Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Disturbing yet enthralling

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

I love to read the reviews of this movie talking about how there are plot holes and the movie lacks direction and on, and on, and on. The Austin Powers movies have plot holes a plenty and virtually no direction or underlying 'ah-ha's...but they're still really funny. The one liners in this movie are classic Robin Williams and him and Walter Matthau play off each other really well. Throw in Jerry Reed and you have a party. If you're looking for something with plot and direction and some underlying meaning, this is not your movie. If you just want some good laughs in a corny comedy filled with some really great one-liners, this is right up there with the Austin Powers movies. Just don't go into it expecting to see something like Schindlers List and you'll be fine. For all the haters out there...lighten up! Stress'll kill ya!

When you come across one of those moments in life when you really need to catch hold of a spark of brilliance you should hold onto it and glow warmly in its presence. This film is one of those moments. It sparks and creates a wonderful mix of tragic characters interacting in a modern world, confused and not sure about their place, shattered by stupid events that happen around them to place them together. Robin Williams decent into understandable weakness provides cream for your coffee – sacked by a parrot, driving the same car as all his fellow corporate colleagues he blunders into a world he only read about and slipped and scrawled crashing into a frightened world where the big cesspool awaits. Walter in a parallel world falls lower and lower creating empathic moments trying to get by in a simple world where his daughter strolls in his shadow in adolescence. This film contains some superb dialogue and creative comedy that charm the watcher. Robin is sublime and Walter makes sense where there is none. Jack is colossal as a nemesis and indefatigable in his pursuit until his humanity appears on the floor of a wood cabin when all the characters come together. Do not listen to those who believe this is poor, they have not watched and wondered at the connections. Brilliance and eclectic!

As I watched The Survivors, I couldn't help but wonder what was going through the mind of director Michael Ritchie when he was presented with the script. Outside of the enormous gaps in plot and development, he had to see some humor in it somewhere to cast two direct opposites of the comedy spectrum to helm this project. There had to be a mission or a reason in Ritchie's mind when he decided that Robin Williams, a fast-talking comedian that can sometimes be uncontrollable, and Walter Matthau, a slow-methodical comedian that appeals to the "every man", would be his key players. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall during this opening meeting because this little fly would have spoken up and mentioned that this pairing would doom the script, and possibly put a black mark on both of these actor's careers. I wouldn't just stop there, I would tear this film to pieces trying to get others to explain to me the subsequent ending and missing tone. The only element that I would be content with would be the casting of Jerry Reed, who honestly brought some humor and intelligence to this scarred film. The Survivors was not a film, but instead an attempt to allow two comedians the opportunity to express themselves coupled with heavy firepower. Nothing more, nothing less.Could somebody, anybody, please help me out with the story surrounding The Survivors? From the zigzag opening centered around the parrot and Robin Williams' job to the incident at Matthau's gas station (a plot point never mentioned or concluded), Ritchie spends no time developing anything. His choice of direction is simply to allow Williams to be as "zany" as possible and see how Matthau reacts to it. If it weren't for Jerry Reed this film would have been nearly an hour and a half of forced jokes, gunshots, and awkward moments. The story was pointless. In most instances I can find bits and pieces of a story which keeps my attention allowing me to be curious about how the ending will resolve itself. For there to be this resolution, there has to be a conflict. Ritchie attempts to create one with the entire "survival of the fittest" byline, but even that idea is never fully announced. I felt like a Ping-Pong ball in this film, constantly going back and forth between Williams and Matthau hoping that I would land on something that scored a point, but alas, this was the game that would never end. Ritchie even takes us into the wilderness in attempts to bring more laughs and eventually draw an ending, but again, nothing happens. Nothing is explained, nothing is developed, nothing is linear. Williams goes into the woods to be trained in survival, yet for the amount of time he was there it was as if he was unable to learn anything. Also, where did he get the funds to buy the house out in the woods? Then, without giving anything away, there was that pathetic ending. WHAT HAPPENED? I use big words there because there was not one iota of a conclusion. Enemies became friends, friends became enemies, and before words could be spoken the ending credits appeared.I would like to announce this here, but I believe Michael Ritchie could not even handle the simplest of tasks with this film. The direction was horrible because Ritchie could not control his actors. It was obvious as you watched Williams and Matthau on screen that there were getting no advice or pointers from the man behind the camera. Ritchie didn't stop Williams during his rants (which at times were never relevant to the film) and did not help Matthau react to the insanity that Williams was bringing to the table. What should have been the best part of this film was easily the most painful to watch. Williams and Matthau, in this critic's eye, possibly could be ranked as the WORST comic pairing in cinema. Matthau's form of comedy is completely, if not 100%, different to Williams' shenanigans. While in some film cases this would work to a movie's advantage, for The Survivors, it did not. There were no characters for these two comedians to enter into. I sat during the entire hour and a half watching Robin Williams be Robin Williams and the same for Walter Matthau. I could not see any semblance of a character between the two of them. Both seemed to jump from one trait to the next. Neither seemed to have a complete hold or knowledge of who they were attempting to portray. This is half due to the flimsy story, but mainly I place the blame on Ritchie. With Williams and Matthau at the helm, this had the beginnings of a hilarious possible gut-busting, laugh-out-loud comedy that would be a staple in the film community, but Ritchie, in my eyes, could not handle it. He relied to heavily on his actor's comic "personas" instead of actually building characters for them.Overall, this was a very sad excuse for a film. I have read some other reviews that speak highly of the comedy in this film while do speak similarly of the lacking story, but for me everything was broken. There were no characters, there was no direction, there was obviously no story, and our two central actors didn't work for their money, but just read through their lines and gave a measly 30% to the final product. The only plus I give this film is the accomplishment of Jerry Reed. He was worth watching. The scene between his wife and I was nearly close to perfection. I think it was the only time that I found myself chuckling through this entire film. Ritchie could not handle this film and in the end The Survivors is probably a film that neither Williams or Matthau wants to remember.Grade: ** out of *****

This movie does it all: entertains, sickens, confuses, enlightens, disappoints, enrages, delights... You get a young, burgeoning Robin Williams at the height of his cocaine abuse, a poorly-aged and dangerously arthritic Walter Matthau whose acting conjures past greatness ("Charade") and the effervescent Jerry Reed, at the peak of his career and in full, self-confident stride after the monumental success of the "Smokey" series and "Highballin" (won two awards at Cannes and a Gay and Lesbian Film Alliance Honor). Not sure why this movie is listed a comedy. I sob uncontrollably every time I watch it, which is nine times a week since 1996. Simply put, Reed's character "Jack" steals the show. His role would've been bigger but rumor has it that he made ridiculous demands while on set. Apparently, he had in his contract dodo-egg omelets at every meal and nobody on set can utter his name. Towards the end of filming, he attacked Robin William's publicist with a samurai sword. Needless to say, the man is our new Lord and this movie is his Testament....