lying, cheating, and even stealing.
James Foley's film version is a successful screen adaptation because Foley trusts Mamet's great dialogue to speak for itself. Thus, Foley admirably does not attempt visual glitz to try to "cinematize" the material; he just lets the actors deliver their lines, and he and his editor Howard E. Smith do a smooth job of retaining the rhythms of the dialogue. The result may still feel a little stagebound, but Mamet's characters and themes by themselves rise above the film's occasional staginess.
And what a cast! I can't really see a dud performance in any of the major roles here. For me, the standout here is the late Jack Lemmon, who excels in what is probably the most important character of the movie. Indeed, it is Shelley "the Machine" Levene who is probably the most potent representation of the shattered dreams that is at the heart of Mamet's play: once a real-estate big shot, he is now a desperate, blubbering mess who is now simply trying to make ends meet in his life. It is that sad desperation that Lemmon captures so vividly and movingly in his performance, and it is truly heartbreaking what eventually happens to the character in the course of the film. The rest of the performers are no less accomplished. Alec Baldwin turns his brief cameo role---written expressly for the movie by Mamet---into a brief but intense tour-de-force (one that perhaps anticipates his later performance in 2003's THE COOLER). Kevin Spacey's John Williamson starts out the movie as a model of rigidity, but then, at the very end, he acquires a subtle dimension that suggests something more cruel and evil at the heart of this otherwise-unexceptional man; Spacey does an equally subtle, terrific job of conveying both sides of this fascinating character. And perhaps one should give James Foley extra points for getting Al Pacino to restrain himself as Ricky Roma, the newest hot shot in the film's real-estate firm. I recently saw Pacino in ANGELS IN AMERICA---at least, Part I of the HBO miniseries, anyway---and found his portrayal of Roy Cohn to be an extremely mannered, inappropriately scenery-chewing performance that threw me out of the movie whenever he appeared. That bizarre delivery of his---in which strange words are elongated, while others are shortened---is thankfully nowhere in evidence in GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, and Pacino brings an additional energy and cockiness to the role that suits his character perfectly. Frankly, I just found it a relief to see a Pacino performance that recalled his great acting triumphs during the 1970s instead of the kind of hamminess that won him the Oscar in 1993.
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS is a powerful film about the American Dream gone sour. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: This Film is for Closers Only
Summary: 5 Stars
Welcome to the world of real estate, where the golden rule always is "A.B.C." Always Be Closing. This means, lie, cheat, steal, whatever. As long as you get a signature on the dotted line, nothing else matters. And times aren't the greatest for the salesmen at Premiere Properties. None of them are getting the good leads that they need in order to close. And if they don't start closing soon, they're going to find themselves out of the job. There are the "Glengarry" leads, but they're reserved for closers only. And this heated-up and emotional drama gets even more deeper when it turns out that the next day the office was broken into and the Glengarry leads were stolen. In a business where lying, cheating, and stealing all are in a day's work, everyone is suspect.I cannot believe I had never heard of "Glengarry Glen Ross" until recently. As soon as I popped the DVD in, I fell in love with it immediately. It is so well written and well acted that you can't do nothing but watch in awe. And then, you want to watch it again and again. I have just purchased this movie a couple of weeks ago, and I know my viewings of the film are already in the double digits. This is a movie you can really watch whenever you want. You don't need to be in a certain mood to enjoy it.
The cast is sensational. You've got Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, and Alec Baldwin. Pacino is great as always and really steals the show during the second act of the film. Your eyes never leave him for a second. Jack Lemmon was also so terrific in it, and it's heartbreaking that he didn't win an Oscar. Everybody else did great in their roles as well.
What I liked about this movie most was the realistic dialogue. People may think that there's a lot of profanities in this film, but this is the real world. People talk like this, especially in the business world. David Mamet did a spectacular job in writing it. I look forward to reading the play. I love it when the story mainly focuses on the characters than on plot.
The DVD is also very good, but not special. But alas, isn't that what it says on the cover? "Special Edition." While there are quite a few extras, it's still nowhere near "special." "Requiem for a Dream" had more extras, and it wasn't even a Special Edition DVD. I know people were let down by this and I can see why. Personally, I didn't have a real problem since I hadn't seen the movie before buying the DVD. I was satisfied, but I clearly understand how others were not.You get the choice of either watching a widescreen version or a full screen version. You also get the choice of watching it in DTS, which is always a nice thing. The picture and sound quality is really great. Some of the extras are a documentary, a tribute to Jack Lemmon, new interviews, commentary, production notes, and cast and crew biographies. Aren't those a couple of features? Yes, but nothing I'd consider "special." For a two disk set, I was expecting more. However, I'm not that let down.
"Glengarry Glen Ross" is a fabulous film that had me hooked from the very beginning. It is now one of my favorites. If you love a good drama where the main focus is on the characters themselves, then this is the movie for you. The only flaw is the lack of special features, but that's no fault of the film itself. Welcome to Real World 101. It's a jungle out there. You think you've got what it takes to close the deal? "You call yourself a salesman, you son-of-a-(bleep)?" Maybe you are... and maybe you're not.
Movie Review: "A:" always, "B:" be, "W:" watching the best dialogue film ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
David Mamet's play, "Glengarry Glen Ross" is beautifully translated into the silver screen medium. Even though it is a movie, it runs like a play. It uses only two locations. The strength of this film lies with its actors and the dialogue.
Put the talents of Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, Alan Arkin, and Alec Baldwin, and you can't help but hit the bullseye with this one.
The story takes place in a small real estate office where four men are in the cut-throat business of real estate. The constant pressures of deception, working for and against each other, tells a most provocative story.
Jack Lemmon turns in his most impressive work which is a turn from his usual up-beat comedic characters. As Shelly "the Machine" Levine, he plays the part of a wise-cracking, yet desperate man perfectly. Levine is a man who has been in the game for many years. At one time, his status was almost legendary. Now, he can barely scrape by, and no one cares or remembers his golden years as a top salesmen except for Ricky Roma (Al Pacino) who still holds Levine with the utmost respect.
Al Pacino is equally brilliant as Ricky Roma, the current top dog in the office whose hot streak is still hot, and he knows it. He's sitting on top of the world, and hardly has time or the inclination to hear the grumblings of Dave (Ed Harris) who can't stand him.
Ed Harris plays the part of Dave, a man who no longer gives a damn, and is frankly, fed up with his work situation, and vows to do something about it. He holds contempt for everyone except for George (Alan Arkin) who nods and agrees with everything Dave says like an robot, but hasn't the courage to take the necessary steps to break out.
Kevin Spacey is John Williamson who is the office manager. The man takes more abuse from his team of salesmen than any character I've ever seen, as they hurl one profane word at him after another. He's young and doesn't have the experience or knowledge of Ricky or Levine, but he still holds the power in the office, and in the end, it's all he needs to maintain his status and control.
Alec Baldwin is only in the film for about 5 minutes, but he turns in the best scene in the entire film as he plays Blake, a high-up executive who tells this team of "f**king losers" that he would just as soon fire their asses because "a loser is still a loser." He is on a mission of mercy to tell them about a contest for the top sales man. "First place is a Cadillac. Second place is a set of steak knives. Third place...is the door!" He treats them all with a fierce contempt. He's a power executive, and these "peasants" are literally nothing to him. "I made $900,000 last year. How much did you make?" he sneers at them. "See this watch? This watch costs more than your car!" Even Levine fails to impress him.
The dialogue in this film is so good, that you just sit and marvel at the performances. Word has it that during their off-days, the actors would come to the set to watch each other.
I never get tired of watching this film. It is beautifully made. Despite being laced with nearly 300 expletives, the tone, the energy, and the strength behind this film are so profound that you can't help but be roped into it. There are so many memorable lines, that you will A: always B: be Q: quoting them!
Movie Review: A True Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
great acting... great writing (screenplay), great directing, great score, etc... This is an excellent movie and one of my personal all-time favorites. It is hard to recall any film that I have seen that displays such brilliant acting by such a distinguished cast. Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris, and Alan Arkin bring so much vibrant energy to the screen that it's impossible to turn away for even a second. Pacino ended up with the best supporting actor Oscar (if that means anything anymore) and he 'nails' his role as Ricky Roma the slick, smooth, charismatic, slime ball real estate pro who is on a roll and isn't afraid to swagger about it. However, any one of the actors I mentioned above could have easily walked away with the award and it would have been justly merited.
This is my favorite of all Mamet's films and I think his writing was brilliant and right on the money. I work in the world of real estate (not as an agent though) and I have to tell you that many of these men do act and talk a lot like this.
One thing I really also enjoyed was the excellent musical score of the film led by the incredible Mr. Wayne Shorter. The film's score is so important in my opinion and many times gets forgotten or overlooked when reviewing a film. Remember the score for "Scarface" and just how absolutely awful it was? It almost completely ruined the film, especially the montage scene in the middle. Thank God that wasn't the case here - jazzy, bluesy, somber, dark, moody, sultry, etc... you name it, the emotion in the music was definitely present throughout the film.
Finally, I am sure that most of you have probably read or heard about arguably one of the most famous scenes in movie history, definitely with in the last 30 years, the Alec Baldwin "Glengarry Leads" speech. It has become legendary over the years and seems to be only gaining in it's popularity. No one, I mean absolutely no one, will ever forget Alec Baldwin in this movie. It is a scene that is less than 15 minutes long but it's the best performance of his career ever. Bar None! Case Closed! Okay, okay, I apologize for being so narrow-minded and subjective, but he is just so great in this role that sometimes I can't help with the over-blown hyperbole. You will see what I mean after you see the movie.
In closing, I love this movie. However, I can safely say that this film is not for everyone. I know a lot of great people whom I consider friends who can't stand this film. It's not that the acting isn't great, or the directing, etc... it's just that it's too heavy and dark and depressing, etc... to take. Hence, the world we live. Like a great man once wrote "...he who increases in knowledge, increases in sorrow." Also, not a great movie for kids at all. Lots of swearing, you will hear the f-bomb more times than you care to count. The dialogue is very adult and most people under the age of 20 will probably be bored after 10 minutes. This is a classic. A mature, Darwinistic, realistic look into a world of just your average everyday real estate sales person. Well, okay, maybe not your average, but I know guys that are carbon copies of all the characters in this very fine film.
Can't Recommend It Enough!
Movie Review: "First prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is, you're fired."
Summary: 5 Stars
...in which Kevin Spacey wrings more meaning out of the words "Will you go to lunch!" then one would think possible. The modern day Death of A Salesman, and after this, no-one will mourn his passing. A Chicago office of seedy real-estate salesmen hustling worthless Florida swampland to the weak-minded is the unlikely milieu for this hilarious indictment of the American Dream of "Get Rich Quick." The front office has handed down a mandate of "Always be closing," with the salesmen's jobs on the line if they don't make their quota. [The title-quote of my review is how this threat, called a "sales contest," is presented to our heroes.] The sweaty anxiety this induces in these low-rent con-men gives rise to retaliation, when one of them robs the office.
David Mamet's adaptation of his own Broadway hit (remember when there were actually good plays on Broadway, rather than endless musical adaptations of movies that sucked the first time around?)opens out the work, and adds two crucial scenes, including the infamous, brilliant, obscenity-and-abuse spraying Alec Baldwin "sales contest" monologue as a means of making the nest of vipers that populate the story more desparate, and hence more sympathetic.
But there are two things that makes this film essential viewing, if you can handle dialog that is perhaps 65% unrepeatable in this forum: a dream cast, firing on all cylinders, with several actors who too often fall into schtick giving the performances of their lives, including: Kevin Spacey as the officious office manager; Alec Baldwin as the vicious emmisary from the unseen bosses, come to crack the whip; Jack Lemmon as an ageing Willy Loman former superstar salesman who's losing his grip; Alan Arkin and Ed Harris as a Mutt-and-Jeff Laurel & Hardy duo, one a schlemiel and the other a bundle of rage and comic exasperation; and best of all, Al Pacino, using his often-questionable over-the-top mannerisms of recent years to great effect, as the master hustler, Ricky Roma. The scene where he strikes up a casual conversation in a bar with ordinary Joe Jonathan Pryce and spins a web of boozy ruminations around his unsuspecting prey until it becomes a full-blown sales pitch is a 10 minute master class in acting and writing, a true tour de force. The amazing thing about Mamet's masterpiece is that every scene is of the same quality, street language singing like operatic arias which build to gratifying climax.
The other reason to see Glengarry is the script-- there are more classic zingers than any movie in recent memory: Alec Baldwin: "What's my name?$%#@ you, that's my name!" Allen Arkin: "Are we speaking here, or are we just talking?" Al Pacino: "Vishnu himself could come down from the heavens..." And Jonathan Pryce's easily overlooked patsy Mr Lingk, seemingly incapable of getting out an articulate sentence in the face of Ricky Roma's sales pitch/verbal onslaught.
The late great Lowell George of Little Feat fame once said his lyric-writing aspiration was "eloquent profanity." Mamet achieves this in spades here, and what a cast to put it over. Filmed theater at its best, screen acting pyrotechics to die for, and dialog so sharp it cuts like an electric knife. For cynicism and black humor, it's only match is Sweet Smell of Success.