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Summary: Put that coffee down! coffee is for closers only.......
Review: First place is a Caddilac, second place is a set of steak knives, third place is........you're fired. I absolutely love this movie for the unforgettable dialog and teriffic acting and yes, I am a salesman where the competetion is fierce. Always be closing. Who told you you could work with men? And one other thing, you never actually get to see "Mitch and Murray". One day I am going to sit down and count how many times the word "leads" is actually used in this movie, I would bet its 200 or so. Sit donw some time and watch this gem of a film, you will either love it or hate it. There is no in-between.
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Summary: Boring - Boring - Boring
Review: What a depressing and boring movie. I'm all for deep thinking flicks...but geeze...give us something. I really HATED this film.
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Summary: Seven great actors let loose on a modern classic play
Review: There's not a wasted moment in this film of David Mamet's classic modern American tragedy about capitalism at it's most rabid. Set, where else?, in a Real Estate office, it is one of the best filmed plays of modern American life. BOYS IN THE BAND is another drama that is worth looking up. The poetic music of Mr Mamet's writing is retained intact and continues to glow and resonate through the superb work of the great acting led by Mr Pacino and Mr Lemmon. A film to return to over and over. The superbly ironic rendition of Mr Jarreau's singing of Blue Skies as the credits run at the close of the film still echoes in my mind. Quite a moving and resonant work of art. A document worth owning.
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Summary: A Great Film About Scam Artists, Not Professional Salesmen
Review: I rank this film among the all time greats. There is some speculation that playwright David Mamet was attempting to subtly cast aspersions upon the Reagan economic era. If so, I unhesitatingly reject Mamet's interpretation of his own story. This, however, does not in the least detract from my wholehearted appreciation of "Glengarry Glen Ross." I simply consider Mamet's Pulitzer prize winning play turned into film as not about professional salesmen, but low life con men. The former must represent legitimate products and develop long term business relationships in order to be successful. Scam artists, on the other hand, merely seek victims to deceive and plunder before disappearing once again into the void.Mamet's story revolves around a group of fast talking crooks who are finding it increasingly difficult to locate fresh suckers willing to purchase real estate at far above fair market value. These losers are without a conscience, and seem only to draw the line at opportunities involving violence. They are willing to push the legal envelope, but try their best not to place themselves in harm's way with the law. These confidence men are currently getting desperate and the top management of their organization realizes that it has a major crisis on its hands. The bosses send a ruthless and brutal sales motivator played by Alec Baldwin to either fire up the troops, or cut them from the payroll. The famous scene where Baldwin throws down the gauntlet is powerful and mesmerizing. I might add, though, that the scene that has Al Pacino, in an Academy Award nomination role, as the top con man of the group trying to scam the wimpy and vulnerable mark (Jonathan Pryce) is perhaps my favorite. Pacino's character makes an extraordinary effort to save the sale to the gullible victim until he realizes that it's irreversibly lost. One then immediately senses that the sleazy representative will never again even think about the prospect. The dupe would be out of sight and out of mind. The swindler had lied to gain his trust, and failing to accomplish the hoped for result was now indifferent whether he lived or died. David Mamet's artistic genius earned him the respect and willingness of major stars to perform for far below their standard fee. The other actors involved with this project, Jack Lemon, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, and the always brilliant Kevin Spacey, also have meaty roles. Mamet's incredible talent for creating true to life riveting dialogue provides actors an opportunity to do work that that is truly special (some of you will even make it a point to memorize some of the unforgettable lines). There are no weak and extraneous characters. Mamet obviously thinks long and hard about the meaning of every word. There is never any fluff and wasted energy. The audience feels compelled to pay full attention, and almost certainly will wish to see the production again. You owe it to yourself to seek a copy of "Glengarry Glen Ross." This one deserves a place in your permanent film collection.
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Summary: Where is the DVD Anyone? Flawless. A true Masterpiece,
Review: Where is the DVD? Anyone know. Great for lovers of movies where dialogue moves the plot.
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Summary: Simply amazing!
Review: I first picked up this video on a whim at my local video store about a year ago. I had no expectations, but the store was closing and I just decided to grab SOMETHING. Very lucky for me. This quickly became one of my favorite films; the dialogue is dense and powerful, the performances are hard-hitting and compelling. This ensemble gels and turns a fine script into gold; if you are a fan of any of these actors, you owe it to yourself to buy this film.
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Summary: Stunning Cast Chemistry
Review: Neither Jack Lemon nor Alan Arkin are particular favorites of mine, but each man was spectacular in Mamet's masterpiece of white collar sadism. The play itself is one of the greatest of the present generation, and this cast works so well toghether and the film is so well directed that the viewer is physically uncomfortable from the tension. In a way, it's something like a horror movie for adults with real life terrors. My only quibble with the production is the addition of the Alec Baldwin opening, which is not in the play. Baldwin acts here with as much subtlety as he is capable of, that is to say very little. The result is successful in showing the salesmens' pressures from the opening, but I've seen this done on stage without a Baldwin (thankfully) and the viewer can watch the stresses build which, to my view, is a superior approach. In emphasizing the excellence of Lemon's and Arkin's performance, I don't intend to downplay the work by Al Pacino or Ed Harris. They are at their customary best, but haven't outdone themselves as the other two performers did. Kevin Spacey acts like himself, as usual, and the Pacino character's diatribe toward him seems particularly apposite. This is one film that can't be missed. Since first seeing it, I've become a David Mamet fanatic.
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Summary: The Joy of a Cinematic Root Canal
Review: I had never been a big fan of Jack Lemmon (not including the Apartment) or Alec Baldwin prior to this movie. In fact many times I have found Lemmon's style irritating. However, Lemmon gives perhaps the best performance I have ever seen on screen in this painful-to-watch movie. I have never been so touched by the raw emotion of a performance in my life. He should have won the academy award. Alec Baldwin, if you can get past the ludicrous good looks and poor script choices, is simply an extraordinary actor and one of the best in Hollywood today. His performance GGR proves that beyond the shadow of a doubt. He also does an similarly great job in Outside Providence. If you enjoy watching actors at the absolute peak of their game, buy this movie.
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Summary: Glengarry GlenRoss
Review: This all star cast, led by Al Pacino, performs terrificly in this tale of corruption and competition inside of a cramped real estate office. Some of the greatest actors of all time were assembled for this movie, and one actor we had previously not heard of, but we now know all too well, Kevin Spacey. The cast includes Jack Lemmon as the former office bread winner, Ed Harris as the sort of office bad boy, and Alan Arkin as the follower, who never seems to know what the right thing to do is. Alec Baldwin, as an insulting motivator appears in a great monologue of degrading insults thrown at the salesmen. He fulfilled this role just for the film, and he plays it perfectly. To quote Baldwin, "You see this watch? This watch costs more than your car." The salesmen must be at the one, two, and three positions on the leaderboard or they will be fired at the end of the month. The men scramble to make sales, and scramble to save their jobs as well, with the exception of Pacino, who is on a hot streak. Spacey plays the office manager who always says the wrong thing at the wrong time. Great performances, and great writing, the adaptation was even done by David Mamet, who also wrote the play. Rent it, you'll be glad you did.
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Summary: Always Be Closing....
Review: This is just a mesmirizing picture. For 100 minutes, you are rivited to the screen, watching the presence of six spectacular performers speaking dialogue so crisp and beautiful it can almost be considered poetry.While this film is initially about real estate and the men who sell it, Glengarry Glen Ross is ultimately about the working man and what lengths he will sink to to perserve both his job and his pride. Of all the superb performances in this film, Alec Baldwin and Jack Lemmon stand out the most. Baldwin's ten minutes of 'motivation' are harrowing, Lemmon's performance of a once great real estate broker who has fallen on hard times is both touching and pathetic. Of course, Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin and Kevin Spacey are spectacular as well, it's Lemmon who is perhaps the most identifiable character to most viewers.One reviewer wrote of this film that ensemble casts of this magnitude rarely ever stand up to the presented material, this film's cast certainly does. Brilliantly written and acted, this is one of the very best films of the 1990's and a true masterpiece for all time.
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