Yes, you did read that title right there is an exciting film about estate agents. If you didn’t already know the film is called Glen Garry Glen Ross. It is a far cry from the world of Gloucester Estate Agents nowadays. Oh, speaking of Gloucester Estate Agents have you heard the exciting news of TGRES Merging with Alex Clark Glos
It’s a very intimate film that is based on a play of the same name by David Mamet. It’s set and was made in the 1980’s. This was a time when the whole ethos behind the world of business was driven hugely by targets and fear. If you didn’t cut it, you were out and that is one of the principle themes behind Glen Garry Glen Ross. The estate agents are a mixed bag that are deemed to need shaking up. Shelly Levene is played by Jack Lemmon and he brings a late middle-aged vulnerability that masks a desperate streak. It’s all about the business for these men. Your personal life has absolutely no importance in this cut throat world. Premiere properties, the company feed leads to the four agents. These are the phone numbers of people that may or may not have expressed an interest in buying some real estate. The salesmen need to convince them by hook or by crook to part with their money and invest or “close” as it is termed. The salesmen can’t be sure that the leads are genuine unit one day they are told there is a list in the office of nailed on gold star leads.
Their already tense situation is then compounded by the appearance of a trainer sent in by the owners to encourage better performance. This is Alex Baldwin’s character Blake. He essentially harangues the four men until he drops the final bombshell. There is a competition and only the two top salesmen will retain their employment the other two are fired. The remaining two will get access to the great leads in the office safe. The relationship between the men is extremely fraught with them already looking to try and top each other.
They separate off into different huddles. Two of them decide to get revenge on their bosses at Premiere by breaking into the offices and stealing the leads and selling them on. When they all come back in the next day to begin the competition and they find a burglary has occurred. The employees who discuss this are bemused as they have no idea who it could be. Levene celebrates as one of the deals he calls agrees to buy. His hopes and spirit are crushed when it turns out the manager has fed him a dud that he knew would go nowhere. “Why?” asks a desperate Levene, he needs the money for his very sick daughter. “Because I don’t like you”, comes the cold reply.
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