@@darkwater22 And thanks to you, I am a fan of the movie, it's the only reason I started a career in sales. All joking aside, I figure why be nasty, mean and obnoxious, plenty of that on here as it is.
It does an excellent job capturing the walking insincerity that is a salesman. He’s an angry, disrespectful hateful loser with no real empathy or concern. His fake patter slips and the real cockroach starts showing when he loses control. Lemmon should have won an Oscar just for this scene he captures character so well.
It's the simmering hatred between the two that - not gonna lie - makes me giggle Levine is panicking and Williamson is just torturing him - and loving it! Plus, the symbolism; Williamson shutting his every gambit down, while locking the windows, switching off the lights . . . perfect!
This scene is the summary of the movie. Shelly with all his salesman skills tries his best to close Williamson and after all the scafuffle ends up with nothing because he is a deadbeat himself and doesn’t have the money for the transaction, just like his clients from the deadbeat leads.
One great thing about this scene is Williamson making a self-righteous speech about "doing his job" -- and then a few minutes later he's negotiating a kickback with Shelly.
@@anthonygerace8926 Never ever trust a person who tells you he is doing his job. It’s the best line to hide behind when you have an alternative motive.
@@anthonygerace8926 I'm not sure that Williamson didn't offer Shelley the deal specifically because he knew Shelley wouldn't have the money on him. It doesn't seem in keeping with Williamson's actions throughout the rest of the movie that he would succumb to low-level bribery with someone he doesn't like/trust. I assumed he did it as another way of flexing on Shelley and making him feel desperate and pathetic. Would love to hear if someone thinks otherwise!
I 100% agree ! jack really shone for me. It's the look In his eyes you can't help but feel for him. The way the timbre of his voice changes; sometimes he sounds sneaky, aggressive, hurt. And his desperation is so palpable you can almost taste it through the screen. And all amplified by the fact his daughter is in need of an operation. I feel like im not watching a movie with actors but like I'm a fly on a wall watching all this cutthroat sales business go down.
@@corvettesilma8069 Well said! I always assumed that his desperation, including why he robbed the office, was due to his needing money for his daughter’s operation. Lemmon killed this role.
This is what working in sales turns you into. I've worked in sales for 7 years. A salesman is very much like an addict, and I've noticed in the last 7 years that sales attracts addictive personalities. Myself included. This movie is the best depiction of sales culture that I've seen. It happens all the time that sales managers set you up to fail and then gaslight you about it. When you're in their favour life is easy and you're flying high, when you're out of their favour you're desperately trying to make the most of a futile situation like your life depends on it.
Sadly, this same sort of culture is ubiquitous in the law firm and consulting world too. When the market is up, you’re able to do good work and the firms sing your praises, but when there’s a slump they gaslight you into thinking it’s your own performance that’s causing your challenges.
Have a son in law who is top sales for years, brags constantly, yet thinks it will last forever. Bad approach. We will see when they have bad year or years. Overly confident and uner realistic for the long term. Sadly Daughter has bought into this. Time will tell.
"When I'm reading material, if I'm a little bit afraid of a part and I'm willing to admit that to myself, then I'll do it, definitely." That was from an interview with Lemmon about Some Like it Hot in which he and Tony Curtis had to cross-dress.
@@OBroIchain okay... we meet this character in the midst of hiring goons to kidnap his wife. The man is weak. There are plenty of men who have father-in-laws who hate them and who are in debt.
Agreed Williamson's seeming patient and helpful demeanor is just a facade to make Levine crawl. His real intent is manifest in his cold rejections and delighted smirk.
Na bro wanted to sell the leads but he didn’t reach his number and wouldn’t go lower…. Remember this everyone has a price if they say no that means u haven’t said the right number his number was 50 bucks a lead n he couldn’t even come up with 50 why would he take less he already agreed to do something he’s not suppose to do he set the number if jack lemmon would’ve had a 50 on him he would’ve got a lead (now would it have been a good one who knows probably not) cause as u know he already set up jack lemmon character to fail with the leads he already gave him
It's clear that the salesman all treat Williamson like dirt, so I'm sure he gets off on making them miserable. Maybe if they were nicer to him, he probably would have shown mercy.
Although his career has been up-and-down, this is one of James Foley's best works. I've seen directors given great material, an all-star cast, and something misses.
I play these clips over and over again for probably the same reason I listen to my favorite songs repeatedly: There is such lyricism and feeling in the writing and acting.
Looking at this I have a hunch that Mitch & Murray was overbudget and they had to cut back on manpower but they didn't have the guts to lay anyone off ergo they had to do that contest to keep 2 people and lay 2 people off
Airsoftcleaner A lot is unexplained. But Alex Baldwin's character does not exist in the original stage version. He was written in for the film to provide some layering for the impending firing.
Madeline Monahan I always figured Mitch and Murray had Baldwins characters go down and put the fire under their asses. This would make them do drastic and desperate things. Usually when sleazy businessmen need a way out they will do something illegal. I think thats what we saw here. From both Mitch and Murray and the Closers.
In any sales office, that's the way it's done but you really don't have to actually fire anyone. Since it's commission only, people stay on until they see no further point in it. Even if a salesperson isn't making a living, he's retained as long as he generates occasional sales. I tried that racket for a while trying to sell cut-rate health insurance [before ObamaCare] and when someone didn't show for a couple of weekly sales meetings you knew he was gone for good. Turnover was ridiculous 'cuz "the leads are weak" and the product sucked. You couldn't get anyone interested.
The fact that Levene somehow gets blamed because an ex-wife got the deal invalidated by a judge after he closed the sale with his prospect tells you everything you need to know about just how senselessly evil and cruel this firm is. He closed the lead, he did everything on his end. He apparently still has the skill to close sales but the firm would still rather trap him in a vicious cycle of bad leads, no sales, more bad leads. It just goes to show its about something even deeper and uglier than just greed -- they'd probably make *more money* if they gave Shelley promising leads! That's even before we know Williamson is giving Shelley leads he knows to be insolvent people who can't buy anything anyway.
This is all true, but when Williamson ultimately tells Levene "I don't like you," it's not difficult to understand why. He has such a grating and abrasive manner. Once Levene thinks he finally has a "win" under his belt with the Nyborgs, he becomes extremely cocky and arrogant. Can you imagine how insufferable he must have been years earlier when he was more of a big swingin' dick at the office?
We don't know what really happened with that failed deal, we just heard Shelley's (likely exaggerated or flat-out untrue) spin on the situation. Williamson didn't counter Shelley's interpretation of events, but that could also be because Williamson's heard the excuse before, plus he was obviously more than fed up with Shelley's nonsense. Knowing how much of a screwup Shelley is, it seems very likely that he messed something up on his end that led to the deal's failure, or he and the ex-husband were knowingly trying to defraud the wife.
@@jimhirsby7154 The ending doesn't help Williamson's case. He gave Shelly the Nyborg lead that night, knowing full well that they were deadbeats that couldn't afford anything and that any check they wrote was bad, as Williamson admits Nyborgs had already done in the past when he was with Webb. What legitimate point is there in giving your salespeople "leads" that you know financially cannot be closed even if your salesperson manages to close the deal in writing. It's like @mattspychala7251 said, M&M wanted him out. He became a liability, probably because Shelly had been there long enough to know the crap they kept slinging under Rio Rancho, GlenGarry Farms, BlackCreek, Mountain View, River Glen was the same pump & dump land under different names, as well as the unethical business practices skirting consumer protection laws as Roma was doing. M&M had gotten as much out of Shelley as they wanted (he mentions he bought them cars, sent them on vacations, etc), and Shelley had a recent bad streak they could use to justify kicking him out the door while maintaining objectivity. They wanted Shelley gone before he became so desperate that he did exactly what he did, or tried to blackmail them (which he basically tried to do to Williamson), they just waited too long.
I'd argue Oliver Stone's JFK. Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, John Candy, Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Ed Asner, Vincent D'Onofrio, Donald Sutherland, and Martin Sheen. 😬
outstanding performance for sure,the movie wouldn't have been close to being as good as it was without him,although the rest of the cast was fantastic.
@@chrishansen9731 You have to keep reminding yourself that he's really no better than the rest of them,he's was number one on the board for 3 years in a row lols
These superstars worked for scale wages just to get this play on film. Cast members would stay off set to watch the others perform. Casting Jack Lemmon against type was risky, but he plays the desperate beaten-down broken salesman perfectly. Various stage productions later featured Pacino and Jonathan Pryce in different roles.
My buddy Dan makes 300k with an 8th grade education, he's gonna be a millionaire by the time he's 40. Name another line of work that even makes you 300k without a college education.
@@billyin4c514 ahhh Billy, there is karma that comes with this line of work. Life is about quality of life and gathering good karma. In your old age do you want to be haunted by guilt, or the spirits of those you have cheated? Or at peace with a smile remembring your fun, gentle, free , honest life?
I work at Savers, a donation store. I dig through trash and moldy shit people don’t want anymore. I work at a practical dump site. Some people just suck at their jobs.
I used to do commission only work for years before I developed a conscience and I can attest that this kind of desperation was something you could see every day. The sad thing is that these were people who could do the job, if you were total shit you wouldn't last the week. But these souls once WERE good, but for whatever reason; burned out, family problems, mental problems, drug or drink problems, they just didn't have that spark or the sharpness to be able to do what once came so easily. When you're good, really good, sales isn't even a job anymore: I speak to people on the phone and get paid for it; that's not work. But when you lose that it is the most hopeless, soul destroying and spirit crushing existence imaginable: the threat of unemployment always above your head, derision and indifference from your colleagues. Most people I observed in Jack Lennon's position were not able to get hack above water again. The road he's on is almost always one way...
@@lankylankster7148 Yep. We used to say you're only as good as your last pay check. But of course if you've are a good earner we could excuse a bad week or too; maybe even a bad month. Apart from the money good performance got you the respect of your coworkers, an guaranteed promotion if you were the top performer when a vacancy became available, a closer seat to the management when we all went out for daily after work drinks and a longer grace period before you were sacked. I have to stress when you are good it is not work, I think Roma represents that very well in this scene; he's at the bar, getting a buzz on, chatting with a random stranger. Who could call that work? As I worked in telesales you may have to call 100 numbers until you found a Lingk; but boy when you did you could get your claws in, and build him up to a point where he would think that he was doing you a favour buying a houseful of new windows, doors, a new porch, fascias & guttering.
Shellys seen as a weasel. Hes desperate and hes working his ass off with what he has left. If he had a regular 9 to 5, hed be fine. But in sales no one gives af how hard you work, you have to close or youre out.
@@StarWarsMoments Ravidum PAH-TELLL?!...was a deadbeat. Fwockin Shiva handed this guy a million dollars, he told him SIGN DA DEAL!....he wouldn't sign...and the God Vishnu to into the barg...FWACK YOU, JOOHN!
Can you imagine what a pain in the ass it was to memorize all these lines? I memorized a couple of long monologues and just one took me almost 2 weeks. These guys had pages and pages, yikes!
Lemmon and the rest were paid over a million bucks each. For that kind of dough, some studying of the script would be expected. Ordinary people work harder for a helluva lot less.
Used to do bottom level mall stuff and door to door for 6 months, jesus christ it is grim. Not just the job but the office ethos every morning before we went out. Horseshit. Grade A horseshit.
Kevin Spacey and Jack Lemmon. Spacey met him at 13 in an acting class, received high praise from him, and took his direct advice to go to NY to study acting...
It’s funny that John’s car doesn’t turn on in this scene. Looks like he is hurting himself (surely most of his salary is commissions also) if his crew is not closing. Every scene in this movie is a masterpiece.
acedrummond Of course Williamson was enjoying it. He had no intention of giving Shelly anything. He was stringing him along. As he said at the and if the movie, he doesn’t like Shelly
@betatalk357 I've seen GGGR ten times if I have seen it once and never thought of that. Good catch. Although busted doors and locks might have given them away.
Poor Shelly. His liquidity is only 35$ in his pocket with his credit line and credit cards tapped out and his daughter in the hospital with Shelly squeaking every dime to her because they can’t afford private insurance. He is days away from being evicted and starving to death unless he closes one fast which he does (with the Nyborgs) but they end up being deadbeats like Shelly. Death of a salesman. So sad and depressing, it almost makes me cry each time I watch this. One of the saddest movies I have ever seen.
he doesn't even have an umbrella. And Ive done sales, you knock on the door expecting the person to know your coming but they have no idea 9 times out 10. The leads ARE weak. Send Alec Baldwin's "Blake" out there and close his mouth real quick.
@@truthlifefishing1730 Exactly. Blake-types are all over UA-cam at the moment doing "Sales Training Videos" that comprise them posing in sleeveless T Shirts and bellowing at salespeople about "Being Alpha" and spouting canned sales-patter at 100mph, then whooping like gibbons when the marks in the training repeat it. Use the same approach on an actual customer and they'd laugh in the salesperson's face and walk out... but the Sales Guru making the video will assure you it always works IF YOU DO IT RIGHT which means when it inevitably doesn't the mark blames themselves not the expensive training. Blake would cry like a baby on an actual sit.
@@finncullen It's a numbers game, do the pitch the same way to 50 people in the course of a day you should expect to see a sale or two. I've done D2D sales and I know how it works. There is nothing illustrious about it. Just beating the pavement to get enough no's until you land on a yes.
Given the way Shelly talks to the man when he doesn’t need something- can you blame him? Shelly is a weak willed cockroach without empathy or morals who makes his living conning people who work for a living. Why would anyone who *actually knows the guy* like him?
It's crazy how people believe that this movie promotes the sales profession. "Oh, but the Alec Baldwin scene..." Um, do you remember what happens AFTER that scene? You know, the REST of the movie?! This movie tells you to stay as far away from a sales role as you possibly can.
I never understood why the Nyborg lead was ever on the books if it was known they were tyre kickers and 'just liked talking to salesmen'. Why not just throw that lead away?
So what the hell are they going to do with the Glenngary leads if they don't consider any of their salesmen to be closers? Just let them sit around forever and not use them? Don't the leads need to be used fast?
It's already dark. Suppose Shelly gets two premium leads what is he going to do? Show up at someone's house at 9pm to sell them land? Some things don't make sense in this film.
I think the weather and the time of day were crucial to create the mood for the story, and so they had to go out like that, maybe they just couldn't get around it.
What kind of company tries so hard to NOT succeed with their salesmen? I’ve been in sales for many years and the sales force is Llife blood of the company.
i HATE these kinds of jobs, cold calls..chasing leads that turn out garbage..stressing about that commission.....ugh this whole scene with these 2, he does not like shelley..so he is making him go through all of this knowing he was not going to help him..he was making him twist in the wind..for nothing..for his own jollies
Keep in mind, nothing Shelly says is reliable. In fact, even his daughter’s hospital bill is unverifiable. We don’t know how large the bill is or the details of her condition. In the stage version, we’re not even sure if he actually has a daughter as he only brings her up to Williamson when he’s about to be arrested. Shelly is an addict, and In pursuit of his high, he will say anything. His nervous energy combined with his smooth talking is a dead giveaway that he’s untrustworthy. He’s sloppy and hasty he fails to vet his marks, resulting in sales that fall through. Unlike Roma, Shelly fails to build rapport with his clients resulting in few repeat customers or referrals.
@3:40 Williamson smirks.. right there you can tell he knows the game is fixed to get Shelly out. And that smirk proves W has no sympathy for Shelly or his daughter. Williamson hates Shelly's guts. He knows the Nyborgs are deadbeats and can't wait for Shelly to lose the sales promotion and be out.
The only ones they gave a shit about were Moss and Roma. Roma didn’t need to try hard and didn’t come off as desperate, and he could get great sales. Moss was a hothead, but he could still get shit done. Aaronow was meh and not the sharpest knife in the drawer; he wasn’t really cut out for sales because he was too moral. Levene was washed up. He may have been a good sales man in his prime, but he hit that stride years ago.
Two masters at their craft. Kevin Spacey gets a lot of heat due to his alleged misconduct - all totally warranted scrutiny and as it comes out, I hope the truth comes to bear and recompense is properly made to anyone wronged on any sides - I really do. Regardless of the verdicts to these cases we can only know so much truth, so I hope it finds its way out and behavior is corrected, punishments given, and justice is served - even if that has to be outside the court system. Life's hard. Putting that aside just for discussion, my god, Kevin Spacey is a horrifying adept chameleon, there's a skill there that's just out of this world. Jack Lemmon here is killing it, he is playing this so sincere I find it difficult to remember he's acting, he's not believable - he is bearing a desperate soul. Jack Lemmon kills it. Everybody has met this man once or twice in their life, someone so desperate yet fiercely holding onto a modicum of pride, and just trying not to feel wretched about it. But Spacey has the intelligence, respect, or just plain sincerity to take what are, a few lines, and wrench out his own character. This guy loves this, he could shut him down mercifully hard but he keeps letting him come and beg because he's loving it, he's wrenching out of this man his soul just to poke it with a stick, because deep down he feels super inadequate - and this is completely validating him. He's not listening, he's not empathizing - worse, he doesn't realize he's going to be this man in 20, 30 years, in total denial. Just... coasting. Later in the film they call him a child - and that's what he is, despite his age here. Spacey manages to play this out just perfectly, drawing out lemmon just enough. Doesn't hog the spotlight, doesn't play any games, just lets the leverage do all the walking. As an actor, that's hard, very hard, because you have to fully embrace that low-key sadism - low-key enough that you can't even own it. Supporting actors have the hardest job because you can't go 100% - you have to act like this is tuesday, be the bad guy, and do it so flawlessly you believe they have no idea. Maybe everything they say about Spacey is true, and if so, maybe that's how he taps so seemingly effortlessly into these characters, in which case he himself is the character study. But if it's not true, damn, what a fierce actor. Jack Lemmon gets all the due praise here, he's without a doubt a master at delivery, execution, he carries this scene which, by any other actor, would seem like overwrought exposition - and turns it into a character vignette so poignant you can barely stand the sight of it, it makes you want to almost lose it. But Spacey in this film - he has to take it from everyone, and go from sadistic child to whipped puppy, to authorative lackey, and he dials it in just perfectly to set everyone else up perfectly - and sustains a villainy in the film so seemingly effortlessly, it's either genius or just some amazing character trait being displayed... either way, incredible work. I can barely finish this scene because it's so awful and inhumane, because these two actors can stare into the abyss... and embody it.
Agreed about Kevin Spacey. Phenomenal actor, knows how to tap in to that inner darkness. Probably a creep in real life. But his performances feel real I call this performance "Kevin Spacey at his reptilian best"
A friend & I used to joke about this scene "I gotta go home, spend an hour with my kids! You wanna come with me? We'll suck your spinal fluid out. No? Then good-night."
What?!! You put a Marlon 'Idiot board' Brando pathetic performance anywhere near the utter brilliance of Jack Lemmon?!!!!! What drugs are you on as they're clearly well strong.
SPOILER Spaceys character gave him a faulty lead, which you later learn Lemmon closed but the people were mentally unstable so there was no deal after all. Williamson knew about them and gave Shelly this lead anyway. Probably wanted him fail!
Upon first few viewings of this movie I used to think Spacey was the villain and Lemmon was a sympathetic yet pathetic protagonist... but now I think Lemmons character was a total asshole to Spaceys character in the past, viewed Spacey as a dumb flunky and treated him with disdain, and this movie and the events leading up to it are Spaceys revenge. No idea if it’s even right but the ambiguity of the movies background is great.
I think all the salesmen in the office had disdain for Williamson considering that he’d gotten that job because he was the nephew of someone high up rather than being a salesman himself who’d been promoted. Shelly, like everyone else, probably gave Williamson a hard time but he had clearly been sabotaging him for a while by giving him terrible leads that he knew were deadbeats with no money.
Spacey's character seems to be closer to Mitch & Murray than the salesmen, confident that they have his back. Salesmen are dime a dozen, but a manager with a hint of larceny? Priceless!
I've always liked Jack Lemmon (how could I not? He was Ensign Pulver in "Mr Roberts"), but, as an actor, I think he was very underrated. He was absolutely fantastic in this movie. You could just smell the desperation.
One of the subtle things I didn't really pay attention to the first time, was the fact that he's having a really difficult time starting his car. Williamson isn't exactly making it either.
I get the desperation of a man struggling to make a living. The fear of loss, Of not being able to pay his bills. I'd hate to be a salesperson. Great Acting from Jack Lemmon.
Don't understand the reasoning behind people calling him weak and pathetic, the man was on a bad streak and was desperate what was he supposed to do, not try? I think most people would've done the same in his shoes.
Shelly is a washed up desperate man with no leverage and Williamson has nothing but contempt for him and is thoroughly enjoying watching him grovel. This scene is almost like watching a homeless man beg for change from a passerby.
I understand why Williamson didn't budge. He must have thought "If Shelley can't even convince ME (a guy he's known for years) to give him a good lead, how the hell is he going to convince a client (a complete stranger) to buy?" Even if Shelley had been given 10 Glengarry leads, he would have been too weak to close one.
very insightful theory,I never pondered that before,or maybe he just knew by throwing the 50 bucks a lead bargain in there he wouldn't have to give him anything because he knew he was dead broke,lols
Remember, Williamson doesn't like Levene to begin with. He keeps upping the tab because he has no desire to give Shelly anything, so he sets the bar impossibly high knowing Levene can't reach it. Levene gets literally nothing out of that scene.
Machine would have sacrificed his own mother for these leads. Incredibly high-stakes choices by an absolute master of the craft. Hats off to the great Jack Lemmon.
It’s leaps and bounds beyond anything I’ve seen attempted on the stage. I know it’s mostly because this was my first exposure but Jack’s reading of the lines seems to be perfection
Death of a Saleman on line one. Nothing, not even this cinematic masterpiece hits home like the greatest play ever by an American playwright. GGGR poached out near shamelessly the crux of the Arthur Miller masterpiece...only to the field of real estate sales. Both are awesome.
Rewarding for a small percentage and Incredible experience for Many. I cut by teeth running leads at night all over Greater Houston Galveston area. In- Home Sales Closer for Energy Savings Products, Home Improvements, FHA VA, and Conv. Financing Products in the 1980s
Am I the only one who feels bad for Shelley? He seems like a good guy but the job requires him to lie, scrape and claw. Also, its obvious he loves his daughter and is pouring in what little income he has for her medical payments. He stole the leads out of desperation to help her it seems. The theft was ethically and legally wrong obviously, but I think many parents can sympathize seeing as the money was going for the survival of his daughter and not to corporate suits (I dont know what's wrong with her, I'm guessing its something serious though.)
I agree with you. I felt super bad for the guy, he committed a crime and should pay for it but the Gov. should do something for the daughter in a case like this. She didn't do anything wrong and now will most likely die.
Shelley might have gotten away with stealing the leads if he had kept thinking about his daughter instead of thinking about how he could be put Williamson down. It was vanity, not desperation, that did him in.
Oh yeah, I used to be a salesman, it’s a tough racket 🥃
the worst for some of us
How accurate a depiction of being a salesman is this movie?
Its all about helping people man. Everything you see is the resultnof a salesperson
LMAO!!! Bunch of losers sitting around a bar…
Too bad he’s a murderer
Seeing salesmen this desperate is painful to watch. The acting in this movie is phenomenal.
Yea agree pal , his desperation was exacerbated with his daughter in hospital
It can be somewhat easy to break through desperation like this in sales when young, but at Shelly's age would be very draining.
@@darkwater22 And thanks to you, I am a fan of the movie, it's the only reason I started a career in sales. All joking aside, I figure why be nasty, mean and obnoxious, plenty of that on here as it is.
Salesmen are leeches. Learn to make something
The acting isn’t really acting in my opinion. Many of those in Hollywood practically bleed desperation, again, this is only in my opinion.
I love when Lemmon is sweet talking and then suddenly explodes with rage. Awesome acting
It does an excellent job capturing the walking insincerity that is a salesman. He’s an angry, disrespectful hateful loser with no real empathy or concern. His fake patter slips and the real cockroach starts showing when he loses control. Lemmon should have won an Oscar just for this scene he captures character so well.
It's the simmering hatred between the two that - not gonna lie - makes me giggle
Levine is panicking and Williamson is just torturing him - and loving it!
Plus, the symbolism; Williamson shutting his every gambit down, while locking the windows, switching off the lights . . . perfect!
"I closed that cocksucker!" ;-) LL
Beautiful observations. This film is aces in all categories…directing, writing, cinematography, acting, music, metaphors…a true master class.
Oh hell - I do that daily at work.
This scene is the summary of the movie. Shelly with all his salesman skills tries his best to close Williamson and after all the scafuffle ends up with nothing because he is a deadbeat himself and doesn’t have the money for the transaction, just like his clients from the deadbeat leads.
Wow, amazing statement. A fan of this since the release and there's always something I keep learning from this film. Thanks.
One great thing about this scene is Williamson making a self-righteous speech about "doing his job" -- and then a few minutes later he's negotiating a kickback with Shelly.
@@anthonygerace8926
Never ever trust a person who tells you he is doing his job. It’s the best line to hide behind when you have an alternative motive.
@@anthonygerace8926 I'm not sure that Williamson didn't offer Shelley the deal specifically because he knew Shelley wouldn't have the money on him. It doesn't seem in keeping with Williamson's actions throughout the rest of the movie that he would succumb to low-level bribery with someone he doesn't like/trust. I assumed he did it as another way of flexing on Shelley and making him feel desperate and pathetic.
Would love to hear if someone thinks otherwise!
@@ejayman Agreed, I think that if Levine had put up the money, Williamson would have come up with different reason for not going ahead.
Several brilliant performances in this film, but I think Jack Lemmon's is the standout as a desperate man who knows he's drowning.
So this is where he ended up after The China Syndrome
Jack Lemmon and Ed Harris give outstanding performances.
I 100% agree ! jack really shone for me. It's the look In his eyes you can't help but feel for him. The way the timbre of his voice changes; sometimes he sounds sneaky, aggressive, hurt. And his desperation is so palpable you can almost taste it through the screen. And all amplified by the fact his daughter is in need of an operation. I feel like im not watching a movie with actors but like I'm a fly on a wall watching all this cutthroat sales business go down.
@@corvettesilma8069 Well said! I always assumed that his desperation, including why he robbed the office, was due to his needing money for his daughter’s operation. Lemmon killed this role.
The whole movie they're even pitching each other 😁 ABC
This is what working in sales turns you into. I've worked in sales for 7 years. A salesman is very much like an addict, and I've noticed in the last 7 years that sales attracts addictive personalities. Myself included. This movie is the best depiction of sales culture that I've seen. It happens all the time that sales managers set you up to fail and then gaslight you about it. When you're in their favour life is easy and you're flying high, when you're out of their favour you're desperately trying to make the most of a futile situation like your life depends on it.
So true!
Sadly, this same sort of culture is ubiquitous in the law firm and consulting world too. When the market is up, you’re able to do good work and the firms sing your praises, but when there’s a slump they gaslight you into thinking it’s your own performance that’s causing your challenges.
Have a son in law who is top sales for years, brags constantly, yet thinks it will last forever. Bad approach. We will see when they have bad year or years. Overly confident and uner realistic for the long term. Sadly Daughter has bought into this. Time will tell.
Yup, see my post. Son in law like an addict on a high. Daughter bought into it, and now has a kid.
Any one wants to get into sales. Need to watch this movie.
I admire Jack Lemmon's courage, an award-winning actor taking the role of such a fucking weakling. He's so good at it, it's painful.
He's playing the same role as 17 years earlier in The China Syndrome.
"When I'm reading material, if I'm a little bit afraid of a part and I'm willing to admit that to myself, then I'll do it, definitely."
That was from an interview with Lemmon about Some Like it Hot in which he and Tony Curtis had to cross-dress.
Playing a weak character is the hardest acting you can do.
@@BigAn7h He’s not weak though. It takes tremendous strength in order to suffer such degradation for so long.
@@OBroIchain okay... we meet this character in the midst of hiring goons to kidnap his wife. The man is weak. There are plenty of men who have father-in-laws who hate them and who are in debt.
Jack Lemmon said it was the best ensemble he'd ever worked with.
I like how Williamson had zero intention whatsoever of selling him the leads, but just wanted to enjoy fucking with Shelly's nerves
My take is that he never wanted to sell him the leads and was simply dangling them higher and higher above his head until he would finally give up.
Agreed
Williamson's seeming patient and helpful demeanor is just a facade to make Levine crawl. His real intent is manifest in his cold rejections and delighted smirk.
@@cloudtxThat’s not your take it’s what was in screen…
Na bro wanted to sell the leads but he didn’t reach his number and wouldn’t go lower…. Remember this everyone has a price if they say no that means u haven’t said the right number his number was 50 bucks a lead n he couldn’t even come up with 50 why would he take less he already agreed to do something he’s not suppose to do he set the number if jack lemmon would’ve had a 50 on him he would’ve got a lead (now would it have been a good one who knows probably not) cause as u know he already set up jack lemmon character to fail with the leads he already gave him
It's clear that the salesman all treat Williamson like dirt, so I'm sure he gets off on making them miserable.
Maybe if they were nicer to him, he probably would have shown mercy.
This scene is 5 seconds over 8 minutes long and it is absolutely riveting because of the performances. Before you know it, it's over. Fantastic.
A long minute.
the writing does have some claim.
Although his career has been up-and-down, this is one of James Foley's best works. I've seen directors given great material, an all-star cast, and something misses.
The desperation is so tough to watch. What an epic job by Jack Lemmon
I can't believe Jack Lemmon has been gone for twenty years. This film is beautiful.
I play these clips over and over again for probably the same reason I listen to my favorite songs repeatedly: There is such lyricism and feeling in the writing and acting.
Ikr it's pretty soothing too
Looking at this I have a hunch that Mitch & Murray was overbudget and they had to cut back on manpower but they didn't have the guts to lay anyone off ergo they had to do that contest to keep 2 people and lay 2 people off
Airsoftcleaner A lot is unexplained. But Alex Baldwin's character does not exist in the original stage version. He was written in for the film to provide some layering for the impending firing.
Airsoftcleaner Then the robbery would have been manna from Heaven to them. A fat insurance payout, when at best 1 of every 10 leads ends up buying.
Madeline Monahan I always figured Mitch and Murray had Baldwins characters go down and put the fire under their asses. This would make them do drastic and desperate things. Usually when sleazy businessmen need a way out they will do something illegal. I think thats what we saw here. From both Mitch and Murray and the Closers.
In any sales office, that's the way it's done but you really don't have to actually fire anyone. Since it's commission only, people stay on until they see no further point in it. Even if a salesperson isn't making a living, he's retained as long as he generates occasional sales. I tried that racket for a while trying to sell cut-rate health insurance [before ObamaCare] and when someone didn't show for a couple of weekly sales meetings you knew he was gone for good. Turnover was ridiculous 'cuz "the leads are weak" and the product sucked. You couldn't get anyone interested.
It didn't cost them ANYTHING for "manpower" since no sales = no commissions.
0:54 what genius acting. He almost gets mad with frustration, then reels it back in and continues his pleading.
That’s a great observation--the gritting of his teeth when he first says “jump”
I always loved that. Pure class.
Top 5 acting male performance ever, period.
friggin' brilliant
Insane to watch him literally catch himself
The fact that Levene somehow gets blamed because an ex-wife got the deal invalidated by a judge after he closed the sale with his prospect tells you everything you need to know about just how senselessly evil and cruel this firm is. He closed the lead, he did everything on his end. He apparently still has the skill to close sales but the firm would still rather trap him in a vicious cycle of bad leads, no sales, more bad leads. It just goes to show its about something even deeper and uglier than just greed -- they'd probably make *more money* if they gave Shelley promising leads! That's even before we know Williamson is giving Shelley leads he knows to be insolvent people who can't buy anything anyway.
This is all true, but when Williamson ultimately tells Levene "I don't like you," it's not difficult to understand why. He has such a grating and abrasive manner. Once Levene thinks he finally has a "win" under his belt with the Nyborgs, he becomes extremely cocky and arrogant. Can you imagine how insufferable he must have been years earlier when he was more of a big swingin' dick at the office?
Hmm, I hadn't thought of that. What did Levine do to p*ss off Mitch & Murray?
It's like a Greek tragedy; his hubris led to his downfall
They didnt want to give shelley the promising leads because they wanted him out
We don't know what really happened with that failed deal, we just heard Shelley's (likely exaggerated or flat-out untrue) spin on the situation. Williamson didn't counter Shelley's interpretation of events, but that could also be because Williamson's heard the excuse before, plus he was obviously more than fed up with Shelley's nonsense. Knowing how much of a screwup Shelley is, it seems very likely that he messed something up on his end that led to the deal's failure, or he and the ex-husband were knowingly trying to defraud the wife.
@@jimhirsby7154 The ending doesn't help Williamson's case. He gave Shelly the Nyborg lead that night, knowing full well that they were deadbeats that couldn't afford anything and that any check they wrote was bad, as Williamson admits Nyborgs had already done in the past when he was with Webb. What legitimate point is there in giving your salespeople "leads" that you know financially cannot be closed even if your salesperson manages to close the deal in writing. It's like @mattspychala7251 said, M&M wanted him out. He became a liability, probably because Shelly had been there long enough to know the crap they kept slinging under Rio Rancho, GlenGarry Farms, BlackCreek, Mountain View, River Glen was the same pump & dump land under different names, as well as the unethical business practices skirting consumer protection laws as Roma was doing. M&M had gotten as much out of Shelley as they wanted (he mentions he bought them cars, sent them on vacations, etc), and Shelley had a recent bad streak they could use to justify kicking him out the door while maintaining objectivity. They wanted Shelley gone before he became so desperate that he did exactly what he did, or tried to blackmail them (which he basically tried to do to Williamson), they just waited too long.
Pacino, Lemmon, Harris, Spacey, Baldwin, Arkin...this might quite possibly be the greatest cast ever put on film.
I'd argue Oliver Stone's JFK. Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, John Candy, Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Ed Asner, Vincent D'Onofrio, Donald Sutherland, and Martin Sheen. 😬
Expendables
What about the Godfather?
Jonathan Pryce’s desperation was also quite a sell , tremendous acting all around.
@@joestimemachine6454 yes but here you get much more screen time with 4,5 actors unlike JFK which is Costner dominated
Jack Lemmon is beyond brilliant in this.🔥🔥🔥🔥
outstanding performance for sure,the movie wouldn't have been close to being as good as it was without him,although the rest of the cast was fantastic.
@@fonzo2525 i felt so bad for his character lol
@@chrishansen9731 You have to keep reminding yourself that he's really no better than the rest of them,he's was number one on the board for 3 years in a row lols
Absolutely
They don't call him "The Machine" for nothing.
These superstars worked for scale wages just to get this play on film. Cast members would stay off set to watch the others perform. Casting Jack Lemmon against type was risky, but he plays the desperate beaten-down broken salesman perfectly. Various stage productions later featured Pacino and Jonathan Pryce in different roles.
The quality of Mamet's writing and the acting are just extraordinary.
If you think your job or life is bad, then watch this scene. It'll bring you back to reality.
Patrick, you're "nail on the head" right!
My buddy Dan makes 300k with an 8th grade education, he's gonna be a millionaire by the time he's 40. Name another line of work that even makes you 300k without a college education.
You don't know what "bad" is
@@billyin4c514 ahhh Billy, there is karma that comes with this line of work. Life is about quality of life and gathering good karma. In your old age do you want to be haunted by guilt, or the spirits of those you have cheated? Or at peace with a smile remembring your fun, gentle, free , honest life?
I work at Savers, a donation store. I dig through trash and moldy shit people don’t want anymore. I work at a practical dump site. Some people just suck at their jobs.
1:09 - "Shelly, you blew the last "GOOD" one I gave you."
Damn! John is so dirty. He was giving Shelley bad leads since day one.
I don't think that's what he meant. You are over analysing a simple phrase.
They are all shit leads. No such thing as a good lead
That’s why Roma didn’t show up at the office. He knew it he leads were shit, so he went searching for his own lead.
@@zackcross7190: That’s the best way to do it. Don’t wait for leads, go out to the streets and make your own leads.
I used to do commission only work for years before I developed a conscience and I can attest that this kind of desperation was something you could see every day. The sad thing is that these were people who could do the job, if you were total shit you wouldn't last the week. But these souls once WERE good, but for whatever reason; burned out, family problems, mental problems, drug or drink problems, they just didn't have that spark or the sharpness to be able to do what once came so easily.
When you're good, really good, sales isn't even a job anymore: I speak to people on the phone and get paid for it; that's not work.
But when you lose that it is the most hopeless, soul destroying and spirit crushing existence imaginable: the threat of unemployment always above your head, derision and indifference from your colleagues. Most people I observed in Jack Lennon's position were not able to get hack above water again. The road he's on is almost always one way...
Jesus that's grim.
I did commission only for two years. This movie is better at explaining what it was like than anything I could say.
You're only as good as your last collection: The Sopranos.
@@lankylankster7148 Yep. We used to say you're only as good as your last pay check. But of course if you've are a good earner we could excuse a bad week or too; maybe even a bad month. Apart from the money good performance got you the respect of your coworkers, an guaranteed promotion if you were the top performer when a vacancy became available, a closer seat to the management when we all went out for daily after work drinks and a longer grace period before you were sacked.
I have to stress when you are good it is not work, I think Roma represents that very well in this scene; he's at the bar, getting a buzz on, chatting with a random stranger. Who could call that work? As I worked in telesales you may have to call 100 numbers until you found a Lingk; but boy when you did you could get your claws in, and build him up to a point where he would think that he was doing you a favour buying a houseful of new windows, doors, a new porch, fascias & guttering.
Luckily, real estate isn’t like this anymore.
I find it weird how this movie inspires people to get into sales. Like everything about this movie says “this job sucks.”
Strange, that. It comes across as the most appalling work. Blake's speech is also sometimes praised as inspirational. No it isn't.
The way Jack Lemmon oozes desperation makes me want to crawl into a dark hole.
Shellys seen as a weasel. Hes desperate and hes working his ass off with what he has left. If he had a regular 9 to 5, hed be fine. But in sales no one gives af how hard you work, you have to close or youre out.
Mitch and Murray were great in this movie. Excellent performances.
Nothing compared to Lempkin.
@@StarWarsMoments Ravidum PAH-TELLL?!...was a deadbeat. Fwockin Shiva handed this guy a million dollars, he told him SIGN DA DEAL!....he wouldn't sign...and the God Vishnu to into the barg...FWACK YOU, JOOHN!
Patel was robbed of an Oscar
I can't believe john lemmon didnt win the Oscar for his permonance in this 😢
Can you imagine what a pain in the ass it was to memorize all these lines? I memorized a couple of long monologues and just one took me almost 2 weeks. These guys had pages and pages, yikes!
Steve Kimble S. I was thinking the exact same thing!
Maybe u have dog shit memory.
"Maybe that's cause you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight and I drove a $80,000 BMW. That's my name!"
Lemmon and the rest were paid over a million bucks each. For that kind of dough, some studying of the script would be expected. Ordinary people work harder for a helluva lot less.
Lemmon knows this character inside and out. This script was easy for him and he made it look easy.
Used to do bottom level mall stuff and door to door for 6 months, jesus christ it is grim. Not just the job but the office ethos every morning before we went out. Horseshit. Grade A horseshit.
This movie is so underrated it’s criminal - every single actor delivers a masterful performance, one of the greatest of all time.
Love this film, I bring it up from time to time and no one I talk to has seen it
Let's not forget David Mamet who wrote this.
hard for a movie to be "so underrated it's criminal" when everybody loves it!
It's not underrated at all. It's celebrated as one of the best written and directed movies of all time.
@@alexisdetocqueville9964 well said.
Kevin Spacey and Jack Lemmon. Spacey met him at 13 in an acting class, received high praise from him, and took his direct advice to go to NY to study acting...
HELP! I'M LOCKED IN kevin spacey's BASEMENT!
Jack Lemmon made this movie.
It’s funny that John’s car doesn’t turn on in this scene. Looks like he is hurting himself (surely most of his salary is commissions also) if his crew is not closing. Every scene in this movie is a masterpiece.
“Mametspeak”-back and forth, rapid fire and profane; pure genius writing.
Why doesn't Shelly just do what Roma is doing and generate his own leads? Go to a nice bar or something.
When constantly make threats, you don't turn around and beg right after each threat.
Well if nothing else is working and you are desperate thats what you will do. Williamson was being very unreasonable. Almost enjoying it perhaps.
It's desperation, frustration, and anger, and lack of respect for the person he's trying to negotiate with. It was a very realistic scene.
acedrummond Of course Williamson was enjoying it. He had no intention of giving Shelly anything. He was stringing him along. As he said at the and if the movie, he doesn’t like Shelly
You don't understand people, frustration, desperation and anger. You completely missed the point of the scene.
@betatalk357 I've seen GGGR ten times if I have seen it once and never thought of that. Good catch. Although busted doors and locks might have given them away.
He turns the lights off and leaves Levine in the dark…that’s symbolic
Poor Shelly. His liquidity is only 35$ in his pocket with his credit line and credit cards tapped out and his daughter in the hospital with Shelly squeaking every dime to her because they can’t afford private insurance. He is days away from being evicted and starving to death unless he closes one fast which he does (with the Nyborgs) but they end up being deadbeats like Shelly. Death of a salesman. So sad and depressing, it almost makes me cry each time I watch this. One of the saddest movies I have ever seen.
he doesn't even have an umbrella. And Ive done sales, you knock on the door expecting the person to know your coming but they have no idea 9 times out 10. The leads ARE weak. Send Alec Baldwin's "Blake" out there and close his mouth real quick.
@@truthlifefishing1730 9 times out of 10 they don't want you coming that's why.
@@lotuseater7247 exactly. If they're expecting you they're interested.
@@truthlifefishing1730 Exactly. Blake-types are all over UA-cam at the moment doing "Sales Training Videos" that comprise them posing in sleeveless T Shirts and bellowing at salespeople about "Being Alpha" and spouting canned sales-patter at 100mph, then whooping like gibbons when the marks in the training repeat it. Use the same approach on an actual customer and they'd laugh in the salesperson's face and walk out... but the Sales Guru making the video will assure you it always works IF YOU DO IT RIGHT which means when it inevitably doesn't the mark blames themselves not the expensive training. Blake would cry like a baby on an actual sit.
@@finncullen It's a numbers game, do the pitch the same way to 50 people in the course of a day you should expect to see a sale or two. I've done D2D sales and I know how it works. There is nothing illustrious about it. Just beating the pavement to get enough no's until you land on a yes.
He never wanted to give Shelly the leads. That's why he countered with 20% AND $50 bucks a lead. He knew Shelly wasn't good for it........
Scott Roffman Shelly was very motivated
Wow really how'd you figure out damn you're brilliant bro
@@silvermediastudio Then why offer it?
Its shown that spaceys character strongly dislikes lemmon. as shown here, he's almost toying with him due to his disdain.
Given the way Shelly talks to the man when he doesn’t need something- can you blame him? Shelly is a weak willed cockroach without empathy or morals who makes his living conning people who work for a living. Why would anyone who *actually knows the guy* like him?
It's crazy how people believe that this movie promotes the sales profession. "Oh, but the Alec Baldwin scene..." Um, do you remember what happens AFTER that scene? You know, the REST of the movie?! This movie tells you to stay as far away from a sales role as you possibly can.
It’s a tough watch because it hits so hard and is acted so well. The hard truths that Baldwin delivers so impeccably are pretty depressing
Beautiful writing and acting..... no guns, no CGI, no Marvel knobheads..... just great great craft.
I never understood why the Nyborg lead was ever on the books if it was known they were tyre kickers and 'just liked talking to salesmen'. Why not just throw that lead away?
Lemmon was incredible.
It was pretty obvious that Williamson was using psychology & finding any excuse possible to avoid giving Levine the good leads
That's defeatist, fuck it! Lol
Such a great film. So many desperate men. Jack Lemmon is an acting hero.
Jack Lemmon blows everyone out of the scenes he's in with.👍😎
In a film where everybody gives great performances, Lemmon is the one who's most naturalistic, you feel he's speaking his mind rather than a script
So what the hell are they going to do with the Glenngary leads if they don't consider any of their salesmen to be closers? Just let them sit around forever and not use them? Don't the leads need to be used fast?
It's already dark. Suppose Shelly gets two premium leads what is he going to do? Show up at someone's house at 9pm to sell them land? Some things don't make sense in this film.
Or to illustrate how desperate he is
Been there, done that. Done it later. And yes, it sucked shit!
I was thinking the same thing. Who sales real estate at 9:00 at night? Furthermore, who would be batshit crazy enough to buy it?
I think the weather and the time of day were crucial to create the mood for the story, and so they had to go out like that, maybe they just couldn't get around it.
The Machine is broken
Omg just realised... the Simpsons definitely based Gill on this guy
“THATS DEFEATIST, FUCK IT!” 😂😂
I can relate to my shitty lyft job watching this in the pouring rain. 🌧💧
He’s “Gill” from The Simpsons.
😂👍
No, Gill is him
What kind of company tries so hard to NOT succeed with their salesmen? I’ve been in sales for many years and the sales force is Llife blood of the company.
i HATE these kinds of jobs, cold calls..chasing leads that turn out garbage..stressing about that commission.....ugh
this whole scene with these 2, he does not like shelley..so he is making him go through all of this knowing he was not going to help him..he was making him twist in the wind..for nothing..for his own jollies
Keep in mind, nothing Shelly says is reliable. In fact, even his daughter’s hospital bill is unverifiable. We don’t know how large the bill is or the details of her condition. In the stage version, we’re not even sure if he actually has a daughter as he only brings her up to Williamson when he’s about to be arrested.
Shelly is an addict, and In pursuit of his high, he will say anything. His nervous energy combined with his smooth talking is a dead giveaway that he’s untrustworthy. He’s sloppy and hasty he fails to vet his marks, resulting in sales that fall through. Unlike Roma, Shelly fails to build rapport with his clients resulting in few repeat customers or referrals.
@3:40 Williamson smirks.. right there you can tell he knows the game is fixed to get Shelly out. And that smirk proves W has no sympathy for Shelly or his daughter. Williamson hates Shelly's guts. He knows the Nyborgs are deadbeats and can't wait for Shelly to lose the sales promotion and be out.
Very true ! Gave him dead leads. What a jerk off
The only ones they gave a shit about were Moss and Roma. Roma didn’t need to try hard and didn’t come off as desperate, and he could get great sales. Moss was a hothead, but he could still get shit done. Aaronow was meh and not the sharpest knife in the drawer; he wasn’t really cut out for sales because he was too moral. Levene was washed up. He may have been a good sales man in his prime, but he hit that stride years ago.
Two masters at their craft.
Kevin Spacey gets a lot of heat due to his alleged misconduct - all totally warranted scrutiny and as it comes out, I hope the truth comes to bear and recompense is properly made to anyone wronged on any sides - I really do. Regardless of the verdicts to these cases we can only know so much truth, so I hope it finds its way out and behavior is corrected, punishments given, and justice is served - even if that has to be outside the court system. Life's hard.
Putting that aside just for discussion, my god, Kevin Spacey is a horrifying adept chameleon, there's a skill there that's just out of this world.
Jack Lemmon here is killing it, he is playing this so sincere I find it difficult to remember he's acting, he's not believable - he is bearing a desperate soul. Jack Lemmon kills it. Everybody has met this man once or twice in their life, someone so desperate yet fiercely holding onto a modicum of pride, and just trying not to feel wretched about it.
But Spacey has the intelligence, respect, or just plain sincerity to take what are, a few lines, and wrench out his own character. This guy loves this, he could shut him down mercifully hard but he keeps letting him come and beg because he's loving it, he's wrenching out of this man his soul just to poke it with a stick, because deep down he feels super inadequate - and this is completely validating him. He's not listening, he's not empathizing - worse, he doesn't realize he's going to be this man in 20, 30 years, in total denial. Just... coasting. Later in the film they call him a child - and that's what he is, despite his age here. Spacey manages to play this out just perfectly, drawing out lemmon just enough. Doesn't hog the spotlight, doesn't play any games, just lets the leverage do all the walking.
As an actor, that's hard, very hard, because you have to fully embrace that low-key sadism - low-key enough that you can't even own it. Supporting actors have the hardest job because you can't go 100% - you have to act like this is tuesday, be the bad guy, and do it so flawlessly you believe they have no idea.
Maybe everything they say about Spacey is true, and if so, maybe that's how he taps so seemingly effortlessly into these characters, in which case he himself is the character study. But if it's not true, damn, what a fierce actor.
Jack Lemmon gets all the due praise here, he's without a doubt a master at delivery, execution, he carries this scene which, by any other actor, would seem like overwrought exposition - and turns it into a character vignette so poignant you can barely stand the sight of it, it makes you want to almost lose it.
But Spacey in this film - he has to take it from everyone, and go from sadistic child to whipped puppy, to authorative lackey, and he dials it in just perfectly to set everyone else up perfectly - and sustains a villainy in the film so seemingly effortlessly, it's either genius or just some amazing character trait being displayed... either way, incredible work.
I can barely finish this scene because it's so awful and inhumane, because these two actors can stare into the abyss... and embody it.
Agreed about Kevin Spacey. Phenomenal actor, knows how to tap in to that inner darkness. Probably a creep in real life. But his performances feel real
I call this performance "Kevin Spacey at his reptilian best"
A friend & I used to joke about this scene
"I gotta go home, spend an hour with my kids! You wanna come with me? We'll suck your spinal fluid out. No? Then good-night."
I consider Jack Lemmon performance on this movie the best performance of all time, possibly only second to Marlon Brando in Godfather.
I agree with you. The second best acting performance of all time only behind the great Brando in Godfather.
Crazy to think it but it’s fucking up there man
This is unquestionably one of the great cinematic performances in history. It is hard to believe that Lemmon is acting here.
What?!! You put a Marlon 'Idiot board' Brando pathetic performance anywhere near the utter brilliance of Jack Lemmon?!!!!!
What drugs are you on as they're clearly well strong.
The filmmakers needed to give Shelly a rotary cell phone. Would have totally accentuated his pathetic nature.
The wolf's at ol' Gil's door!
Yep, Gil was based on Levene
“Honey, you should have seen me. . ,
. . .no, but I was this close!”
Lols
MY HOT PLATE
@@TheChrisnew Only had two payments left... :(
"Just two guys talking!"
...and I thought my old sales job at Radioshack was degrading.
lololololol!!!!
At least Radio Shack used to have stuff that some people actually wanted...
Incredible acting
David Mamet is a master of portraying the human condition, of despair and desperation. A lot of his work deals with the con
The Simpsons desperate salesman character is modeled after Jack's character here.
Levine tried everything on him , from "I am older than you" to "There were times I could get you fired".
Nothing worked.
Sad scene from the desperate man.
That's where Gil comes from the Simpsons is from Jack Lemon's character Shelley in this movie.
This is just brutal to watch. Man doesn't even have $100 for the leads.
$100 back in the late 1980's was a lot of money.
@@ReglazeRX Still is a lot of money.
@@ernestkovach3305 $100 is bill money today.
Back then it was a car payment.
@@ReglazeRX it would be about $260 today
@@travisjohnson6676 6 of one, half dozen of another.
My electric gas and water bill combined are $260.
Spacey: "Two leads ...a hundred bucks". Still a sleaze.
SPOILER Spaceys character gave him a faulty lead, which you later learn Lemmon closed but the people were mentally unstable so there was no deal after all. Williamson knew about them and gave Shelly this lead anyway. Probably wanted him fail!
Some scenes you watch and just feel in your bones that the acting is simply right. Dead on perfect. Thats Jack Lemmon in this scene
Upon first few viewings of this movie I used to think Spacey was the villain and Lemmon was a sympathetic yet pathetic protagonist... but now I think Lemmons character was a total asshole to Spaceys character in the past, viewed Spacey as a dumb flunky and treated him with disdain, and this movie and the events leading up to it are Spaceys revenge. No idea if it’s even right but the ambiguity of the movies background is great.
I think all the salesmen in the office had disdain for Williamson considering that he’d gotten that job because he was the nephew of someone high up rather than being a salesman himself who’d been promoted.
Shelly, like everyone else, probably gave Williamson a hard time but he had clearly been sabotaging him for a while by giving him terrible leads that he knew were deadbeats with no money.
you started out smart and then turned the other way
Spacey's character seems to be closer to Mitch & Murray than the salesmen, confident that they have his back. Salesmen are dime a dozen, but a manager with a hint of larceny? Priceless!
God I love Williamson's smug "I wish I could" as Levine was begging him for the leads. Lol
I wonder if Mitch and Murray have any leads on some under age boys for williamson.
inutero10 Kiddies are for closers!
Always be Groping
The fucking LEADS are weak? You're weak.
On Halloween there were a bunch of kids pounding on Kevin Spacey's door. After a while he let them out!!
Don Wayne
Lmao
Jesus Christ... Jack Lemon is GOOD!
No matter how many times I watch this, Shelley never gets a premium lead.
I've always liked Jack Lemmon (how could I not? He was Ensign Pulver in "Mr Roberts"), but, as an actor, I think he was very underrated. He was absolutely fantastic in this movie. You could just smell the desperation.
One of the subtle things I didn't really pay attention to the first time, was the fact that he's having a really difficult time starting his car. Williamson isn't exactly making it either.
I get the desperation of a man struggling to make a living. The fear of loss, Of not being able to pay his bills. I'd hate to be a salesperson. Great Acting from Jack Lemmon.
Jack Lemmon shows his genius here. Such a pathetic character and he nails it.
Don't understand the reasoning behind people calling him weak and pathetic, the man was on a bad streak and was desperate what was he supposed to do, not try? I think most people would've done the same in his shoes.
Desperate is a better word than
Pathetic. You’re right. 👍
Shelly is a washed up desperate man with no leverage and Williamson has nothing but contempt for him and is thoroughly enjoying watching him grovel. This scene is almost like watching a homeless man beg for change from a passerby.
The basis for Gil on The Simpsons
Man, Jack Lemmon was a great actor. So good in this movie. OSCAR MATERIAL HE DELIVERED!
That's defeatist.. FUCKIT!!
He’s like a drug addict, tryina find his fix
jack Lemon is supreme. I gained so much respect for him in this movie.
Long dialogue. Great acting. Lemmon especially.
The constant rain and the sound of rain made this movie great
Why are they so afraid of being fired, or walk away?
I understand why Williamson didn't budge. He must have thought "If Shelley can't even convince ME (a guy he's known for years) to give him a good lead, how the hell is he going to convince a client (a complete stranger) to buy?" Even if Shelley had been given 10 Glengarry leads, he would have been too weak to close one.
very insightful theory,I never pondered that before,or maybe he just knew by throwing the 50 bucks a lead bargain in there he wouldn't have to give him anything because he knew he was dead broke,lols
Nah williamson was a piece of shit lousy manager. The others were mediocre salesmen for sure, but that office was a nightmare.
I'll close you ... you're a lay down all day
whitetower67 he’s broke because of medical bills
Remember, Williamson doesn't like Levene to begin with. He keeps upping the tab because he has no desire to give Shelly anything, so he sets the bar impossibly high knowing Levene can't reach it. Levene gets literally nothing out of that scene.
Jack Lemmon owns this scene big time. What a wonderful actor he was, may he rest in peace.
I talk to Mitch and Murray and you're gone before lunch!
Machine would have sacrificed his own mother for these leads. Incredibly high-stakes choices by an absolute master of the craft.
Hats off to the great Jack Lemmon.
"Greatest actor of the 20th century!" Jack Lemmon, about himself.
It's interesting to see Spacey here and in Margin Call. Similar vibes
It’s leaps and bounds beyond anything I’ve seen attempted on the stage. I know it’s mostly because this was my first exposure but Jack’s reading of the lines seems to be perfection
Death of a Saleman on line one. Nothing, not even this cinematic masterpiece hits home like the greatest play ever by an American playwright. GGGR poached out near shamelessly the crux of the Arthur Miller masterpiece...only to the field of real estate sales. Both are awesome.
Rewarding for a small percentage and Incredible experience for Many. I cut by teeth running leads at night all over Greater Houston Galveston area. In- Home Sales Closer for Energy Savings Products, Home Improvements, FHA VA, and Conv. Financing Products in the 1980s
literally Gill from the simpsons
Jack Lemon was the inspiration for Gil.
Am I the only one who feels bad for Shelley? He seems like a good guy but the job requires him to lie, scrape and claw. Also, its obvious he loves his daughter and is pouring in what little income he has for her medical payments. He stole the leads out of desperation to help her it seems. The theft was ethically and legally wrong obviously, but I think many parents can sympathize seeing as the money was going for the survival of his daughter and not to corporate suits (I dont know what's wrong with her, I'm guessing its something serious though.)
I agree with you. I felt super bad for the guy, he committed a crime and should pay for it but the Gov. should do something for the daughter in a case like this. She didn't do anything wrong and now will most likely die.
Shelley might have gotten away with stealing the leads if he had kept thinking about his daughter instead of thinking about how he could be put Williamson down. It was vanity, not desperation, that did him in.