FILMS THAT DESERVED BETTER is an ongoing feature here on The Movie Blog of movies that failed to attract an audience at the theaters and failed to perform well at the boxoffice, yet were exceptional films. We just want to give out a hardy slap on the back and say “We love ya anyway”.
What can be said about this true, unquestionable masterpiece of filmmaking that hasn’t been said 100 times before? Yet another example that many of the very best movies are about characters… rich, full, interesting and diverse characters… and Glengarry Glen Ross soaks every ounce of that. Listen to this cast:
Al Pacino
Jack Lemmon
Alec Baldwin
Alan Arkin
Ed Harris
Kevin Spacey
Are you freaking kidding me?!?! The synopsis looks like this: “A group of real estate salesmen in Chicago vie for the best “leads” at a small firm selling property in “resort” areas, such as Florida and Arizona. When a hotshot executive from the head office arrives and proposes a vicious sales contest, competition gets stiff, and salesmen who have worked a lifetime for the company find their jobs in jeopardy.”
Al Pacino was nominated for best supporting actor for his role in this film… Jack Lemmon gives the very best performance of his career… and I would argue one of the 10 best performances ever given in the history of film as the once great salesman, now very down on his luck Shelley Levene. The performances are the stuff legends are made of, the dialog is sharp as hell and fills the air with thick clouds of tension, despair, desperation and conflict all crafted so perfectly that you’re engaged with every single spoken word.
There are a lot of “Top 100 films of all time” lists out there that include this gem on it (mine included), and deservedly so. And yet, with a 98% critic rating… this amazing film only managed to pull in $10 million at the box office. What a shame. What a damn shame.
So listen, if you’re one of the MANY people out there who have never treated yourself to this phenominal film… jump on Netflix or run out to your local dvd shop and grab yourself a copy. I swear you won’t want to get out of your seat for a moment that this thing is on. It’s a fantastic film… and it certainly deserved better.
