Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) - 7/10
I have known about this movie for quite a while, mostly obviously due to Alec Baldwin's now iconic monologue. However, apart from its reputation as a great film, I really didn't know much about it. Having now watched it, I find myself a bit conflicted. I clocked early on that this film had ties to, or at least the DNA of, a stage production. I was partially right, since this is actually an adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize–winning Broadway production. Knowing that after the fact helps contextualize the film for me because, by the time the credits rolled, I actually wasn't overly impressed. I'm getting ahead of myself though. Let's jump into the rubric and see how things shake out.
1. Acting
From pretty early on, this film screamed stage production to me. The razor-sharp delivery, the meandering but purposeful dialogue, the acting styles, the blocking—really everything felt fitting for a live show. And this is certainly where the film is absolutely the sharpest. This is a powerhouse cast of actors, and each one gets more than a few moments to shine.
But let's start off with Alec Baldwin. He, despite the iconic nature of his monologue in this film, is a character that doesn't actually appear in the original Broadway production. Rather, he was inserted into the film version to set the stakes of the film for the audience and basically kick things off with stress levels already being very high. And really, who better than Alec Baldwin to carry out this task? Everything from his slicked-back hair, to his unbelievable ego, to his buttery-smooth delivery of crushing verbal abuse—it is all pitch perfect.
As for the main characters, we actually have a very small but extremely talented cast. The film follows four salesmen played by Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, and Alan Arkin, as well as their office manager played by Kevin Spacey. We could go through each performance, but my praise would be largely the same. They all bring a level of intensity, nuance, and precision that is truly exceptional. Pacino and Lemmon in particular seem like they are having a ton of fun, and they garnered a lot of well-earned praise and nominations for their efforts.
2. Cinematography
I actually enjoy some of the shots in this film a bit more knowing that it is an adapted stage play. The shots are largely simple, but I enjoy the general compositions and subtle movements. There's not much to do when the film is 95% people in rooms talking at each other, but I think they find ways to make things visually compelling along the way. A simple example happens in the very first few moments of the film, which features Lemmon and Harris having simultaneous conversations in side-by-side phone booths. The camera moves and zooms in subtle but interesting ways, the framing of the two characters is engaging, and the bright red and black color profile is pretty striking.
3. Production/Costume Design
Not a lot of different locations for the film to worry about, and the sets that they did create are well formed. There's nothing particularly special in any of it, but it does give the actors a nice stage to work with.
4. Writing
This is a really fun script that has some fantastic dialogue—unsurprising given its origin. Films like this really get to throw the usual formulaic script structure out the window, and it makes it feel really refreshing.
With that said, there's not a lot of plot here for the audience to take part in. The basic story is a group of salesmen who have their jobs put on the line due to under performance and must close sales to prevent getting fired. Outside of that, the film is mostly watching this group of characters talk on the phone, talk to each other, or talk to prospective investors. It is a lot of talking.
Now, the talking is not for talking’s sake. There is a deeper layer to the entire affair which sets out to be a subtle satire of capitalism/classism. If you're watching this movie and wondering why everyone is so unlikable, it's kind of the point. And like other good satires, this film has been misconstrued by those who don't seem to get the joke. GGR has unironically been adopted by certain sects of alpha males and sales groups as a motivational film. In actuality, they're exactly the type of people being mocked by the writers. Every single conversation and interaction is reducing humans down to a commercial value. The customers are constantly mocked as losers, deadbeats, and bums. Their prudence in avoiding getting scammed is mocked by the sales staff, all while they self-congratulate themselves anytime they are able to dupe someone out of their money. However, not even they are safe. Baldwin relentlessly degrades each character at the onset of the film and flaunts his own opulence in their face. Among themselves, they bitch and complain about getting bad leads and how useless their manager is, or how bad each other are at closing.
Even the office structure itself is designed with intent. The headquarters the characters constantly refer to is your upper class of financial elites—they hold all the power and dole out “leads” to keep the masses in line. The manager is your middle class that does the bidding of the upper class while keeping the lower class subjugated. Then there's the lower class of sales staff. They dream of climbing the sales ladder and cashing in—chasing prizes of cars and steak knives as if it will change their station in life. In reality, they are the victims of a system designed to keep them in place. That's why all their leads are crap—it's the system working as designed. And the lower class is so busy fighting amongst each other and with the manager that they don't even realize the big bosses are the reason they can't get ahead.
5. Sound Design
Nothing really to review here.
6. Editing
There really aren't any wasted moments in this film. Everything is happening at a pretty furious pace, and the 100-minute runtime flies by. That is, of course, a credit to the script and acting, but it is executed almost flawlessly in the edit. There is also a lot of subtle design in the way the film is cut to keep things visually engaging.
7. Visual Effects
Nothing to review here.
8. Originality or Strength of Adaptation
Given that this is a direct adaptation of writer David Mamet's own stage play, it's safe to say that this is a pretty faithful effort. Some would probably argue that the inclusion of Baldwin's character may even improve on the original. In any event, there aren't a lot of films like this, and that has a lot to do with why it has such a strong reputation.
9. Stunt Coordination
Nothing to review here.
10. Direction
David Mamet gets the bulk of credit for this film's success (and rightfully so). But James Foley does a great job taking this script built for the stage and making it cinematic—a harder task than it might seem.
Legacy / Final Thoughts
Despite the cult legacy the film still has and the critical praise it received upon release, GGR was actually a box office failure. I think what has helped it over time is a growing awareness of the themes it tackles and a faithful fan base that has continued to bring in newer viewers over time. For better or worse, the audience that is missing the irony of the film has also kept the film relevant.
For me, this film doesn't quite live up to the hype as a film, but is an excellent piece of storytelling and acting. It's not surprising that the stage play garnered a Pulitzer Prize, and I can see how compelling this would be to see live. The only thing that holds the score down for my purposes is that the rubric considers a wider array of facets than the film provides.
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