Anything to Survive (1990 TV Movie) User Reviews

Mixed bag in survival story

[drystyx · 5/10 · 26 October 2015]

This survival story of an athletic man (played by the athletic Conrad), his athletic son, and his two daughters is based on a true story.

If so, there aren't any punches pulled on the hatefulness and evil of one of the characters. The father is realistic, and bases his hopes for his family on realism. The son is believable enough as a jock with a decent enough heart. The youngest daughter is subject to harassment and hate that looks to have been going on for way too much from her vicious older sister.

The older sister is, quite frankly, a demonic creature that torments her younger sister even at the point of death. If this was her true character, one would feel sorry for anyone under her control. One must feel for the younger daughter, who can't even trust her own family, and for good reason, and whose struggle for survival is against all the odds.

The story itself has a ring of truth to it, but also a ring of stupidity on the father's part for putting them in this situation, and for being so callous as to allow the youngest daughter to be put through a Hell no one should have to go through. Granted, he's fairly moderate, but the hatefulness of the older sister goes beyond normal "picking". It's sheer demonic possession and evil at best.

As for the rest, it looks like very realistic drama, with the weakening of the senses and the brains affecting even the healthy male members of the party, making the struggle even harder. One should not think this is a fault of their own. It's simply the human body succumbing to the elements, struggling to make the right decisions.

Nice story, but rather tedious.

[FloridaFred · 5/10 · 7 September 2018]

Freezy frosty story of a family that gets lost sailing in Alaska in the winter (why?). They tough it out, they endure. They must be atheists; nobody prays during this ordeal. I had to fast forward through a lot of this movie... other than the shipwreck, there isn't much action.

Shipwrecked and stranded in Alaska

[shakercoola · 6/10 · 28 October 2018]

A Canadian-American disaster survival TV film drama; A story about a carpenter and his teenage children who spend weeks ashore freezing and starving, shipwrecked off Alaska. The film is based on the ordeal of an author and his three teenaged children in the winter of 1979. The film's theme about the power of positivity matches what the coastguards believed helped them. It creates sufficient tension and has a good enough story and the performances of the cast are good, portraying the family members and the mistakes they believed they were making to do the right thing.

Anything to Survive: Usual made for TV tosh

[Platypuschow · 4/10 · 15 July 2018]

Otherwise known as "Almost too late" this based on a true story tale see's a families boat capsize. They are forced to seek refuge on an island but as the cold sets in it becomes increasingly difficult to stay alive.

I'm always sceptical of true stories, chances are at least half of it is untrue and/or exaggerated.

Starring Matt "Friends" LeBlanc and Emily "Gingersnaps" Perkins this is some really made for tv stuff. It looks passable, the writing is mostly okay but the whole thing just comes across painfully generic.

Alas the further in the movie goes the more it starts to trail off and by the end I didn't find myself caring quite as much as I'm sure I was supposed to.

For fans of these cheesy made for tv efforts you can do worse but this is hardly a movie worth most folks time.

The Good:

Perkins is a solid actress

The Bad:

Generic stuff

Ending is questionable

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Before he was famous Matt LeBlanc was known as Matthew LeBlanc, edgy!

inspirational

[timwhitehead · 23 February 2002]

This is a fantastic true story drama, that introduced the world to hollywood hero, Matt LeBlanc. A family are left stranded on an unknown island, all they have is each other, and human spirt. Though out the mind numbing twists in this classic adventure the close family have to make some life or death decisions that keep you on the edge of your seat, thoughout. Although Matt LeBlanc has only gone onto world stardom in such classics as "The red shoe diaries 3 and 7" and "Reform School Girl" i don't think we should forget the performance of Emily Perkins (Krista) who really made the film what it is. A fantastic emotional rollacoster of a film that you leave you breathless. Congradulations to Zale Dalen for making the greatest TVM EVER.

A true story but not the truth

[jhalbt · 1/10 · 27 June 2020]

After talking with a US Coast Guardsman who was on the scene, the true story is more horrific than heroic. The father and son abandoned the daughters while they went to look for a cabin. The males found the cabin 10 miles away stocked with food and firewood. The did not return to retrieve the girls. The girls survived for a week in freezing weather with no food and only a bit of sailcloth to wrap up in. The coastguardman involved in the rescue described the girls as looking like death camp survivors. Merely skin and bones literally on the verge of death.

Non-Alaskans Should Not Judge This Film

[bentleyray · 8/10 · 16 August 2009]

I lived in Juneau, Alaska in 1978-79, the winter that this originally happened to the family in the film. A friend read a newspaper article about it to me and I cringed. The accident happened during the worst February we had had since I could remember, and I was born and raised there. They were actually stranded for the entire month, not a few days or a couple weeks, and the fact that they survived amazed me. I don't know of anyone in these dire circumstances that would NOT "whine" a bit.

Granted, this film took some poetic license as all films based on true stories do. I felt that Matt LeBlanc was a poor choice for the son. He looked nothing like the rest of the family. But in spite of that, I was impressed with the performances and the way the family clung together. This is not a film for the weak hearted. The reality of it was all too real for me, as I knew first hand the sub-zero temperatures and high gale winds that were present at the time of this accident. Only true Alaskans would ever have survived this experience and my heart goes out to the family to this day.

All in all, the film was excellent at portraying the harsh circumstances the family faced. That was not made up. The relationships that they shared were also well portrayed. I have often wondered how they all were today, what, if any, lasting affects the experience had on them. As far as films based in Alaska, this was perhaps the most true to life of any I have seen. Excellent film.

Dire

[jsag3 · 2/10 · 15 October 2004]

The film was dire in the extreme, filled with bad acting, bad writing and a poorly structured plot. Lines such as 'But you're the only healthy one left!' fail to stand out when written down; yet when combined with the delivery in the film they are poor enough to induce laughter. Fortunately this film managed to achieve the so bad it's good category, one reserved for films which are enjoyable solely through the realisation that although you yourself may not be able to do better, you certainly would bury any attempt this bad deep underground to prevent the embarrassment of having the general public see it.

If you enjoy a bad film and have enough people round to mock it, then see the film. In all other circumstances avoid it.

Excellent portrayal of the rigors of Arctic survival.

[vilennon · 10/10 · 17 April 1999]

Too many movies about being lost in the Arctic are Disneyized views of playing in the snow, waiting for the inevitable rescue. This movie shows the real dangers of hypothermia, dehydration, frostbite and isolation, and the hopelessness of waiting for rescue if no one knows you're lost.

TV Family Get Shipwrecked

[Theo Robertson · 3/10 · 15 August 2010]

True life survival tales are very compelling . Remember Readers Digest ? I always thought the best articles in that publication were the ones featuring someone surviving a shipwreck / plane crash etc only to find that their problems were only just beginning . Strangely these type of stories don't make for good cinema , even a big budget Hollywood movie like ALIVE feels like there's something lacking , probably down to the fact that there's narrative techniques that are impossible to realise on screen such as what the characters were thinking at the time , especially where despair is concerned

ANYTHING TO SURVIVE may very well suffer from this but you get the feeling the producers haven't even tried . . Zale Dalen is making a made for television movie and therefore it's television fare for a family audience , an American television audience at that . So what we get is an emphasis of how lovely the Barton family is . Twee music plays as they're introduced . " Oh aren't they sweet " the music dictates . " Oh they're shipwrecked , please feel sorry for them " the music pleads . I'm afraid all this has the opposite effect . " The tide's turning against us " cries Matt LeBlanc . Not only the tide Matt but the entire audience too

Not Bad

[twisted_sista · 22 October 2002]

This is quite a good TV movie of a family stranded in cold alaska. The father and son go looking for help and the two sisters cant do anything but wait to live or wait to die. The older sister eats cold seaweed with worms it in. Worth watching about once.

Real-life survival story in coastal Alaska

[Wuchakk · 4/10 · 14 September 2015]

"Anything to Survive" is a 1990 TV movie based on a true story starring Robert Conrad (from Wild Wild West), Matt LeBlanc (from Friends), Ocean Hellman (from Danger Bay) and Emily Perkins (from "Ginger Snaps) as a father & his kids traveling in a small boat in coastal Alaska. They get shipwrecked on an island in February where it becomes clear one or more of them will have to try to sail to the coast for help. Who will survive, if any?

The real family was stranded for almost a month during a very cold Winter in 1979. The fact that any survived is amazing. The cast is great and so are the authentic locations, but the first half is weak due to some lousily written melodramatics and contrived sequences. For instance, the writers obviously needed an excuse to get one of the characters to traverse a tree trunk over a deep chasm. Why sure! These are the only reason I rate the movie so low because the second half generates some suspense and makes you realize what a miserable situation it was. Imagine a low-budget version of 1997's excellent "The Edge," but with a situation that's twice as bad (and no bear). If they would've worked out the glaring flaws this could've been a quality movie, but it's still worthwhile if you like survival stories and the cast; just be patient and wait around for the second half.

The movie runs 91 minutes and was shot in the Vancouver area.

GRADE: C.

Phew - this is BAD

[12Tine · 1/10 · 5 April 2002]

Why this film has recieved an average of 6.5 is a total mystery! I can only agree with some of the other commentators: see it, as if it was a parody! Just wait for the finishing line: "Come on girls, Daddy is here - it´s time to go home!" Rip your hair out, cry - or laugh your brains out... your choice!

Worth watching more than once!

[spot1947 · 9/10 · 21 November 2002]

Based on a true story, this television drama was filmed along Canada's west coast, in winter. The cast and crew worked in icy waters and freezing rain. It was a miserable "shoot" but so was the horror of the real people involved. You will notice a very young and green Matt Leblanc in a roll years before "Friends". Robert Conrad was very strong and real...a true professional.

Richard Long

overall the best film i have ever and will ever see

[luisa_boero · 10/10 · 29 August 2006]

this film moved me in ways people cant imagine Matt Le blanc gives his best appearance to date (with exception to friends series 2 episode 11). i feel it is my duty to inform other IMDb'Er's of the shere perfection of this picture. my favourite part has to be where the girls have to eat seaweed for their fight for survival. because of this i can now thoroughly enjoy seaweed from the Chinese, along with my fond memories. this film is certainly more than a 'one watch film' (not the official quote) in reply to the previous comment. i myself have watched it numerous times and have always been reduced to tears, impressed by the outstanding direction and above most this film has taught me how to...survive.

This is a "must see movie " if you are interested in Alaska

[RON-195 · 10/10 · 23 July 1999]

The Movie "Anything to Survive" IS a real interesting movie for entertainment! please do NOT view this movie as being true! I personally knew the family depicted in this movie and as most things from Hollywood it has been modified to make it more entertaining. the places named in the movie are real but the Family was going from Craig Alaska to Ketchikan Alaska and had nothing to do with Prince Rupert British Colombia!!! Having Lived in that Part of Alaska for 30 years I am very familiar with the weather and conditions that one can find there. One last point to be made. That part of Alaska is not considered "the Arctic" it is almost 1000 miles from the Arctic.

Drowning

[tedg · 27 October 2002]

Spoilers herein.

The film business is a strange phenomenon. One can only guess what the economics are behind a project like this. I suppose it has a lot to do with being incredibly cheap to make.

They could have sprung for a better writer though. There are lots of things that could have been woven into this. But what we get: a stubborn divorced Dad; an earnest, questioning jock son, two sisters -- one a crybaby and the other `at risk.' A few predictable confrontations and trials. Colossal mewing and wondering. A rescue. Ho hum. Guess it would matter if we cared about any of these people.

`You bet, Dad'

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 4: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

A father with three children are shipwrecked in a sailing-boat outside Alaska in February

[clanciai · 9/10 · 29 March 2019]

The most amazing thing about this spectacular and exciting story is how an earth a father with three minor children on board could be so irresponsible as to sail out into the open sea at night in a sailing-boat and rely on the automatic steering gear when there is a storm. Of course something must go wrong. Here everything goes wrong. The shipwreck is just the beginning. For almost a month these helpless people must freeze and starve, eating clams and seaweed, being unable to walk because of frozen feet, being obliged to perform amputation on an own leg to avoid gangrene, and so on. There is no end to the immeasurable troubles of this poor very ordinary family, one more helpless than the others, (the little girl losing her glasses in the shipwreck and getting almost blind), and hammered to pieces by bad weather with snowstorms as well. It could impossible get worse, and yet it does get worse all the time. The father even succeeds in shortcutting the radio when at last they get the chance of some communication.

But it is well made, sticking closely to reality, making it all quite convincing. It must have been like this it all actually happened. Take warning like from an instruction book: this is not the way to navigate in Alaska.

Awesome

[zumachda-2 · 10/10 · 19 January 2019]

Fantastic movie. Would love to own it, but it's not out there

A comedy - surely

[extreme_intelligence · 5 June 2000]

We stayed up late to watch this film, and never have I laughed so much! The script was poor and, appreciating it was based on a true story, the attempts of the family to escape, for me simply descended into hilarity, where it should have been a more serious film. For example, the ironically funny scene where they stupidly break the oars to use as crutches, not thinking that where there are oars, there is surely a boat! Watch only for amusement....

Overly Dramatic but still Highly Effective and Exciting

[SusieSalmonLikeTheFish · 8/10 · 9 December 2014]

Here in Atlantic Canada it can get to -45 degrees Celsius in January (ugh, it's horrible). So it's hard to even imagine what it would be like to be on a normal sailing vacation discussing trivial family issues with your kids, only to end up shipwrecked on the icy shores of Alaska with no human life for miles and terrible weather, little to eat and no supplies.

Eddy Barton and his three children Wendy (the melodramatic teenage daughter), Dave (jock boy with dreams of working on a boat) and Krista (geeky younger daughter who enjoys reading The Hobbit) are sailing during a storm only to find themselves facing a situation they never thought possible. Stuck on a barren seashore of Alaska drenched in seawater and surrounded by ice, wind and snow, the family literally has to do ANYTHING to survive. Unlike most Lifetime movies, this one gets extremely disturbing, especially when Wendy and Krista are left on the shore while Dave and Eddy get help by rowing a raft away to safety. The two girls are left with only a soggy blanket for shelter and Wendy begins to go crazy, hallucinating and eating rotten seaweed full of maggots (that part really grossed me out, ewwww). They have no idea if the family will ever meet up again or who is even alive anymore.

Anything to Survive was very dramatic, but not to the point where it wrecks the movie. Instead, the movie leaves quite an impact, and makes you wonder what you would do in a situation like this. William B. Davis (the Cigarette Smoking Man on the X-Files), has a very minor but effective and well-acted role as the dentist, Dr. Reynolds. The Vancouver scenery and Canadian landscape was beautiful (Alaska is a United States territory but is attached to Canada and the movie was filmed in Canada). The soundtrack was great and I'm really happy to have been able to find Anything to Survive on youtube.

Fantastic Movie

[marsnook2007 · 10/10 · 13 June 2020]

I saw this when it first aired and loved the Movie were it was a true story and it showed a Father's determination to make sure he got all of them to a safety. It had a fantastic Cast and Robert Conrad was excellent as the Father seeing he has 9 kids of his own and would do the same thing if it was his Family. I just got this Movie on DVD and can't to watch it again ...

What a way to start a career!

[gretchengreenwood · 10 December 2018]

Matt LeBlanc was so fantastic and memorable in this great, living-it-as-you're-watching-it, movie. As I understand it, this movie is what basically launched his career, and I can see why.