The Survivors

R

Released Jun 22, 1983

1 hr. 44 min.

Comedy

List

9%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

44%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

When Sonny Paluso's (Walter Matthau) gas station is blown up and Donald Quinelle (Robin Williams) loses his cushy executive job, the two men meet on the unemployment line. Demoralized by how long it is, they repair to a diner, where they witness a murder by Jack Locke (Jerry Reed), a notorious hit man. Sonny and Donald soon realize that Locke is now targeting them, and the latter cracks up under the pressure, enrolling in an extreme survivalist school to learn how to defend himself.

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Aaron H

I've seen this movie 3 or 4 times over the years. It is one of my favorite movies. Robin Williams, Walter Matthau and Jerry Reed are hilarious. It rambles a bit, but it is fantastic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/24/24

Full Review

Devin J

Disappointing that this got panned by professional critics so hard, there are a lot of great one-liners in this movie, and it is more of a thinking, social satire comedy then just all out laughs. Glad that actually people seem to like it more but still surprised it's below 50%

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/25/23

Full Review

william d

This is one of the first films I watched after signing up for premium cable TV for the first time almost forty years ago. Watching it again reminded me of how thrilling it was to get uncut, unedited movies right on the TV, but that's not the point I want to make. The point is I thought this movie was funny back then and I think it's funny now.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

c

A underrated satirical comedy. A thinking man's (or woman's) comedy. Robin William's brilliantly portrays a man going off the deep end after a traumatic experience, Walter Matthau portrays the most unflappable straight man to william's slightly over the top character, and Jerry Reed's performance as the hit man are a must see. Slightly dated by the rotary phone props and.who's tape in some scenes. The main point however is not lost. No matter what goes wrong, it can always get worse. If you like Satires this is your movie because not counting the rotary phones and vhs tap props the problems portrayed are as relevant as ever, and Robin William's and his nemesis turned alley Jerry Reed's playing off each other is brilliant. If you don't like satire however then this may not be for you because the movie was meant to make you laugh and then think seriously about the issues brought up in it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Tim N

A much better movie than it gets credit for. Robin Williams is as over the top as always (almost like he's doing stand up) but Walter Matthau is as fantastic as always. I just enjoy watching it to see his reactions to the absurdity.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/27/22

Full Review

Audience Member

A time capsule of nonsense, there is some worthwhile nostalgia to it. In this time period before TikTok, there were a ton of horrible movies like this which were basically loosely-premised opportunities for stars to show off. Is Mathau's character believable as an old man who somehow has a 16 year-old daughter? Of course not. Does it make sense that anyone would take their daughter along for the ride to intercept a hit-man at a camp full of gun-shooting preppers? Of course not. Absurdism runs high, but you get a clear sense of Robin's manic essence, Mathau's Odd Couple essence, and just how low the bar was for some of these movies. Keep in mind that just one year before this movie, Robin made a screen adaptation of the nebulous The World According to Garp not only "palable" but "dazzling" according to critics--a confusing offering ahead of it's time for a movie in the mainstream. Similarly, just one year later, Robin gives an unprecedented peek behind his manic mask with the tragicomic Moscow on the Hudson, cementing a trend and making bits of nonsense like The Survivors all the more forgettable.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

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Michael Ritchie

Director

Walter Matthau

Sonny Paluso

Robin Williams

Donald Quinelle

Jerry Reed

Jack Locke

James Wainwright

Wes Huntley

Kristen Vigard

Candice Paluso

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Variety Staff

Variety

An aimless, unfocused social comedy, The Survivors misfires on just about every level.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Time Out

It's a bland piece of merchandise.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

It's an aimless, self-indulgent, confusing comedy that never comes to grips with its material.

Rated: 1.5/4

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

TV Guide

Williams, Matthau, and Reed struggle with the material and generate some bright moments, but overall The Survivors is a bewildering, frustrating movie.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 17, 2013

Full Review

Steve Crum

Video-Reviewmaster.com

Dumb, forced comedy wastes talents of Robin Williams and Walter Matthau.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 19, 2005

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jun 26, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

When Sonny Paluso's (Walter Matthau) gas station is blown up and Donald Quinelle (Robin Williams) loses his cushy executive job, the two men meet on the unemployment line. Demoralized by how long it is, they repair to a diner, where they witness a murder by Jack Locke (Jerry Reed), a notorious hit man. Sonny and Donald soon realize that Locke is now targeting them, and the latter cracks up under the pressure, enrolling in an extreme survivalist school to learn how to defend himself.

Director: Michael Ritchie
Production Co: Rastar Films
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 22, 1983, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 21, 2010
Sound Mix: Surround

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