Pan and Slam

Glengarry Glen Ross

by J. F. Koenigsberg

The next few weeks leading up to the Oscars, Pan and Slam’s Streaming Picks of the Week will be ones that the Academy looked favorably upon, or at the very least should have. From one of the most aggressive, macho and self-assured plays ever written by the great David Mamet, and taut direction by James Foley, Glengarry Glen Ross is one of the best examples of master thespians showcasing their incredible talent since Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men (1957). Twenty-five years later Glengarry Glen Ross is still a riveting drama with relevant themes of the hard working salesman barely able to make ends meet. It’s Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman updated with more profanity and a level of gravitas few films contain. It captures the cutthroat ruthlessness of American capitalism at its worst while at the same time giving two generations most talented actors some of their most commanding roles. Al Pacino would be the only one to earn a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination, but Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris and Jonathan Pryce all deliver Oscar caliber work. Yet Alec Baldwin’s small amount of screen time is the most memorable and spoofed scene from Glengarry Glen Ross where he delivers his famous “A.B.C., Always Be Closing” speech. 

Glengarry Glen Ross is currently available to stream on Netflix. Click on the video below to see Alec Baldwin spoof himself and his role in Glengarry Glen Ross as a chief elf. “Put the Cocoa Down!” and “Always Be Cobbling!” I love when he flubs that line in the sketch.