Save the Tiger

R

Released Feb 14, 1973

1 hr. 40 min.

Drama

List

86%

29 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Clothing manufacturer Harry Stoner (Jack Lemmon) mourns the loss of his youthful idealism even as he seals his fate by arranging to have an arsonist (Thayer David) torch his faltering factory for the insurance settlement. Stoner's conflicts with himself, his business partner (Jack Gilford), his distant wife (Patricia Smith) and a demanding client (Norman Burton) boil over during a nightmarish presentation at a fashion show, while a free-spirited hippie girl (Laurie Heineman) offers escape.

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Critics Consensus

Jack Lemmon's outstanding performance helps Save the Tiger grab early '70s American anxiety firmly by the tail.

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Peter W

Overall, this is a touching, well-made drama focusing on one man dealing with extreme anxiety levels in all areas of his life. Jack Lemmon as Harry is outstanding, and audiences will appreciate the detail and depth on display even during the opening scene. While viewers may disagree with Harry's choices, you still hope that he finds peace and some form of joy by the end credits. It's a slow burn, and sadly, the third act drags on and feels slightly uncomfortable, given some of the lengthy scenes and extended dialogue that is exchanged. That being said, the finale is highly impacting, deeply touching, unpredictable, and pleasing.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/25/23

Full Review

dave s

Jack Lemmon thankfully avoids his standard anxiety-ridden, stuttering and stammering Everyman that he seems to play in every film. In John G. Avildsen's Save the Tiger, he portrays Harry Stoner, the owner of a clothing manufacturing factory, a man who longs for the simpler times of the past, seemingly unable to come to terms with the present, especially with regards to his struggling, financially strapped business. Lemmon shows impressive restraint throughout, giving a subtle performance of quiet desperation as he watches his moral compass slip away. The movie, despite feeling a bit dated (especially over the last twenty minutes), works on the strength of its script, Lemmon's performance, as well as the performance of Jack Gilford as Stoner's business partner and voice of reason.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

steve d

the only real reason to watch is Jack Lemmon and that is enough.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great film, great performance Perfectly captures the malaise of the times.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Mucho drama para mi gusto.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

jona i

Interesting, smart themes. Well-written. Jack Lemmon is incredible--vulnerable and daring! Overall, though, it's not very likable.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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John G. Avildsen

Director

Jack Lemmon

Harry Stoner

Jack Gilford

Phil Greene

Laurie Heineman

Myra

Norman Burton

Fred Mirrell

Patricia Smith

Janet Stoner

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

[Save the Tiger] asks us to accept Harry's own justification for what he does -- that American materialism has turned him into what he is. And this is a moral hustle that must have enchanted the movie executives who financed this picture.

Sep 29, 2023

Full Review

Kathleen Carroll

New York Daily News

Avildsen has a particular talent for recreating lifelike situations. Here, his camera works like a magnet, picking up each squalid detail.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 11, 2021

Full Review

Elston Brooks

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

The only thing that saves "Save the Tiger" is Lemmon's highly believable dramatic performance.

Jun 11, 2021

Full Review

Kat Halstead

Common Sense Media

It's bleak in places, for sure, but the grimy details of the settings and a tour-de-force performance from Lemmon ensure there's enough to pull viewers into a world where moral ambiguity is normalized in a realistic yet fairly hopeless way.

Mar 18, 2024

Full Review

Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

The film is a meticulously painted portrait of a deeply flawed human being, and through it finds something to say about the growing cynicism and bleak reality of 1970s America.

Rated: 7/10

Dec 19, 2022

Full Review

Dilys Powell

Sunday Times (UK)

I very much doubt whether one would recognize the range of themes were it not for a masterly performance by Mr. Lemmon. Without him the film might look like just another glance at a man on the edge of breakdown.

Aug 8, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Clothing manufacturer Harry Stoner (Jack Lemmon) mourns the loss of his youthful idealism even as he seals his fate by arranging to have an arsonist (Thayer David) torch his faltering factory for the insurance settlement. Stoner's conflicts with himself, his business partner (Jack Gilford), his distant wife (Patricia Smith) and a demanding client (Norman Burton) boil over during a nightmarish presentation at a fashion show, while a free-spirited hippie girl (Laurie Heineman) offers escape.

Director: John G. Avildsen
Executive Producer: Edward S. Feldman
Screenwriter: Steve Shagan
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 14, 1973, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2012

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