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American Buffalo: A Play
American Buffalo , which won both the Drama Critics Circle Award for the best American play and the Obie Award, is considered a classic of the American theater. Newsweek acclaimed Mamet as the “hot young American playwright . . . someone to watch.” The New York Times exclaimed in “The man can write!” Other critics called the play “a sizzler,” “super,” and “dynamite.”
Now from Gregory Mosher, the producer of the original stage production, comes a stunning screen adaptation, directed by Michael Corrente and starring Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Franz, and Sean Nelson.
A classic tragedy, American Buffalo is the story of three men struggling in the pursuit of their distorted vision of the American Dream. By turns touching and cynical, poignant and violent, American Buffalo is a piercing story of how people can be corrupted into betraying their ideals and those they love.
Now from Gregory Mosher, the producer of the original stage production, comes a stunning screen adaptation, directed by Michael Corrente and starring Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Franz, and Sean Nelson.
A classic tragedy, American Buffalo is the story of three men struggling in the pursuit of their distorted vision of the American Dream. By turns touching and cynical, poignant and violent, American Buffalo is a piercing story of how people can be corrupted into betraying their ideals and those they love.
120 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1975
66 people are currently reading
1999 people want to read
About the author
David Mamet
224 books737 followersDavid Alan Mamet is an American author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and film director. His works are known for their clever, terse, sometimes vulgar dialogue and arcane stylized phrasing, as well as for his exploration of masculinity.
As a playwright, he received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog (1997).
Mamet's recent books include The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary, with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; and Bambi vs. Godzilla, an acerbic commentary on the movie business.
As a playwright, he received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog (1997).
Mamet's recent books include The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary, with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; and Bambi vs. Godzilla, an acerbic commentary on the movie business.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
May 20, 2020
“The whole entire world.
There is no law.
There is no right and wrong.
The world is lies.
There is no friendship.
Every fucking thing.
Every God-forsaken thing”--Teach, in American Buffalo
I seem to be in a phase here of running/walking and listening to great American plays in a particular vein--Sam Shephard, David Mamet, Kenneth Lonergan, Edward Albee--plays featuring working class language: Muscular, visceral, sometimes profane. The men--and it is most often men in these plays--get showcased as they talk, and they often talk a lot, and "roughly," so a soliloquy here ain't no Hamlet. It's a different kind of poetry, some may call it profane poetry, street poetry, that emerged in theater in the 1950's and 1960's and remains in some playwrights today. Poetry Whitman might have celebrated as "democratic." I think in some ways the talk comes out of a noir tradition, too, dark and occasionally melodramatic.
So these are language plays, and seen that way can be exhilarating, if you pay attention to the rhythms, the cadences of the talk, though as the often low ratings of these plays here indicate, these plays don't always feature the most admirable people. "Lowlifes," the noir writers might have called them. Morally compromised, shall we say, though we do find things to admire about them in their allegiances to each other sometimes.
This one features three small time crooks: Don, who owns a pawn shop; Bobby, an ex-junkie whom Don takes under his wing, and Teach, Don's friend. The play opens after Don has been given ninety bucks for a "Buffalo-head" American nickel; none of the guys know anything about coins, but they decide to steal it back (and any other valuable coins the guy has) so they can resell them for greater profit.
In the process, Teach elbows Bobby out of the job. And later, at the time of the robbery, when Bobby comes in to try to sell Don a very similar nickel, where did that nickel come from?!
But whatever else happens, the play is not about the nickel! (as in, "it's not about the bike," yeah). It's not about the plot, it's about talk and the relationship these guys forge along the way. It's about Mamet's ear for American talk, for Chicago, north-side, working-class talk. Someone called Mamet the American Pinter (a Brit known for language, for talk, for violence) and this works for me (read The Birthday Party, The Homecoming, or Betrayal by Pinter) The other great play from Mamet is also Chicagoan, Glengarry Glen Ross, a play about struggling big-talker, real-estate guys during the eighties recession. Words like punches to the gut.
And some great American actors have fought to get into these plays: Robert Duvall or Al Pacino as Teach; John Goodman and Cedric the Entertainer as Donny? William Macy or John Savage as Bobby? Watch a film adaptation, as just reading it, you miss the rhythm, the punctuation.
And how odd to put his language in relief by my listening as well to Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips--lyrical, feminine, graceful, beautiful in another way.
There is no law.
There is no right and wrong.
The world is lies.
There is no friendship.
Every fucking thing.
Every God-forsaken thing”--Teach, in American Buffalo
I seem to be in a phase here of running/walking and listening to great American plays in a particular vein--Sam Shephard, David Mamet, Kenneth Lonergan, Edward Albee--plays featuring working class language: Muscular, visceral, sometimes profane. The men--and it is most often men in these plays--get showcased as they talk, and they often talk a lot, and "roughly," so a soliloquy here ain't no Hamlet. It's a different kind of poetry, some may call it profane poetry, street poetry, that emerged in theater in the 1950's and 1960's and remains in some playwrights today. Poetry Whitman might have celebrated as "democratic." I think in some ways the talk comes out of a noir tradition, too, dark and occasionally melodramatic.
So these are language plays, and seen that way can be exhilarating, if you pay attention to the rhythms, the cadences of the talk, though as the often low ratings of these plays here indicate, these plays don't always feature the most admirable people. "Lowlifes," the noir writers might have called them. Morally compromised, shall we say, though we do find things to admire about them in their allegiances to each other sometimes.
This one features three small time crooks: Don, who owns a pawn shop; Bobby, an ex-junkie whom Don takes under his wing, and Teach, Don's friend. The play opens after Don has been given ninety bucks for a "Buffalo-head" American nickel; none of the guys know anything about coins, but they decide to steal it back (and any other valuable coins the guy has) so they can resell them for greater profit.
In the process, Teach elbows Bobby out of the job. And later, at the time of the robbery, when Bobby comes in to try to sell Don a very similar nickel, where did that nickel come from?!
But whatever else happens, the play is not about the nickel! (as in, "it's not about the bike," yeah). It's not about the plot, it's about talk and the relationship these guys forge along the way. It's about Mamet's ear for American talk, for Chicago, north-side, working-class talk. Someone called Mamet the American Pinter (a Brit known for language, for talk, for violence) and this works for me (read The Birthday Party, The Homecoming, or Betrayal by Pinter) The other great play from Mamet is also Chicagoan, Glengarry Glen Ross, a play about struggling big-talker, real-estate guys during the eighties recession. Words like punches to the gut.
And some great American actors have fought to get into these plays: Robert Duvall or Al Pacino as Teach; John Goodman and Cedric the Entertainer as Donny? William Macy or John Savage as Bobby? Watch a film adaptation, as just reading it, you miss the rhythm, the punctuation.
And how odd to put his language in relief by my listening as well to Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips--lyrical, feminine, graceful, beautiful in another way.
August 7, 2019
"American Buffalo" gives us a sliver of insight into a subculture of ruffians, gamblers & thieves. Nothing--not property, friends, loyalty or history--nothing absolutely trumps the $. Nothing! & although you perceive some tenderhearted brotherhoodsian moments between the three main (& only) players, their nastiness towards one another prevails: it is our main entree.
The taut, closed-circuited anecdote is about not allowing your eyes be fooled, so that when the proverbial "rug" is "pulled right from under you," we, as an audience, expect a slight-of-hand-type climax-- Mamet prepares us amply for that--& not the one we must ultimately settle for (as most of the drama is naturally lost in the absence of actual live actors) ...
The taut, closed-circuited anecdote is about not allowing your eyes be fooled, so that when the proverbial "rug" is "pulled right from under you," we, as an audience, expect a slight-of-hand-type climax-- Mamet prepares us amply for that--& not the one we must ultimately settle for (as most of the drama is naturally lost in the absence of actual live actors) ...
January 29, 2025
This is a scathing indictmeant on greed and the ability to delude others in furtherance of a crime. Don(ny) Dubrow owns a junk shop and has just sold a buffalo nickel that he now suspects is worth considerably more. He decides to steal it back with the help of Bob(by), a friend/gofer who is not very bright. A poker buddy (Walter 'Teach' Cole) hears about the plan and wants in - if Bobby is out. Don decides to contact a third friend (Fletcher) who Teach thinks is a cheat at poker. The stage is now set for a tragicomedy that will reveal the true nature of each man. All three men are not honest about what their ulterior motives are; yet in order for the plan to work each man must come clean. A work of incredible insight into the darker corners of human nature.
September 28, 2021
I'm open to liking all sorts of plays, but one type in particular that I'm very much fond of is that which features one single location, only a Small handful of characters, and a tight atmosphere, and this I have to say is one of my faves by an American playwright. Mamet's volatile drama explores the busted American dream through the mercurial nature of three small-time thieves as they plan one big-time heist, which results in strained loyalties and a darkly funny tragedy of errors. What makes it great for me is the razor-sharp dialogue which is pretty much faultless, a nod towards the bleak obscurity of Beckett, and the blistering power, of say, early Scorsese - although he didn't direct the 1996 film. I've also, along with reading the text, seen it three times - twice with professionals; the most recent being in 2015, and once with an amateur theatre group.
February 24, 2023
3.5
بوفالوی آمریکایی یه روایت مدوّرِ پوچه. یه روایت که تداعی کننده نمایشنامه در انتظار گودو و فروشنده است. این نمایشنامه پر است از دیالوگ های منقطع، تند تند، آشفته و سردرگم که البته نه از بد دستی که از چیره دستی این مدلی نوشته شده. در عین حال که این سبک نوشته میتونه اعصاب خرد کن باشه و بین خواننده و متن فاصله میندازه، میتونه جذاب هم باشه.
نمیدونم چرا ولی ذهن من تمایل خیلی بیشتری به آثار معناگرا و کلاسیکتر داره. بوفالوی آمریکایی متن ساده و روانی داره اما، من نمیتونم خیلی باهاش ارتباط برقرار کنم. ارتباط برقرار نکردن من با چنین دست نوشته هایی از این بابت نیست که درکشون نمیکنم (حداقل یه مقدار خوبشو میفهمم) یا خیلی سختن و... بلکه از این بابته که همیشه برام این سوال به وجود میاد: "خب که چی؟" ( هم از جهت معنایی و روایت داستانی هم از جهت سبک و سیاقی)
قطعا با خوندن نقد ارزش ادبی چنین نمایشنامهای بیشتر مشخص میشه اما برای من کمه. من هنوزم به خودم میگم بازم که چی؟ البته بحث آثار بکت جدائه، علارغم اینکه من نماد و نمیفهمم و تئاتر ابزرود و مدرن این چنینی برام مبهمه، شاهکارهای بکت رو اصلا نمیشه ستایش نکرد و متحیر نموند ازشون. اما به طور کلی، این نمایشنامه واقعا هم بد نیست.
بوفالوی آمریکایی یه روایت مدوّرِ پوچه. یه روایت که تداعی کننده نمایشنامه در انتظار گودو و فروشنده است. این نمایشنامه پر است از دیالوگ های منقطع، تند تند، آشفته و سردرگم که البته نه از بد دستی که از چیره دستی این مدلی نوشته شده. در عین حال که این سبک نوشته میتونه اعصاب خرد کن باشه و بین خواننده و متن فاصله میندازه، میتونه جذاب هم باشه.
نمیدونم چرا ولی ذهن من تمایل خیلی بیشتری به آثار معناگرا و کلاسیکتر داره. بوفالوی آمریکایی متن ساده و روانی داره اما، من نمیتونم خیلی باهاش ارتباط برقرار کنم. ارتباط برقرار نکردن من با چنین دست نوشته هایی از این بابت نیست که درکشون نمیکنم (حداقل یه مقدار خوبشو میفهمم) یا خیلی سختن و... بلکه از این بابته که همیشه برام این سوال به وجود میاد: "خب که چی؟" ( هم از جهت معنایی و روایت داستانی هم از جهت سبک و سیاقی)
قطعا با خوندن نقد ارزش ادبی چنین نمایشنامهای بیشتر مشخص میشه اما برای من کمه. من هنوزم به خودم میگم بازم که چی؟ البته بحث آثار بکت جدائه، علارغم اینکه من نماد و نمیفهمم و تئاتر ابزرود و مدرن این چنینی برام مبهمه، شاهکارهای بکت رو اصلا نمیشه ستایش نکرد و متحیر نموند ازشون. اما به طور کلی، این نمایشنامه واقعا هم بد نیست.
April 21, 2021
یه نمایشنامه درباره هیچی
March 27, 2012
Some plays are so great that, even when reading the script, you can imagine the whole thing and it's fabulous. This isn't one of them.
January 18, 2018
Βαθμολογία: 7/10
Αυτό είναι το δεύτερο θεατρικό έργο του Ντέιβιντ Μάμετ που διαβάζω, μετά το κλασικό "Οικόπεδα με θέα" που διάβασα στις αρχές του 2017. Αυτή τη φορά, όμως, δεν δηλώνω και ιδιαίτερα ικανοποιημένος. Δηλαδή, εντάξει, σαν θεατρικό έργο καλούτσικο μου φάνηκε, ιδιαίτερο και κυνικό, όμως γενικά με κούρασε κάπως. Από τη μια οι διάλογοι, από την άλλη οι χαρακτήρες, κάτι στο τέλος δεν μου έκανε κλικ. Δεν το συζητάω, είναι σαφώς κατώτερο του εξαιρετικού "Οικόπεδα με θέα" (ρε γαμώτο, κάποια στιγμή πρέπει να δω την ταινία), αν και έχει κάποια σημαντικά πραγματάκια να πει γύρω από το λεγόμενο "Αμερικάνικο όνειρο" και τον κόσμο των μικροεγκληματιών. Σίγουρα, πάντως, δεν είναι για όλα τα γούστα, με το συγκεκριμένο στιλ που έχουν οι διάλογοι, καθώς και με το μπόλικο βρισίδι. Αυτά.
Αυτό είναι το δεύτερο θεατρικό έργο του Ντέιβιντ Μάμετ που διαβάζω, μετά το κλασικό "Οικόπεδα με θέα" που διάβασα στις αρχές του 2017. Αυτή τη φορά, όμως, δεν δηλώνω και ιδιαίτερα ικανοποιημένος. Δηλαδή, εντάξει, σαν θεατρικό έργο καλούτσικο μου φάνηκε, ιδιαίτερο και κυνικό, όμως γενικά με κούρασε κάπως. Από τη μια οι διάλογοι, από την άλλη οι χαρακτήρες, κάτι στο τέλος δεν μου έκανε κλικ. Δεν το συζητάω, είναι σαφώς κατώτερο του εξαιρετικού "Οικόπεδα με θέα" (ρε γαμώτο, κάποια στιγμή πρέπει να δω την ταινία), αν και έχει κάποια σημαντικά πραγματάκια να πει γύρω από το λεγόμενο "Αμερικάνικο όνειρο" και τον κόσμο των μικροεγκληματιών. Σίγουρα, πάντως, δεν είναι για όλα τα γούστα, με το συγκεκριμένο στιλ που έχουν οι διάλογοι, καθώς και με το μπόλικο βρισίδι. Αυτά.
June 4, 2014
The Student/Teacher, Mentor/Innocent, Parent/Child relationship is important in many of Mamet's plays. In "American Buffalo" Don is the owner of a junk shop and Bobby is a kid with a troubled past who runs errands for him. Don looks out for Bobby and Bobby wants to do right by Don.
The other third of the cast is Teach. Three characters, one set and a phone. That's it and that's more than enough.
"Sexual Perversity in Chicago" and the "Duck Variations" announced Mamet as a new voice in American theater. But it is "American Buffalo" that revealed what the voice was capable of. If you've never seen a Mamet play before the brilliant violence of the language will shock and amaze you. If you've never read a Mamet play before this violence will play in your head like a coarse American symphony.
Until the very end almost nothing physical happens. Language is all. A pivotal event is recounted. This leads to scheming, second guessing, plotting, paranoia, intimidation and finally truth and regret. The language is perpetually performative. It creates the reality the three are scraping by in.
I've heard people comment that Mamet's dialogue isn't real. "No one talks like that." People who say that are just wrong. Mamet's characters talk like that. And the dialects he has created for his characters over the years have been so powerful that they have influenced the writing on "The Wire" and "The Sopranos" and Richard Price's novels and innumerable movies and real life salesman and politicians and street toughs.
This play is constantly revived on Broadway and apart from a recent notable exception it always works.
If you can't afford a ticket to see it on stage and you can't find a copy of the script in your library then see the movie. It's great too.
Carac
September 6, 2017
American Book Review, a play by David Mamet
Interior. Lights up on DAVID MAMET and COLEMAN, who are standing in a room, somewhere, who knows where, nobody knows.
DAVID MAMET: Hey,
COLEMAN: Hey,
DM: You checked out my play?
C: Yeah.
DM: You read it?
C: Yeah.
DM: You like it?
C: Uh huh.
DM: I mean, you think it’s good?
C: It’s good.
DM: Yeah?
C: Yeah. It’s a good play.
DM: Good.
C: Only-
DM: What? What only?
C: Only I didn’t read it.
DM: You didn’t read it?
C: What I mean is, I listened to it.
DM: You listened to it.
C: Yeah.
DM: You didn’t watch it, you didn’t read it, you listened to it.
C: Yeah.
DM: What are you, blind? How do you see a play without seeing it?
C: Well you know, I’m in my car.
DM: Yeah.
C: I’m watchin’ the road, you know?
DM: Of course.
C: I’m watchin’ the semi trucks, the speed demons, the cops tryin’ to hide, tryin’ to pull my ass over.
DM: Oh I know that, yeah.
C: So I can’t watch, I can’t read. I gotta listen.
DM: You gotta listen.
C: It’s all I can do.
DM: Sure.
C: See a drive is not just a drive, Dave, it’s not just a drive. it’s an opportunity.
DM: An opportunity?
C: Oh yeah, when you drive, you got time. Time to think. Time to listen.
DM: Alright.
C: Opportunity to get a little culture, you know what I mean?
DM: I know what you mean.
C: So that’s what I was doin’. Driving and gettin’ a little culture. I like gettin’ a little culture.
DM: Yeah, so you liked it.
C: Yeah, I like getting’ a little culture.
DM: But you liked the play itself.
C: Well, yeah.
DM: Well yeah?
C: Well, I mean, it was alright.
DM: Alright?
C: Yeah it was aright.
DM: You mean alright? Or do you mean, you know, alright?
C: I mean it was alright?
DM: You think my play’s alright? Just alright?
C: It’s alright, alright?
DM: No. No. Not alright. You just- where do you get off?
C: Dave I’m sorry, alright?
DM: Just hang on a minute, alright, hang on. Just where do you get off?
C: I thought it was alright, what do you want?
DM: What do I want? Oh since when has it been about what I want?
C: Dave-
DM: You’re the guy who wants a little culture, so by all means, let’s give you whatever you want. How would you like that, huh?
C: I’m sorry Dave.
DM: No, you know what, I’m sorry Mr. Culture. What is the big problem with my play.
C: There’s no problem, it’s just alright.
DM: Then why is it just alright.
C: It’s just-
DM: Come on, spit it out.
C: It’s a little-
DM: What? It’s a little what, Mr. Culture?
C: It’s a little repetitive.
DM: A little repetitive?
C: Just a little repetitive.
DM: Alright.
C: And maybe-
DM: Maybe what?
C: A little, I don’t know-
DM: Coleman I swear to God, you tell me-
C: Dave-
DM: You tell me just what makes my play alright. You better tell me right here.
C: Well, it’s a little too-
DM: Too...
C: Dramatic
DM: (Beat) My play is too dramatic?
C: Yeah a little, you know, it’s almost like, melodramatic.
DM: I see.
DAVID MAMET pulls a long pistol from his pocket.
C: Dave, what are you- look I’m sorry Dave.
DM: My little play, my little drama. It’s just a little too dramatic for ya?
C: Dave, put the gun away, you don’t-
DM: I don’t know how to use drama, huh?
C: I didn’t say that-
DM: Well what the hell would a guy like me, David Mamet, know about drama?
C: Dave, easy now-
DM: I’ve only written dozens of DRAMAS.
C: Dave-
DM: Written hundreds of screenplays for television and movie DRAMAS.
C: Please-
DM: And I won a teensy little award, no big deal, just a tiny thing they call the Pulitzer Prize for DRAMA.
C: Okay, I get it.
DM: No you don’t get it, you’ve NEVER gotten it. You can’t just write a play where people talk in monologues and soliloquies, real life ain’t like that. You need people talking over each other, people talking at each other. You don’t always have to listen to each other because people don’t listen to each other. Just like you didn't listen to my play.
C: I did, Dave, I swear to God.
DAVID MAMET cocks the gun, pointing it at COLEMAN.
DM: You didn’t, Coleman, or else you’d know that drama is what makes life worth living.
He shoots COLEMAN dead. The curtain falls. A confused audience laughs and then applauds, declaring that DAVID MAMET is a genius.
Interior. Lights up on DAVID MAMET and COLEMAN, who are standing in a room, somewhere, who knows where, nobody knows.
DAVID MAMET: Hey,
COLEMAN: Hey,
DM: You checked out my play?
C: Yeah.
DM: You read it?
C: Yeah.
DM: You like it?
C: Uh huh.
DM: I mean, you think it’s good?
C: It’s good.
DM: Yeah?
C: Yeah. It’s a good play.
DM: Good.
C: Only-
DM: What? What only?
C: Only I didn’t read it.
DM: You didn’t read it?
C: What I mean is, I listened to it.
DM: You listened to it.
C: Yeah.
DM: You didn’t watch it, you didn’t read it, you listened to it.
C: Yeah.
DM: What are you, blind? How do you see a play without seeing it?
C: Well you know, I’m in my car.
DM: Yeah.
C: I’m watchin’ the road, you know?
DM: Of course.
C: I’m watchin’ the semi trucks, the speed demons, the cops tryin’ to hide, tryin’ to pull my ass over.
DM: Oh I know that, yeah.
C: So I can’t watch, I can’t read. I gotta listen.
DM: You gotta listen.
C: It’s all I can do.
DM: Sure.
C: See a drive is not just a drive, Dave, it’s not just a drive. it’s an opportunity.
DM: An opportunity?
C: Oh yeah, when you drive, you got time. Time to think. Time to listen.
DM: Alright.
C: Opportunity to get a little culture, you know what I mean?
DM: I know what you mean.
C: So that’s what I was doin’. Driving and gettin’ a little culture. I like gettin’ a little culture.
DM: Yeah, so you liked it.
C: Yeah, I like getting’ a little culture.
DM: But you liked the play itself.
C: Well, yeah.
DM: Well yeah?
C: Well, I mean, it was alright.
DM: Alright?
C: Yeah it was aright.
DM: You mean alright? Or do you mean, you know, alright?
C: I mean it was alright?
DM: You think my play’s alright? Just alright?
C: It’s alright, alright?
DM: No. No. Not alright. You just- where do you get off?
C: Dave I’m sorry, alright?
DM: Just hang on a minute, alright, hang on. Just where do you get off?
C: I thought it was alright, what do you want?
DM: What do I want? Oh since when has it been about what I want?
C: Dave-
DM: You’re the guy who wants a little culture, so by all means, let’s give you whatever you want. How would you like that, huh?
C: I’m sorry Dave.
DM: No, you know what, I’m sorry Mr. Culture. What is the big problem with my play.
C: There’s no problem, it’s just alright.
DM: Then why is it just alright.
C: It’s just-
DM: Come on, spit it out.
C: It’s a little-
DM: What? It’s a little what, Mr. Culture?
C: It’s a little repetitive.
DM: A little repetitive?
C: Just a little repetitive.
DM: Alright.
C: And maybe-
DM: Maybe what?
C: A little, I don’t know-
DM: Coleman I swear to God, you tell me-
C: Dave-
DM: You tell me just what makes my play alright. You better tell me right here.
C: Well, it’s a little too-
DM: Too...
C: Dramatic
DM: (Beat) My play is too dramatic?
C: Yeah a little, you know, it’s almost like, melodramatic.
DM: I see.
DAVID MAMET pulls a long pistol from his pocket.
C: Dave, what are you- look I’m sorry Dave.
DM: My little play, my little drama. It’s just a little too dramatic for ya?
C: Dave, put the gun away, you don’t-
DM: I don’t know how to use drama, huh?
C: I didn’t say that-
DM: Well what the hell would a guy like me, David Mamet, know about drama?
C: Dave, easy now-
DM: I’ve only written dozens of DRAMAS.
C: Dave-
DM: Written hundreds of screenplays for television and movie DRAMAS.
C: Please-
DM: And I won a teensy little award, no big deal, just a tiny thing they call the Pulitzer Prize for DRAMA.
C: Okay, I get it.
DM: No you don’t get it, you’ve NEVER gotten it. You can’t just write a play where people talk in monologues and soliloquies, real life ain’t like that. You need people talking over each other, people talking at each other. You don’t always have to listen to each other because people don’t listen to each other. Just like you didn't listen to my play.
C: I did, Dave, I swear to God.
DAVID MAMET cocks the gun, pointing it at COLEMAN.
DM: You didn’t, Coleman, or else you’d know that drama is what makes life worth living.
He shoots COLEMAN dead. The curtain falls. A confused audience laughs and then applauds, declaring that DAVID MAMET is a genius.
August 17, 2018
J'encourage les européens à lire cette pièce vulgaire mais puissante car elle représente extrêmement bien le génie de David Mamet qui est un des plus importants écrivains américain de notre époque. Son grand talent de bien décrire les actes, les gestes et les paroles des petits voyous et criminels des États-Unis. Enfin il écrit sur le genre d'américain que l'on rencontre pas en Europe et que l'on essaie d'éviter quand on voyage aux États-Unis. "American Buffalo" raconte l'histoire de trois sals types qui ratent un cambriolage de façon loufoque et qui soulèvent notre sympathie plutôt que notre admiration.
Cette pièce offre une vision très percutante d'une classe sociale américaine qui est très peu connue à l'étranger. Je le recommande fortement.
Cette pièce offre une vision très percutante d'une classe sociale américaine qui est très peu connue à l'étranger. Je le recommande fortement.
February 25, 2018
Gosto muito de teatro; representado e lido. Mas nalgumas peças saio a meio, para continuar a soneca em poiso mais confortável...
October 3, 2015
This is a tough, nasty little play that is stylistically and thematically very much in line with other things I have seen from Mamet, e.g. House of Games, Homicide, and Glengarry Glen Ross. The short, sharp lines of dialogue, the greed, the rough-edged characters are all there. And what Mamet does best is here too: the unpredictable twists and turns the plot takes, the surprises, and the explosions of the obvious.
The story concerns Teach and Don, two petty crooks who operate out of a junk shop. There is young guy named Bobby who has been scoping out a wealthy coin collector. He reports that the collector has left town, probably for the weekend, and Don and Teach begin plotting a burglary. They cut the inexperienced Bobby out of the action, much to his chagrin, and replace him with a hustler named Fletch. In the second act, the tables turn and everything gets f***ed up. Double crosses occur, and these hardened toughs are revealed as a bunch of greedy buffoons.
Mamet clearly wants to say something about this sweet land of liberty, about its lust for money and lack of ethics. For some reason in this play, he eliminates prepositions and pronouns in the dialog to give it some low class grit, an unnecessary move which made me question how much experience Mamet really has in this area. Still, the characters are generally believable if not particularly interesting. But in this plot-driven piece they don't need to be - one still pays attention right to the end.
The story concerns Teach and Don, two petty crooks who operate out of a junk shop. There is young guy named Bobby who has been scoping out a wealthy coin collector. He reports that the collector has left town, probably for the weekend, and Don and Teach begin plotting a burglary. They cut the inexperienced Bobby out of the action, much to his chagrin, and replace him with a hustler named Fletch. In the second act, the tables turn and everything gets f***ed up. Double crosses occur, and these hardened toughs are revealed as a bunch of greedy buffoons.
Mamet clearly wants to say something about this sweet land of liberty, about its lust for money and lack of ethics. For some reason in this play, he eliminates prepositions and pronouns in the dialog to give it some low class grit, an unnecessary move which made me question how much experience Mamet really has in this area. Still, the characters are generally believable if not particularly interesting. But in this plot-driven piece they don't need to be - one still pays attention right to the end.
March 18, 2020
فوقالعاده لذتبخش در خوانش گروهی
November 29, 2020
I never thought that the cadences of David Mamet's dialogue would fail to dazzle me, nor that they would ever feel dated or false. There was a time when the repetitions, the interjections, the interruptions felt like the most natural dialogue I had ever heard, and I longed to capture that in my own writing.
Listening to this L.A. Theatreworks performance of Mamet's American Buffalo dispelled Mamet's illusory magic for the first time. But why? Is it because the performances failed in some way? Is it because Mamet's language really is outdated? Is it because his language doesn't exist in our reality? Is it something else?
The only other thing I can imagine that might be the root of this failure is the possibility that the slavish devotion to every ellipsis, every double dash, and every syllable in Mamet's plays is starting to takes its toll on the natural flow of speaking. It strikes me that the attempt to capture the very cadences that once made Mamet great (and that, I think -- but this is a foggy memory that I can't be bothered to verify -- Mamet makes a requirement of staging his work) are at the root of the cadences falling apart. Leaving no room for actors and directors to play may make it more difficult for the performance of Mamet's work to remain natural. Just a theory.
I wish I knew the answer. Maybe it is just that American Buffalo is actually not as good as I remember. Maybe it was always just an average Mamet attempt. I think I need to go back to Speed the Plow and see how I feel after that.
Listening to this L.A. Theatreworks performance of Mamet's American Buffalo dispelled Mamet's illusory magic for the first time. But why? Is it because the performances failed in some way? Is it because Mamet's language really is outdated? Is it because his language doesn't exist in our reality? Is it something else?
The only other thing I can imagine that might be the root of this failure is the possibility that the slavish devotion to every ellipsis, every double dash, and every syllable in Mamet's plays is starting to takes its toll on the natural flow of speaking. It strikes me that the attempt to capture the very cadences that once made Mamet great (and that, I think -- but this is a foggy memory that I can't be bothered to verify -- Mamet makes a requirement of staging his work) are at the root of the cadences falling apart. Leaving no room for actors and directors to play may make it more difficult for the performance of Mamet's work to remain natural. Just a theory.
I wish I knew the answer. Maybe it is just that American Buffalo is actually not as good as I remember. Maybe it was always just an average Mamet attempt. I think I need to go back to Speed the Plow and see how I feel after that.
March 15, 2025
"اگر در متنی یک یا چند نفر از همان ابتدا مرده باشند چه؟ از این آدمها خونی ریخته نمیشود و هیچکدام همدیگر را از بین نمیبرند. بلکه روح ایــن انسانهاست که از بین میرود. قواعد تراژدی عوض نشده، فقط اینبار تلختر و نزدیکتر به زندگی ما رخ میدهد، و بسیار نزدیک به یک کمدی سیاه - یعنی درست وقتی افراد هر روز در زندگی واقعی بازندهاند و خودشان متوجه نیستند و همچنان دارند به راه خودشان ادامه میدهند و خود را بیشتر از حد ممکن جدّی میگیرند –"
October 9, 2025
The Whole Entire World.
There Is No Law.
There Is No Right And Wrong.
The World Is Lies.
There Is No Friendship.
Every Fucking Thing.
Pause.
Every God-forsaken Thing.
There Is No Law.
There Is No Right And Wrong.
The World Is Lies.
There Is No Friendship.
Every Fucking Thing.
Pause.
Every God-forsaken Thing.
November 4, 2016
American Buffalo is a story of Friendship and Betrayal, parodic version of the American Dream and of course a social drama.
As Mamet himself puts it: "the play is about the American ethic of business... how we excuse all sorts of great and small betrayals and ethical compromises called business."
Don owns a junk shop, Bob is his gofer and Teach is his friend. The play's about an American Buffalo nickel which Don has sold and now he thinks he has been cheated and is professionally offended! Bob is assigned to watch the buyer's house and see if he leaves the house they would go and not only still back the Buffalo nickel, but also his stack of expensive coins. That's when Teach comes and convinces Don to cut Bob out of the job and let him do it.
Don caves in and decides to cut Bob out... here is when the Betrayal takes place! Don is supposed to teach Bob how to be a man and learn the so called honor among thieves, but instead of sticking up for Bob, Don cuts him out...
The whole play takes place in the junk shop and in the course of one day. The play is considered a Tragedy for this very matter!
The action of this play is WORDS. Nothing happens in this play but many empty philosophies and words!
Teach talks about how it's their right to go and still form the costumer, and how every man deserves to have what he wants even if it means destroying another. This is the American Dream, something that tells you to fight for what you want and not give up till you have reached it. Step on others to rise and bend ethics to fit it in your own privet interests.
In a way, the play is an interrogation of the business ethics of America.
This play is filled with constant stream of swearing, but keep in mind that Mamet's "language functions as a kind of street poetry, a deliberately embellished dialogue... the language takes on a non-realistic, metaphoric cogency."(Matthew Roudane)
There is always a gap between the words spoken and what the speaker intended to say, and critics say that is the Action of the play!
At the end of the play no heist takes place (wow, so didn't see it coming, huh??)But the honor among thieves is restored.... to some extend. The play both Starts and Ends with men assuring themselves that they are not "mad" at each other...
What makes the play a comedy (in my opinion of course) is how these people think themselves professionals, when they can't even pull of a simple robbery; yet they think themselves very important and stop talking when they see a police car from afar! As if the police care about these want to be thieves!
The last thing I want to say is the significance of the American Buffalo. This magnificent animal is said to be on the verge of extinction, and that is what's happening to friendship. Don is supposed to be Bob's friend, the same way Teach is supposed to be Don's friend; but they end up crossing each other and acting very unfriend like! Irony much?!!
As Mamet himself puts it: "the play is about the American ethic of business... how we excuse all sorts of great and small betrayals and ethical compromises called business."
Don owns a junk shop, Bob is his gofer and Teach is his friend. The play's about an American Buffalo nickel which Don has sold and now he thinks he has been cheated and is professionally offended! Bob is assigned to watch the buyer's house and see if he leaves the house they would go and not only still back the Buffalo nickel, but also his stack of expensive coins. That's when Teach comes and convinces Don to cut Bob out of the job and let him do it.
Don caves in and decides to cut Bob out... here is when the Betrayal takes place! Don is supposed to teach Bob how to be a man and learn the so called honor among thieves, but instead of sticking up for Bob, Don cuts him out...
The whole play takes place in the junk shop and in the course of one day. The play is considered a Tragedy for this very matter!
The action of this play is WORDS. Nothing happens in this play but many empty philosophies and words!
Teach talks about how it's their right to go and still form the costumer, and how every man deserves to have what he wants even if it means destroying another. This is the American Dream, something that tells you to fight for what you want and not give up till you have reached it. Step on others to rise and bend ethics to fit it in your own privet interests.
In a way, the play is an interrogation of the business ethics of America.
This play is filled with constant stream of swearing, but keep in mind that Mamet's "language functions as a kind of street poetry, a deliberately embellished dialogue... the language takes on a non-realistic, metaphoric cogency."(Matthew Roudane)
There is always a gap between the words spoken and what the speaker intended to say, and critics say that is the Action of the play!
At the end of the play no heist takes place (wow, so didn't see it coming, huh??)But the honor among thieves is restored.... to some extend. The play both Starts and Ends with men assuring themselves that they are not "mad" at each other...
What makes the play a comedy (in my opinion of course) is how these people think themselves professionals, when they can't even pull of a simple robbery; yet they think themselves very important and stop talking when they see a police car from afar! As if the police care about these want to be thieves!
The last thing I want to say is the significance of the American Buffalo. This magnificent animal is said to be on the verge of extinction, and that is what's happening to friendship. Don is supposed to be Bob's friend, the same way Teach is supposed to be Don's friend; but they end up crossing each other and acting very unfriend like! Irony much?!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2025
Rapid, sharp, chaotic.
May 22, 2023
Wanna play a round of David Mamet Free Association? OK, ready? Go!
Chicago? Cold. Coffee? Cigarette. Frustration? Ambition. Money? Heist. Confusion? Violence. Resolution? End.
That was fun, now wasn't it?
NB: The film adaptation with Andy Sipowicz and Rain Man was a solid three stars too.
Chicago? Cold. Coffee? Cigarette. Frustration? Ambition. Money? Heist. Confusion? Violence. Resolution? End.
That was fun, now wasn't it?
NB: The film adaptation with Andy Sipowicz and Rain Man was a solid three stars too.
July 20, 2017
خیلی شبیه در انتظار گودو بود
ولی در انتظار گودو شخصیت پردازی خیلی خیلی بهتر و گفت و گو های جذاب تری داره
در کل نمایشنامه ای بدی نبود
ولی در انتظار گودو شخصیت پردازی خیلی خیلی بهتر و گفت و گو های جذاب تری داره
در کل نمایشنامه ای بدی نبود
December 1, 2018
I believe I liked this more than the Mrs. We saw an amateur production in Ohio the next day.
Read
December 20, 2020Reminds me sooo much of Beckett's Waiting for Godot.
June 9, 2023
American dream as/and crime. Naïve hope, tough cynicism, and the tragic pathos of their conjunction.
May 15, 2020
Trying to write a play and thought why not learn from a Master! Also was suppose to see it with Sam Rockwell on Broadway in April, alas, that was cancelled.
To be honest, pretty macho type play so I'm actually happy to have simply read it.
Obviously fantastic clipped Mamet famous dialogue. The story is a bit thin to be honest, but I guess the devil is in the details, meaning we as play goers get to ponder the back stories we surmise. Themes include whether there is ever really true friendship without betrayal.
To be honest, pretty macho type play so I'm actually happy to have simply read it.
Obviously fantastic clipped Mamet famous dialogue. The story is a bit thin to be honest, but I guess the devil is in the details, meaning we as play goers get to ponder the back stories we surmise. Themes include whether there is ever really true friendship without betrayal.
September 8, 2022
Love the guy, hate the author.
That was hard to get through. Quite boring and nothing really going on. The dialogue, which since it’s a play, really didn’t do anything for me. It was quite bare and almost unintelligible. The full thrust would definitely be in a real play. But when someone like Arthur Miller writes a play, I can still glean every nuance and emotion even without watching the play. I have nothing good to say about this play. Not even sure what the point was, and I saw some reviews and I don’t even agree with them.
Hopefully Oleanna will be better when I get there.
2.5 stars.
That was hard to get through. Quite boring and nothing really going on. The dialogue, which since it’s a play, really didn’t do anything for me. It was quite bare and almost unintelligible. The full thrust would definitely be in a real play. But when someone like Arthur Miller writes a play, I can still glean every nuance and emotion even without watching the play. I have nothing good to say about this play. Not even sure what the point was, and I saw some reviews and I don’t even agree with them.
Hopefully Oleanna will be better when I get there.
2.5 stars.
June 4, 2017
I'm taking an online course from David Mamet and had to reread the play. Ironically, thanks to the playwright who introduced us to street-speak, the play now feels overly familiar, as if we've seen/heard thousands of stories like it. But Mamet's originality and dramatic craft elevate this above nearly all the subsequent imitations.
September 19, 2019
One of the best American plays I've ever read; i would love to see it performed....dont want to see the movie.
April 10, 2022
A well-constructed character study about hustlers and the people they choose to protect. Seeing this live will bring out the conflicts and inner struggles.
November 19, 2024
middling around
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