Save the Tiger

Featuring one of Jack Lemmon’s very best performances, Save the Tiger follows Harry Stoner (Lemmon), a middle-aged partner in a dress-manufacturing firm, over the course of an especially eventful day and a half – with the movie revolving around Harry’s efforts at handling a series of possible calamities (eg his company owes thousands in back taxes, an important client almost dies after an encounter with a prostitute, etc, etc). Filmmaker John G. Avildsen has infused Save the Tiger with a deliberately-paced and decidedly matter-of-fact sensibility, as the movie, written by Steve Shagan, is primarily devoted to the minutia of the central character’s existence and the impact his actions have on those around him – with the almost real-time vibe proving effective at transforming Lemmon’s protagonist into a sympathetic and thoroughly compelling figure. And although the movie is rarely able to raise itself to Lemmon’s superlative level, Save the Tiger nevertheless boasts a handful of admittedly engrossing sequences that cumulatively cultivate a stirring character-study atmosphere – with the picture’s center piece undoubtedly a riveting sequence detailing Harry nervous breakdown during what should’ve been a routine presentation. The movie does falter towards the end, however, with an overlong and somewhat dull encounter between Harry and a freespirited hippie (Laurie Heineman’s Myra), and yet it’s not quite enough to diminish what’s otherwise (and ultimately) an accomplished and surprisingly affecting little drama.

*** out of ****