Jerry Maguire (1996). After a moral crisis, sports agent Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is fired for his ideals but finds new purpose by building genuine, personal relationships with his clients. Feedback from clients and colleagues is emotionally charged and transformative, showing how professional evaluation in America is inextricably linked to personal values and identity.
movies
Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich (2000): A legal assistant investigates a company accused of contaminating a town’s water supply. The film shows the process of collecting documents, interviewing witnesses, and building a case that combines both objective facts and personal stories. The resolution depends on both documentary evidence and the lived experiences of affected residents, reflecting the American balance of facts and testimony.
instinctive decision-making
Sully (2016). Based on the real-life Miracle on the Hudson, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger makes a split-second decision to land his disabled plane on the Hudson River. The film shows how immediate, instinctive decision-making can save lives, and that reviewing and correcting decisions can come later.
McDonald brothers
The Founder (2016). This film tells the story of Ray Kroc and the McDonald brothers. Kroc enters into an agreement with the brothers to franchise their restaurant, maintains constant contact as the business grows, but ultimately finds ways to change the terms and force the original owners out. The movie highlights how agreements can be transactional, with parties reserving the right to alter or exit arrangements when it suits their interests.
rapid, imperfect
Apollo 13 (1995). When an oxygen tank explodes on the spacecraft, NASA’s ground team and the astronauts must make a series of rapid, imperfect decisions to bring the crew home safely. The film highlights how quick thinking, adaptability, and the willingness to improvise are valued over waiting for perfect solutions. The mantra “failure is not an option” underscores the urgency and necessity of fast action.
close or walk away
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). Set in a high-pressure sales office, this movie depicts real estate agents in constant contact with clients and each other, always ready to close or walk away from deals. The focus is on results, not relationships or context, and the right to exit is exercised ruthlessly.
Good Bye Lenin !
In the film Good Bye Lenin! (2003), set in East Berlin before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the protagonist’s mother, a staunch supporter of the socialist regime, views Western capitalist practices with disdain, including price bargaining. The film highlights her discomfort with the perceived commercialism and transactional nature of post-reunification Germany, contrasting it with the perceived fairness and transparency of fixed pricing under socialism.
Hauptmann Wiesler
In The Lives of Others, set in 1984 East Berlin, the Stasi secret police monitor playwright Georg Dreyman, suspecting him of anti-government activities. The Stasi officer, Hauptmann (captain) Wiesler, employs a methodical, structured approach during Dreyman’s interrogation.
Wiesler adheres strictly to protocol, asking precise, repetitive questions to expose inconsistencies. The scene is devoid of emotional appeals and is driven by logic, structure, and adherence to bureaucratic procedure. The emphasis on detailed questioning, factual evidence, and strict procedural adherence reflects the German preference for systematic, rule-based negotiation, even in coercive situations.
get a dog
Wall Street (1987). The film’s protagonist, Bud Fox, and corporate raider Gordon Gekko engage in a series of business deals where alliances are fluid, context is kept minimal, and loyalty is secondary to opportunity. The famous line, “If you need a friend, get a dog,” underscores the transactional, exit-ready mindset prevalent in American business culture.
transactional and ruthless
There Will Be Blood (2007). Daniel Plainview’s business dealings are transactional and ruthless. He enters agreements with landowners and partners, only to break or manipulate them for personal gain. The film critiques the destructive consequences of this approach, both for individuals and communities.