I'd seen a few movies written by David Mamet before, but not based on a play of his. Oddly enough, the most oft-cited moment does not occur in the play: One-scene wonder Alec Baldwin features as a company-hired motivational speaker with the attitude of a prototypical drill sergeant (Baldwin did look to Patton for inspiration). In truth, he seems to be channeling Al Pacino, for whom he was something of an understudy herein. I had seen this part already, and it didn't exactly make me eager for more, but I value my cinematic education.
That early scene helps establish the plot. At a super-shady real estate agency that cold-calls individuals to sell them overpriced land, business has not been good lately. The agency offers prizes for the two salesmen who accomplish the most in the near future but will fire the other two. It feels unfair to the less successful, because they've done well in the past and have just fallen on bad luck with regard to sales leads, if "luck" is the right word. In desperation, two conspire to steal the good leads and make it look like a plain burglary.
No, there is no character with the titular name, nor does anyone say all three words together. By a logic as peculiar as that of Vicky Cristina Barcelona, it alludes to the properties of Glengarry Highlands and Glen Ross Farms. Also strange is the move from Chicago (in the play) to New York -- with an incomplete change of locations in the dialog.
Possibly the best thing about the movie is the all-star cast. In addition to Baldwin and Pacino, we get Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, and Kevin Spacey, all delivering. Alas, the only on-screen woman is a forgettable coat check lady, tho a few others come up in conversation. I'm OK with (nearly) all-male casts when there's a good reason, like a war or prison setting, but you'd expect even an illegitimate business to have at least one female employee. That said, it's not a big cast to begin with, and Mamet may have had a point to make about machismo within the subculture.
The most notably realistic aspect is the way in which characters repeat themselves and interrupt each other. Prepare to hear frequent use of certain one-syllable words, like "lead," "close," "sit" as a noun, and enough swears for a Quentin Tarantino flick. I'd almost call it "Six Angry Men," but that evokes a much better classic. Adding to the sour mood is constant rain in the first act, the single biggest chunk of the film's budget.
As usual for movies based on non-musical plays, the mature writing has to make up for lame visuals -- mostly just people talking in a small area. I spent quite a while working on the computer while listening to GGR, and I don't believe I missed anything of import. Oh, I saw fit to look up more information afterward, but judging from the Q&A on IMDb, a lot of viewers had trouble figuring things out.
They also have different interpretations to this day. For example, what exactly is the overall point? That commercialism has seen moral degradation, helped along by the use of phones instead of door-to-door sales? None of the employees is likable, but they can evoke some sympathy, which suggests that they're down on their luck in another sense: put into scenarios that make common ethics a difficult choice.
It's definitely a grown-up film, not merely R-rated like what I last reviewed. I might recommend it, with the caution that you need to be in a certain frame of mind to really appreciate it. And women are probably less likely to do so.
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