MovieChat Forums > Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) Discussion > Is Blake telling the truth about the lea...

Is Blake telling the truth about the leads?

posted 6 years ago by fountainhead (323)
7 replies | jump to latest

Blake says he can go out with the leads the salesmen already have and make $15,000 in two hours. Do you think he really could do that and it's just that the salesmen are incompetent? Or is he knowingly giving them an impossible task and just bragging to boost his ego?

The only lead we get to see is Mr. Spannel and he is quite visibly already annoyed with the company and wants nothing to do with them. So could Blake really have made a sale with a lead like that?

[–] ShogunofYonkers (78490) 6 years ago

Blake was full of crap (fantastic performance by Baldwin!)
Most of those 'leads' were garbage and Blake knew it...he was typical mid-level administrative scum and was faking it the whole time

The entire story hinges on guys one-upping and bullshitting each other to gain advantage at the office...
Blake couldnt sell a damn thing

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 6 years ago

Blake seemed awfully well-dressed for someone who couldn’t sell a thing

I think he was successful, but would know not to waste his time on leads like the Nyborgs ("Did you SEE how they were LIVING?" - Blake would see and walk straight back out)

He probably couldn’t close Spannel either, but for sure Spannel would treat Blake differently just based on his pinstriped suit and BMW

I can see Blake pulling up, and putting Spannel on the defensive from the get-go, not by insulting him so much as not seeming needy

Maybe he'd offer to drive Spannel to the PTA, and given Blake's suit & car, Spannel might agree. Then Blake would remain silent the whole drive, waiting for Spannel to cave and ask what he's selling.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 5 years ago

Oh wait, I just realized how it might go down.

Blake sees Spannel's in a hurry, so he backs off selling altogether. Instead, he waits for Spannel to notice Blake's BMW, then touts its virtues and ultimately lets Spannel himself test drive it over the PTA.

Spannel gets convinced - he'll get to pull up to the PTA in a new BMW and impress the wife

Then, on the drive home, Blake remains silent in the back until Mr. or Mrs. Spannel finally can't stand it, and they ask him what he's selling.

Yeah ... I know, too much time on my hands.

[–] Ace_Spade (9657) 5 years ago

I don't think Blake sold things, did he? I always got the impression that Blake was some middle management type. Maybe he used to sell, but he got promoted and works by going around giving his ABC speech and whipping guys into a froth.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 5 years ago

True - he could've been BS'ing the whole time. Fits the theme

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Some of that is bravado, but I do think he'd be a great salesman. He's got looks, confidence and charisma. He was a pretty successful salesman before moving up in the company, I believe.

[–] mobocracy (901) 2 years ago

Part of what makes Lemmon so perfect as Levine is that his age adds a lot of weakness and fragility to his character.

You could flip Baldwin and Lemmon's roles and Baldwin would have to work a lot harder to play the "loser" salesman.

Lemmon could pull off the tough guy management role, but he'd have to work harder to pull off the forcefulness.