Review of Save the Tiger (1973) by Stephen (Steve) H — 22 Jan 2007

Social-issue movie which touches on the moral decline of modern civilization with vague and detached results. Jack Lemmon won a Best Actor Oscar playing Harry Stoner, a war-vet and white-collar businessman in the fashion industry who is forced by circumstance to be both a producer and a pimp at work, straining to make a profit but realizing he's at the end of his rope.

Screenplay is loaded with serious one-liners that strive to Tell Us Something. It hopes to hold up a mirror to us in the audience while saying, "Look how you degrade yourselves for the sake of the almighty dollar!" It doesn't explore the human psyche, just pushes forward one unfortunate circumstance after another.

Occasionally the movie hits its targets, but most often it's a bummer, humorless and hopeless. Lemmon and Oscar-nominated Jack Gilford are very good, but the film doesn't leave us with anything but burnt-out remains.

That may be the whole point, but its just way too depressing to enjoy.