dwr246 Like "Ordinary People," this film deals with the problems faced by a seemingly perfect family when that illusion is shattered. This film, however, adopts a more straightforward, and less lyrical approach. The result is a film which is less powerful, but still memorable.Unlike "Ordinary People," this film deals with two families. The Brogans are the seemingly ideal family. Headed by David (Len Cariou), a successful doctor, and Tina (Ellen Burstyn), a stay-at-home mom who teaches piano in her spare time, they have three seemingly happy, healthy children, the eldest of whom, Rick (Zach Galligan), is about to enter his senior year in high school. David is pushing Rick to follow in his footsteps, as well as doing a lot of preaching about honor. For his part, Rick takes all of this good naturedly to start with. Among the Brogans' best friends are Harvey (Paul Sorvino) and Lois (Marsha Mason), who apparently never got last names in this film - at least I don't remember what they were - and they're not listed here, who run a successful T-shirt company. They have one child, a troubled girl named Lonnie (Molly Ringwald), who has just been released from a mental institution after attempting suicide.The story is told in two parts. The first part deals with the events that lead Rick and Lonnie to commit suicide - Rick's discovery of his father's hypocrisy, and withdrawal from everyone but Lonnie, who is ill equipped to provide him with the support he needs since she is having trouble readapting to life outside the institution. The second part deals with the aftermath of the double suicide - the attempts of the survivors to cope with the tragedy and their overwhelming grief in the face of it, and the subsequent tragedies that come out of the main one.While the writing occasionally veers into the melodramatic, for the most part it is straightforward, letting the events, actions, and reactions speak for themselves.The acting occasionally goes over the top from the mothers' characters, but for the most part it is pretty solid. Galligan and Ringwald breathe an authenticity into their characters that helps the viewer understand why they feel that their final choice is their only choice. Watch for a young River Phoenix who gives an emotional performance as the surviving younger brother. Len Cariou gives his usual solid performance as David, and while I'm no fan of Paul Sorvino, he gives a competent rendering of Harvey. Ellen Burstyn does a wonderful job as Tina, who shuts down, only to be brought back to functioning through several painful shocks. And Marsha Mason is wonderful as always as a woman whose only way to cope with the tragedy is to find someone who will talk about it with her when her friends and husband will not.This is a thought provoking film, and one that is well worth watching.

Gary M. James I first viewed "Surviving" when it aired on the ABC Television Network in the winter of 1985. The network was so confident with the film's final version and the importance of its subject matter (teen suicide) that it aired in a 3-hour time slot, which was rather unusual for an original TV movie not based on a novel. "Surviving" (which is a better, simpler title than when it re-aired as "Surviving: A Family in Crisis", when there were 2 families in crisis -- and when it was released on VHS as "Tragedy", which sounds very cheap, exploitive and hopeless and doesn't give an indication of the after-effects of suicide on families and friends) occasionally lingers into soap opera hysterics and contrived plot devices. But the strong ensemble cast gave such fine performances and the well-edited, pivotal sequence when the parents of one of the teens tries to save them, made the movie a heartbreaking experience. "Surviving" becomes a stronger drama when the families try to make sense of losing their loved ones. That is what makes "Surviving" a very good (not great) family drama.

jaimiere I just watched this on Lifetime (thanks!) and it was a very strong, well crafted story. I read the book years ago, and always wanted to see how the movie turned out. Funny to note, since it was released in 85, and now it's 2001, that two of the stars, not the main ones, are gone....(Heather O'Rourke, River Phoenix) What the families go through is really sad, and wrenching, but there's so much truth to what Rick and Lonnie feel was the only thing left for them. This film does not make light of the situation, nor does it show that any of the answers are easy. I wish the network would make it available on video/DVD etc.

gdavidso This movie has been repackaged and is now on video with the title of "Tragedy". Over the top melodrama with excellent performances by Marcia and Ellen. Scene after scene of very heavy material. James Horner's score is about 8 bars long but used repetitively throughout the film to the point of being distracting.