GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS – “Always Closing”

Glengarry Glen Ross, James Foley, director, 2002

"And the third place prize in our contest is, you're fired!"

SPANKY: I loved the Reservoir Dogs previews on this old VHS (John, are we down to this; not a movie, not even a DVD, but a VHS cassette, for gods sake! What’s next? Reviewing old-time radio programs?)  And this film/play is actors being actors in a competition for their lives: both in terms of the characters’ jobs and the perfumers vying with each other for the audience’s attention. It is pure yelling and screaming, in-your-face drama. Take that, Quentin Terrentino. 

BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK (4 Barks out of 4) 

JOHN: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris and Alec Baldwin are all at their peaks and the playwright, David Mamet, had not yet slipped into  that artificial Mamet-speak that became annoying. Love the setting of rain and the El train going over the viaduct at the end of the street. Ah Chicago! 

How many movies have there been about the pressures of work – and I can see why, “Hey for tonight’s date let’s go see a picture about the uncertainty and frustration of our jobs.” 

Is this movie too much? Yes. But we see it and we never have to see anything like it again.   

GO, GO, GO, GO (4 Go’s out of 4, and “Go” means get this on DVD or even, for old time sake, on VHS)

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