Glengarry Glen Ross
Composite Score: 83.33
Starring: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, and Jonathan Pryce
Director: James Foley
Writer: David Mamet
Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Workplace
MPAA Rating: R for language
Box Office: $10.73 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Glengarry Glen Ross is the film adaptation of David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play of the same name. The film follows four real estate salesmen and their office manager over the course of an evening and a morning during a sales crunch that has all of them on edge, pushing some to drastic measures. The film stars Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, and Kevin Spacey as the workers in the office and features cameos from Alec Baldwin and Jonathan Pryce. It is one of the most well-acted pieces of film from the last 35 years, featuring arguably top-3 career performances from each of its performers, though the film flew under the radar during awards season, garnering an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination only for Al Pacino.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
As films go, if you’re not looking for a film where you have to pay attention to the dialogue in order to fully enjoy it, Glengarry Glen Ross is not the film for you. Like most films based on plays, this film is dialogue-heavy with lots of exposition and plot points dropped in the film’s plentiful lines. If you aren’t paying attention, you might miss something important and not fully appreciate everything going on in the film. Don’t get me wrong, the plot and acting are great, but if you can’t guarantee your focus for an hour and forty minutes, I’d suggest waiting until a point when you can or breaking this down into smaller, more manageable watch segments – fifteen or so minutes at a time. Full disclosure, the first time I watched this film, I was so focused on the low quality of the streaming on my computer that I missed some important moments and did not really even like this film. When I watched it this time around, the quality was better (a television streaming via a real streaming service not some third-party site on a computer really helps), and I was able to fully enjoy the film and I really like it.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Every performance in Glengarry Glen Ross is noteworthy, even if we aren’t celebrating Alec Baldwin and Kevin Spacey any more. Jonathan Pryce’s cameo as the downtrodden and easily duped James Lingk helps deliver the film’s critique on predatory salesmanship beautifully and serves as an excellent predecessor for his later, more touted performances in The Wife and The Two Popes. Alec Baldwin’s single scene as Blake, the corporate man sent to motivate the salesmen, steals the entire show – he delivers one of the best and most iconic monologues in cinematic history (“Always be closing…”) as he silences a room full of powerhouse actors and then walks out into the night, a representation of the flashy but debauched success of business. Alan Arkin gives what might be the weakest of the five leading performances but still manages to stand out in his moments, shining as his character is overcome with suspicious nerves after being interviewed by the police about the break-in at the office. Kevin Spacey’s Williamson is every bit as incompetent and corrupt a boss as you could ask for in an office, implicitly placed there because of his relation to the company bosses and entirely unsympathetic to the plight of his employees – it’s a chillingly loathsome performance even without knowing all that we do now about the actor. Ed Harris’s hotheaded performance as the salesman Moss allows him to deliver some truth bombs about the nature of the modern workplace while still appearing as a cog in the machine. Jack Lemmon’s Shelley “the Machine” Levene is every bit the classic salesman, putting on all the sleazy charm an old man can muster when he’s on the phone and playing someone entirely different outside of his sales. The seasoned actor gives a stunning performance, carrying much of the film on his back. Finally, Al Pacino – the film’s sole Oscar nominee – steals the second act with his performance as the firm’s top salesman, Ricky Roma. He strides into the office oozing poise and confidence in his numbers even as he struggles to hold onto his sale to Mr. Lingk after the break-in; it’s a performance that bears watching for anyone looking to adapt a stage performance to the screen.
Carried by its ensemble of excellent performances, Glengarry Glen Ross tells a simple story of the overworking that employees experience as part of the business machine on its way to making itself one of the Greatest Films of All Time. Though its dialogue-heavy format might be difficult for some audiences to wade through, those who are able to devote their whole attention to it will come away having witnessed some of the best acting of the last three decades or more. This film is currently available to stream on Hulu, Peacock, Plex, or Freevee if you’re looking to give it a watch in the next few days.