MOVIE REVIEW: Salesman
This movie follows four door to door bible salesmen through the highs and lows, well, mostly lows of their business. A lot of old ladies are sold bibles for the low low price of $49.95 ($407 in today’s money). And don’t worry if you can’t pay up front, they have three different payment plans they can offer you. Now which one would work best for you A, B or C?
The salesmen are known by animal nicknames: The Rabbit, The Gipper, The Bull… And The Badger. The Badger, or Paul Brennan is the main character of this piece, because he seems to be failing more than his colleagues. That’s due to the fact that if you’re not Irish, or familiar with the stereotypes associated therewith, he can’t sell you anything. His charming Irish jokes and stories about growing up in with Irish parents will fall on deaf ears. But if you are Irish…well, let’s have a talk…
The other three are more successful because their pitches don’t rely so heavily on schtick. The Rabbit, who looks like Ichabod Crane’s half brother, is a fast talker, the idea being that you’ll be so bamboozled by verbiage that you’ll be almost tricked into signing a check. The Gipper’s strategy seems to be one of quiet reason, almost like a hostage negotiator, which contrasts with his appearance. He looks like a mafia hitman and could probably make more money threatening people than reasoning with them. And The Bull is also a soft spoken big guy, very charming. He has the personality of a guy you’d love to take home to mother.
Being a salesman is a brutal business, not just because of the rejection. It’s also because if you get rejected it’s your fault. “It’s not the bum territory, it’s the bum in the territory.” You didn’t sell hard enough. You didn’t see the right angle, which The Gipper probably would have because he’s a better salesman than you. A better man than you.
There is an interesting element of machismo and one up manship in this line of business as well. Every salesman drives a convertible, and there’s a subtle competition between the men as to who is making the most sales. You get the sense that when they ask “How was the battle?” they’re not interested because they care about you. They care about how well you did, whether they did better than you, if they were on a losing streak. Maybe they’re bad luck. Maybe they’re a threat. The movie highlights that brutality, and makes you question the system that put it in place.
4/5 I love this movie, but I know some people won’t. Here’s a test to see if you’ll like it: Do you like Glengarry Glen Ross? If you don’t, don’t check this movie out. If you do, do.