I have been married two times, and both were to a salesperson. I can tell you from my own experiences they are a different breed indeed. They can talk a blue streak about nothing or ask a zillion questions without waiting for a reply. They both have that competitive feeling about bringing the sale home. My ex used to call it reeling them in. The challenge is making sure the customer is satisfied with the outcome. I used to hate it when a salesperson would call on the phone or come to the door. My ex would always listen or invite them in and usually bought whatever they were selling. Thank goodness, my current husband does not do that. He listens to their lines and responds firmly with a ‘no’ (Unless it is a Girl Scout selling cookies!). Salespeople have their unique way of communicating. It’s all about the leads that represent potential possibilities. They will complain about the same things yet have each other’s backs while keeping that killer instinct alive. The hunt… the chase… the closing gives them high emotional moments. There must be something in me that draws salespeople, yet I would never choose that as my profession. I am way too honest and easy to read. When GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS premiered in 1992, I could not stop reacting to its non-stop, lightning-verbal speed. It was like riding on a train. Once it started, there was no exit until the bitter end. This was obvious in its opening sequence of credits and payphone bits that kept audiences under its spell while the torrential rain poured.
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS broke even with its little over two-million-dollar budget. It only earned one Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor Al Pacino. Still, it did boast the genius writer David Mamet, who received the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Drama with his Broadway version. Mamet expanded the original script and added more characters, monologues, and dialogues. It later became the “bible” for realtors in how to make a sale and what not to do when selling. It is still used today all over the country.
This is an actor’s dream film. It could also be showcased in any acting school for its tone, pitch, beats, facial expressions, and physicality. The “topping” of each character breaking in on cue and constantly, brilliantly working towards a crescendo of words colliding with each other was of the highest level of performance. The ensemble rehearsed for three weeks before filming in sequence, often only using one take. This achievement was realized by the perfect casting, including Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Stacey, and Jonathan Pryce. The caliber was like being in a master class. In later interviews, these actors were said to be on set watching and listening to each other even if they weren’t on call for a scene. This is how actors do what they do.
The down-pouring rain was phenomenal and the biggest cost to the movie. It had to rain and look cold even though they filmed in the summer. The title refers to two parcels of land that were great leads for the realtors. The line “coffee is for closers” is also used in realty schools. This is not a happy, uplifting film. The word fu** is spoken close to three hundred times, and the word shit is said near one hundred. Life within the world of selling or being fired is brutal.
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS is a savage, cruel film that highlights the fierce, seedy, desperate side of men just trying to hang on to their dignity and a paycheck. It is a classic for all actors who dream of reciting Mamet’s artistic work of words strung together for all humanity to realize its worst and best while under extreme pressure. The film bears witness to the adage, ‘buyer beware.’ All sales are final.
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS is available on TCM.
