It looks like a Cassavetes movie sometimes.

one of the Maysles bros' best films. The 'bull' seems to be collected and cool, while the 'rabbit' seems to be crawling out of his skin.

This is a crushing documentary of a man down on his luck and low in spirits. He's not the most likable of guys, but to me he is the definition of human. Everyone you meet in this film is struggling with money, struggling with faith, and you feel for all of them. "Salesman", in addition to being exceptionally moving is also an extremely well-made film, capturing the light and dark of every character within it perfectly. "Join the force and get a pension." It's haunting in a way...

595

This is a difficult movie to score. On one hand, it captures the career of traveling salesman and the 1960s era very well. On the other, most featured personalities do not stand out and there is a lot of down time. That said, a growing sense of desperation as well as philosophical questions re: right and wrong that the viewer must ponder both make Salesman worthwhile, if dull, viewing for those uninterested in its obvious historic value.

#578

not as good as it ought to be

Usually I like documentaries, but this is quite dull

Interesting, but I had high hopes for this one and it didn't quite meet my expectations. I think it scratched the surface where it could have dug a little deeper, but it was still worth seeing.

I wanted to like this so much more than I actually did. It was a can't miss premise for me, but I found myself not caring about these people, or feeling much of anything actually, through most of it. There IS one great scene though, as the one salesman tries the hard sell on a Floridian couple as Beetles muzak drones away in the background. You really feel for the guy. It was the only scene that I had an emotional response to.

A very interesting look at a group of bible salesmen. They're incredibly frustrating to watch at times as they annoy and pester their way to a sale, but they also have their share of failure and the film does it's best to humanize them to some degree. It's hard for me to get over my utter disgust at them on so many levels, but that doesn't make the film any less intriguing.

# 471

An interesting insight into the \"bible business\", of suburban homes of the late sixties, and of burnout in a job that is only for those with the thickest skin (and one could say, the thinnest of moral fibre?). Well worth a look.

Very compelling doc about four door-to-door Bible salesmen. I have to wonder if this was an inspiration for David Mamet while writing Glengarry Glen Ross, the similarities (especially in the lingo) are hard to ignore. What's most remarkable is how invisible the Maysles are, one never feels that the camera is influencing the action (although I'm sure it did, at least a little bit).

The more I see it, the better it gets. I used to think there really wasn't much point to it at all; now it just seems like a little novel up there on screen. And I love that guy playing Beatles muzak at the end into the Florida night--eerie weird effect.

579

Fascinating cinema-verite documentary, especially in the contrast between the sales convention, with its sanctimonious hyperbole, and the actual experiences on the road.