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Jack Lemmon, Jack Gilford, Laurie Heineman, Norman Burton, Patricia Smith ... see more see more... , Thayer David , Biff Elliot , Ned Glass , William Hansen , Eloise Hardt , Harvey Jason , Liv Lindeland , Lara Parker , Pearl Shear , Ben Freedman , Janina , Madeleine Lee Gilford

Star Jack Lemmon was so eager to see Save the Tiger make it to the big screen that he waived his salary rather than have the film exceed its tiny budget. Lemmon portrays "the great American tragedy" a... read more read more...s upwardly mobile garment manufacturer Harry Stoner, whose underhanded business tactics are beginning to catch up with him, and whose keeping-up-appearances lifestyle has forced him into bankruptcy. The script, by producer Steve Shagan, does nothing to endear us to Stoner: he flagrantly cheats on his wife, arranges business deals by servicing his clients with prostitutes, and finally agrees to torch his warehouse to collect the insurance money, all the while paying empty lip service to his lost ideals. Nonetheless, one "feels" for Stoner throughout, especially when he breaks down while giving a speech to his assembled buyers, imagining that the audience is populated by his dead army buddies, who gave up their lives to make the world safe for good-for-nothings like himself. Lemmon's performance won him an Academy Award. Appearing in supporting roles are Jack Gilford as Lemmon's conscience-stricken partner and Thayer David as a smarmy arsonist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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64% liked it

2,128 ratings

Critics

91% liked it

11 critics

R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: John G. Avildsen

Release Date: February 14, 1973

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DVD Release Date: October 25, 2005

Stats: 131 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (131)

  • ScoopOnline
    December 15, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    Set fire to the factory. Supply women for the clients. Harry Stoner will do anything to get one more season.
  • rayman0071
    February 20, 2007
    rayman0071
    The greatest performance ever given by an actor and Jack Lemmon delivers this in his breathtaking Oscar winning role.
    One of the top ten best films of 1973.
  • gumnerf
    July 23, 2007
    gumnerf
    Good movie about the breakdown of a wwII vet, but if you're looking for another point, look elsewhere.
  • johngradycole
    July 14, 2007
    johngradycole
    I can't understand why this film has been so largely forgotten, since it does include one of the strongest performances ever turned in by an actor. I'm not suggesting it is without flaws (the WWII associations seem strained and unnecessary, for example), but I thought the screenp... read morelay was otherwise consistently clever and focused. From the moment middle-aged Harry is shown groaning his way out of bed to start the day we detect that his proud, prosperous life is unraveling. If you've ever doubted why Kevin Spacey has been compared to Lemmon, then you need to see this movie. Then, watch "American Beauty" again. I noticed so many parallels between their characters as I was viewing this recently -- notably, both men earned Oscar wins for their portrayals. But understand that "Tiger" lacks the dark satire of "Beauty." This is a drama through-and-through with small bits of levity thrown in. This film considers to what lengths a man will go to ensure that he can continue living the life he has, even if he feels disgusted by what he is required to do in order to make that happen. Harry's respite from his daily pressures is that he fantasizes about an alternate reality that might have seen him playing professional baseball instead of struggling to live up to the success of what the outside world expects from the businessman he unscrupulously became instead.

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Critic Reviews

Phil Hall
March 11, 2011
Phil Hall, Film Snobbery

A jolting drama, fueled by two stunning performances. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 31, 2008
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Jack Lemmon won the 1973 Best Actor Oscar in John Avildsen's Arthur Miller-like sentimental melodrama, in which he plays a bitter down-on-his-luck L.A. businessman who feels cheated by the American Dr... Full Review

Chuck O'Leary
February 20, 2006
Chuck O'Leary, FulvueDrive-in.com

A great film of uncommon truth. Full Review

Peter Canavese
December 3, 2005
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

Lemmon turns in showy, theatrical work that's appropriate to the not-terribly subtle film around him, but the whole enterprise is one that's best avoided...

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
January 18, 2004
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A compelling drama about morality under fire in the life of a middle-aged business man Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 9, 2005
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

David Kaplan
March 1, 2008
David Kaplan, Kaplan vs. Kaplan

No review available.

Robert Roten
November 16, 2007
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Save the Tiger Trivia

  • Jack Lemmon won an Oscar for his performance in what film?  Answer »
  • Jack Lemmon won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in...  Answer »
  • Who starred in all three of the following films; 'The Great Race', 'Save The Tiger' and 'How To Murder Your Wife'?  Answer »
  • Save The Tiger - the Sequel to the 1973 Jack Lemon movie is being made about Detroit's faltering Baseball team   Answer »
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