The Best Survivor award
They took a licking and kept on ticking. The Oscar for survival under extreme circumstances goes to ...
Our Man (Robert Redford)
The movie: “All Is Lost”
The setup: Solo sailing expedition goes awry when boat collides with cargo container.
The threat: Dehydration, despair and, ultimately, drowning.
Survival strategy: Repair hole in ship’s hull. Then leisurely prepare a meal(!) and sail aimlessly toward possible help.
Skill rating: 3 life preservers
Capt. Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks)
The movie: “Captain Phillips”
The setup: Somali pirates capture cargo ship, demand exorbitant ransom.
The threat: We mentioned there were pirates, right? They have guns and they’re agitated.
Survival strategy: Misdirection, dogged perseverance, staying calm.
Skill rating: 31/2 life preservers
Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock)
The movie: “Gravity”
The setup: Space debris takes out astronauts’ spacecraft, setting them adrift.
The threat: Loss of oxygen and the waning belief that life must continue in the face of tragic loss.
Survival strategy: Locate another way back to Earth, deal with existential estrangement.
Skill rating: 4 life preservers
David Grant (Will Forte)
The movie: “Nebraska”
The setup: Reluctant son, David, drives ornery, oddball dad from Montana to Nebraska to claim nonexistent sweepstakes prize.
The threat: Long stretches of close confinement with a mulish old-timer, prolonged exposure to weird relatives.
Survival strategy: Sustained consumption of alcohol, though, as we learn, “beer ain’t drinking.”
Skill rating: 4 life preservers
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
