Surviving Gilligan's Island (2001)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

A lot of fun.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

This documentary movie hosted by Dawn Wells, Bob Denver and Russel Johnson was incredibly well done!The actors that re-enacted the roles of the castaways were superb, the young man who portrayed Jim Backus had a hell of a task on his hands and performed pretty well.The actor who Portrayed Alan Hale had his character down to a Science. Tina Louis was portrayed most accurately.If you pay close attention to this movie it explains why Tina never comes to the reunions, she wanted nothing to do with this show after it was over, she demanded extra high pay to play Ginger in the Rescue from Gilligan's Island so Schwartz told her where to go and he got another actress, this is not mentioned in the film.The fact that Tina Louis was tricked into doing this show by her agent is a good enough explaination and is fully explained here.No one is portrayed as a saint in this film, whoever made that comment was totally wrong!This film follows up the E! True Hollywood Story Nicely and by the way Tina Louis allowed herself to be interviewed by E! for that documentary.I give this 4 stars for excellent acting and accuracy! Worth checking out if it is shown again.

I have been a huge Gilligan's Island fan since the day I was born, and after reading that they were making a "reunion" style movie based on the making I was VERY excited. From the first second, the colors are bright and vivid, the scenery is beautiful, and seeing 3 of the remaining 4 castaways brought tears of joy to my eyes.Now, I don't want to attack anyone, but a previous reviewer stated that Dawn Wells was somewhat of a nasty person for casting a less then pleasant light on Tina Louise, but...I highly doubt that all Russell Johnson and Bob Denver would have participated if it was based on lies, and even though she wasn't (apparently) the greatest person to work with, they weren't completely negative towards her...there were several scenes where everyone got along togeather and seemed very happy.The acting in the movie was above par, especially from some of the cast...well, recreating the cast. The actor chosen to play Alan Hale bore a STRIKING resembelance to The Skipper himself, and Jim Bacus' character was played perfectly! The rest of the cast did a wonderful job, but were slightly overshadowed by the standouts.The narroration by the actual cast (Dawn, Russell, and Bob) was great, and really made me feel special, like they were letting my family and I in personally on secrets of the years past.I loved this movie, and am SO glad that it was the success that it was in the ratings! It deserved to be one of the highest rated TV Movies, because in my oppinion, it was one of the best! Dawn Wells, Russell Johnson, and Bob Denver still look, act, and seem as wonderful as they were nearly 40 years ago (oh my gosh....I can't believe it has been THAT LONG!) I will always and forever be one of the biggest Gilligan's Island fans out there...and I am glad that the network finally realized that they had a goldmine in bringing back memories for all of us to remember, and enjoy!~Grant

The best thing that I can say about the tv movie "SURVIVING GILLIGAN'S ISLAND" is that the actors impersonating the original cast did an exceptional job ! In particular ERIC ALLAN KRAMER as 'Alan Hale Jr.', KRISTEN DALTON as 'Tina Louise', and although she doesn't resemble her much E.J. PEAKER (as 'Natalie Schafer) got her 'Lovey Howell' mannerisms down to an art. You can't pick on this tv movie for not being art, for the series on which it was based was ripped apart by critics from the beginning. It is, however, pure Americana, silly & fun. Reminds us of our childhoods or a (supposedly) simpler time. Interspersed with accounts by BOB DENVER, RUSSELL JOHNSON, (this)tv movie's co-producer DAWN WELLS and re-enactments to showcase what occurred regarding the original series of "GILLIGAN'S ISLAND", you just wonder why it was given so much build up and shown in a primetime spot on CBS on a Sunday night. Does the content belongs more to a 3 page spread in PEOPLE Magazine than in a 2 hour movie ? You be the judge. Some parts of the re-enactments are downright painful in their corniness. A scene where the late JIM BACKUS is supposedly accosted by a hooker in Rome in the late 60s ("See what ya get for 5 dollars !") has the feel of a lounge lizard's stand up routine. Quite a few times while watching, I had to remind myself that this wasn't some kiddie show on the FAMILY Channel. Apparently, aside from constant slighting by a (then)less than enthusiastic network, the 'castaways' had a good time doing the series. That is, minus TINA LOUISE, who comes off as something of a prima donna. The re-enactments have TINA LOUISE as less than accommodating to fans denying that she is indeed 'Ginger' from "GILLIGAN'S ISLAND", and generally being 'oh so superior'. LOUISE is also the only remaining cast member who wants nothing more to do with "GILLIGAN'S ISLAND", yet this is probably her best known role. Overall, I'd say that unless you are the most ardent of fans, "SURVIVING GILLIGAN'S ISLAND" is an unnecessary exercise in going behind the scenes.

At first, I thought two hours was going to be a little long for this nostalgic look at the cast and making of the evergreen series, "Gilligan's Island." However, the retrospective was delightful! Mary Ann, Gilligan, and the Professor share their stories from this early sixties series that almost wasn't. The show is particularly funny when it's not pulling punches about Tina Louise's attitude toward the show (and it manages to get the digs in in a good-hearted way) and the Mary Ann vs Ginger comparison. The casting for the "then" characters is amazing, especially Eric Alan Kramer's Alan Hale Jr. and Steve Vinovich's Jim Backus. It rides the line between heartfelt and sappy very well and it's great to see how amazing Dawn Wells (Mary Ann), Bob Denver (Gilligan), and Russell Johnson (the Professor) look.