Save the Tiger is a 1973 American drama film about moral conflict in contemporary America directed by John G. Avildsen, and starring Jack Lemmon, Jack Gilford, Laurie Heineman, Thayer David, Lara Parker, and Liv Lindeland. The screenplay was written years prior by Steve Shagan, who novelized his screenplay in 1971 while trying to sell the script to a studio. The film was made through a co-production deal between Lemmon's Jalem Productions, Shagan's Cirandinha Productions, and Martin Ransohoff's Filmways.
New York Times critic Vincent Canby called it "not a very good movie but it's a rather brave one, a serious-minded examination of some of the least interesting aspects of the failed American dream".
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 30 reviews, and an average rating of 7.2/10. The consensus summarizes: "Jack Lemmon's outstanding performance helps Save the Tiger grab early '70s American anxiety firmly by the tail".
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
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! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
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| rowspan="3"| Academy Awards
| Best Actor
| Jack Lemmon
|
| align="center" rowspan="3"|
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| Best Supporting Actor
| Jack Gilford
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| Best Original Screenplay
| Steve Shagan
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| rowspan="3"| Golden Globe Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Motion Picture – Drama
|
| align="center" rowspan="3"|
|-
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
| Jack Lemmon
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
| Jack Gilford
|
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| Writers Guild of America Awards
| Best Drama – Written Directly for the Screen
| Steve Shagan
|
| align="center"|
|}
See also
- List of American films of 1973