Glengarry Glen Ross - Romas' monologue (Al Pacino)

Simply the best monologue ever! Ricky Roma (Al Pacino) and James Lingk (Jonathan Pryce). Written by David Mamet, directed by James Foley.

All train compartments smell vaguely of shit. It gets so you don't mind it. That's the worst thing that I can confess. You know how long it took me to get there? A long time. When you die you're gonna regret the things you don't do. You think you're queer? I'm gonna tell you something. We're all queer. You think you're a thief? So what? You get befuddled by a middle-class morality? Get shut of it. Shut it out. You cheat on your wife, you did it. Live with it. You fuck little girls, so be it. There's an absolute morality? Maybe. And then what? If you think there is, go ahead, be that thing. Bad people go to hell? I don't think so. You think that, act that way. A hell exists on earth? Yes. I won't live in it. That's me.

Did you ever take a dump, made you feel like you slept for 12 hours? Great meals fade in reflection. Everything else gains. Do you know why? 'Cause it's only food. This shit we put in us, keeps us going - it's only food. The great fucks you may have had, what do you remember about them? I don't know. For me, I'm saying what it is, it's probably not the orgasm. Some broad's forearm on your neck, something her eyes did. There was this sound she made. Or it's me in the - I'm telling you - I'm in bed the next day, she brought me café au lait, gives me a cigarette, my balls feel like concrete.

What I'm saying, what is our life? Our life is looking forward or it's looking back. That's it. That's our life. Where's the moment? And what is it we're so afraid of? Loss. What else? The bank closes, we get sick, my wife died on a plane? The stock market collapsed? What of these things happen? None of them. We worry anyway. Why?

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Glengarry
• Glen
• Ross
• Al
• Pacino
• Jonathan
• Pryce
• Ricky
• Roma
• James
• Lingk
• David
• Mamet

[MrShitstirer]

what was this scene about?

[chepry]

@MrShitstirer It just is as it is, it has nothing to do with the rest of the movie; there is no point asking what's going on or what is it about ;)

[Miracle67]

Thank you for post this great monologue and also the text you posted together!

[chepry]

@Miracle67 My pleasure, tnx Miracle :)

[Blomsternisse]

bullshit has never been so poetic!

[Wyzzkyd]

I will buy whatever shit he's selling if that's how he pitches.

[tristisazure55]

Chepry, if you think this is the greatest monologue ever you don't know much about acting. It's supposed to be funny & it's not in the least. Not only is it completely lacking in humor it's pedantic & downright tedious. Obviously you've never seen it performed on stage.

[MrByaeger]

@scdfndr amen, the way he breaks out that brochure like it's a butterfly he just happened to find in his pocket, not even sure what it is or isn't...classic forever. A.B.C.

[MrByaeger]

@jamsid33 its a sales pitch, but a few parts are missing here. he brings it around later in the scene but you got to check out the whole film, its badass in a very different way. i usually like explosions, fights and boobys but this one is in my top ten.

[MrByaeger]

@MrShitstirer well its actually cut a bit short, it very slowly and brilliantly turns into a sales pitch( always be closing) . al's character smelled a weakness earlier on and is going to work on it. though i think by now others have told you the same. fantastic film and i dont even like this type that much, that's how good it is!

[HugeGene]

Did you ever take a dump, made you feel like you slept for 12 hours?

[1q3er5]

Pacino should sell cell phones!

[KrayzieA22]

@MrShitstirer It's a salesman running into a potential customer and juicing him up to make a cold-call sale.

[scdfndr]

@chepry are you kidding me! This scene IS so much what the movie (screenplay) is about. Roma is "top name on the board" because while the others are making calls or knocking on doors as "salesmen" selling questionable properties Roma is selling a philosophy, a point of view, to a stranger he met in a bar. Convincing the stranger of the perspective -- carpe diem -- allows him to close the deal. He's a salesman pretending to not be. He's brilliantly evil.

[califgirl101]

@Blomsternisse totally agree with ya there!

[codeblue5007]

@mrshit. It's an elaborate sales job for the real estate in Florida. The purchase becomes an act of freedom, of confirming ones independent identity .