The Survivors

"The Survivors" is characteristic of Robin Williams's movies before "Good Morning, Vietnam": innocuously silly. In this case, he and Walter Matthau join up after surviving a robbery, and Williams becomes a survivalist. The whole thing is pretty goofy - maybe even pointless - but some of the gags make up for that. I will say that it's not the funniest movie for either star by a long shot; both have done far better than this. But, it's the sort of movie that you sit around in your underwear and watch; it does a respectable job showing both stars' talents. Good for a few laughs.

Shooting a man's gun. Ha!

I gave it a 8 , and my wife thought it was a 6. Then this film must be a 7. If you have ever been hit by hard luck, one can relate with these characters. Robin Williams, when he was at his funniest, performs this rambling nonsense. Especially when he tells the events of the robbery to his fiancee, does a tv counterpoint (ie there would be no criminals if there were no victims, unless the criminals robbed other criminals, but I am diluting here) and acts out a gun battle. Walter Matthau plays the crabby straight guy who tries to fix events. Small role for Jerry Reed, watch the gas station scene; it's funny. Comedy is so hard to do, it's an art, much easier to make a horror film or action movie, but to get comedy right you have too hit a groove. This film does it!

This is classic Robin Williams! The plot is full of holes and overall it's fairly pointless, but this movie makes me laugh and grin no matter how many times I watch it. The best scenes take place in a snowy New England forest, and the movie does an awesome job of capturing the atmosphere.

Recently revisited the classic The Survivors (1983) on Tubi. The storyline revolves around two individuals who, by a stroke of fate, become friends after losing their jobs simultaneously and accidentally thwarting a hitman's plan. Following these events, the younger friend decides to retreat from society and join an extreme survivalist group in the mountains, while the older friend contemplates how to bounce back financially. However, when the vengeful hitman returns, the two friends must reunite and work together once more.

Directed by Michael Ritchie (The Golden Child), the film features an exceptional cast, including Walter Matthau (Grumpy Old Men), Robin Williams (Mrs. Doubtfire), Jerry Reed (Smokey and the Bandit) and James Wainwright (Beyond Westworld).

Walter Matthau and Robin Williams absolutely nailed their respective roles. Their facial expressions, mannerisms, and delivery of dialogue were flawless from start to finish. Robin Williams brought a wild, unpredictable, and utterly engaging quality to his character, making it impossible not to embrace his random and awkward persona. Matthau's reactions to Williams were consistently hilarious, and their on-screen chemistry was spot-on. Jerry Reed played a memorable villain, and the film's circumstances were uniquely entertaining within the comedy genre.

In conclusion, The Survivors is a distinctive and well-executed addition to the comedy genre. I would rate this a 7-7.5/10 and strongly recommend it.

The Survivors is not the Best film of any of the casts' careers, but I found it pretty funny for the most part. Matthau's sticks to his grouchy old man routine and Williams to his manic everyman. The rest of the cast is OK. There is a little social commentary which is a little dated by now, but still. I liked it.