Great Guy Movie When first viewing GLENGARRY...., I couldn't help but think of Thoreau's line "The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation." Except, in this version, it's more like loud desperation. The theme of the movie is real simple and potent, all human power grows out of a person's ability to make money now. Who you were, who you know, how long you been doing it don't matter much. There are no women in the movie, and the only woman mentioned is Lemmon's daughter, who's dying in the hospital. So, the maternal life force of creation is ripped away, leaving only the death force of men destroying one another. Jack Lemmon's character is a guy who would like to believe that he was more like Al Pacino, a man he admires and not like Moss, the loud mouth loser. But, Pacino can make a sale in a bar to a total stranger, and doesn't have to show up to meetings, while Lemmon is stuck begging for lead cards.
They say that the saleman is drama's most tragic character, because their jobs are so intertwined with their human worth. As someone who occasionally worked in cold sales, there's nothing greater than that feeling of conquering a lead. But, if you fail, your soul is emptier than your wallet.
Favorite piece of dialogue: "What's your name?" "F**k you, that's my name! You drove a Hundai to get to work! I drove an $80,000 BMW! That's my name!"