Customer Reviews

Survivors [VHS]

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The comic premise of this movie is a good one. Two passing acquaintances are thrown together trying to escape a hit-man with bad nerves and colitis---well-played by Jerry Reed. I think Williams does carry the movie, but his repartee with Reed is some of the funniest writing (more likely improvisation) I've ever heard. Whatever this movie lacks is made up for in the scenes pitting Williams' "Donald" against Reed's bad guy. Those scenes are worth the cost of the whole movie. I'm amazed and also happy this one was released on DVD.

Robin Williams is masterful as a zany survival nut who is being taken advantage of by a scheming businessman preying on fear that society will break down...Walter Matthau is the perfect straight man/foil for Williams...

Even though this is an older movie it is a theme which is still timeless...Is society getting ready for the "Big Flush" and how do responsible people respond to it?...

Williams and Matthau provide one very funny solution.

this movie is a genuine treasure to watch. sit back and enjoy one of robin william's best roles. walter matthau and jerry reed round out the cast in a twisting comedy about life, getting fired, and giving society the finger. enjoy

Both Robin Williams and Walter Matthau lose their jobs and then meet by chance in a restaurant; while there they become victims of a robbery attempt but scare the robber away. Williams goes crazy, arms himself to the teeth, and then joins a mercenary survival war school in the woods of Vermont. The robber wants to get rid of both Williams and Matthau for fear they can identify him, only Williams challenges him to a showdown in the snow in Vermont.

It's a wonderful romp, with the understated Matthau a perfect foil for Williams's off-the-wall zaniness. The movie falters somewhat in the woods of Vermont, with the anti-vigilante message becoming overly obtrusive, but there's enough hilarity to overlook it. A very funny movie. Definitely worth a watch.

This is one that is easily forgotten, but people should rediscover this piece of work. 2 men's lives unexpectedly cross when a diner is robbed. Donald(Williams) Quinelle decides that society is too sick to "survive" and joins a survivalist group in the mountains. Sonny(Matthau) Paluso wants no part of the survivalist mode of living, but in order to save his own life from the armed robber they can both put the finger on he soons joins Quinelle in the survivalist camp. Jerry Reed is the robber and does one heck of a job here. Opening credits use the late Governor Huey Long's "Every Man a King".

This is one of the funniest movies of the 80's. Why it wasn't more popular is a mystery right up there with why a horrible show like "Seindfeld" was so popular and a brilliant comedy like "Titus" was done in 3 seasons.
The scene near the end where Robbin Williams and Jerry Reed are in a shootout in the woods will have you in tears.... Comedy brilliance.

i thought that this movie was funny.It first started out when these two guys got fired then a robber comes into a resturant where they were and the guy played by robbin williams is shot by the robber and the robber escapes.the movie keep on getting better

I have loved this movie since the first day I saw it years ago. No mater how many times I see it, it only gets better each time. What a cast - Walter, Robin,and Jerry Reed. There are so many classic lines aswell. I have used these lines over and over and over and they just get funnier. I highly recommend this film.

I first watched this movie twenty five years ago. It is just as funny now as it was then. It tells the tale of two very different men who meet and bond only because they are victims of crime of the same suspect (Jerry Reed), from a coffee shop robbery. Needless to say, both are outraged over the incident and are left feeling helpless. Walter Matthau usually the cagey type in prior films is the opposite here. He is a single father of a young daughter who's protective of her and scared of everything else. Williams and Matthau decide to sign up for a soldier of fortune type camp where they want to learn survival skills for self protection. However they have two big problems, Jerry Reed, the bad guy, is onto them and follows them to the camp. The camp's instructor turns out to be a ninja type maniac with the mentality of get them before they get us at any cost. I'd classify this movie as a comedy-thriller with an edge. It will keep you laughing and you can't go wrong with Williams and Matthau.

This could be the most underrated comedy of the 80's. I love playing this for people who missed it during the 80's. It's a classic in my mind.

The scenes are consistently entertaining, memorable, and very often hilarious.

A good story, and a real good idea for a story.

Jerry Reed stands out. Robin Williams doesn't disappoint and Walter Matthau provides credibility and balance.

Excellent watch over and over comedy.