Tootsie (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
In 'Tootsie' (directed by Sydney Pollack), Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) is a struggling NY actor working where the unemployment rate for those in his profession has sky-rocketed. He loves acting, but has to work as a part-time waiter & drama coach in order to survive. His savvy agent (Sydney Pollack) contends that, because of Michael's 'difficult' reputation, he can't get theater work or even land a TV commercial. Needing $$ to finance a play written by his equally-difficult roommate, Jeff (Bill Murray), for which his self-denigrating girlfriend, Sandy (a stellar Teri Garr) is the intended star, Michael takes a drastic step & auditions for a soap opera ... as a woman; thus, Michael's female alter-ego is "Dorothy Michaels".
Giving the no-nonsense hospital administrator role some much-needed spunk, Dorothy is an immediate hit with the producers of 'Southwest General', & is hired over the objections of chauvinistic director, Ron Carlisle (Dabney Coleman). As Dorothy, Michael sees the crappy way women are treated by men & the everyday humiliations they suffer. When his soap character becomes a cult heroine to viewers, Michael finds himself more open to his feelings. And he finds himself befriending Julie Nichols (Jessica Lange), a glamorous blonde actress in the same soap who is having trouble coping with life.
Soon Julie is pouring out her innermost feelings about being a single parent, the emptiness of her relationship with the director of the soap, & career issues. She even starts to fall for 'Dorothy'. Dorothy then spends the holiday with Julie & her sweet, sensitive widowed father (Charles Durning). While his Dorothy persona is learning what women want in men, Michael, now hopelessly (literally) in love with Julie, is treating Sandy like a has-been. Michael's charade as the soap superstar gets in trouble when Julie's father proposes, & the show's leading man, John Van Horn, tries to seduce Dorothy. Everything culminates in a very funny, yet also very poignant last act.
One of the great things about 'Tootsie' is how Michael & Dorothy seem like different people, rather than different physical manifestations of the same person. In fact, it's easy to forget that one man is playing both roles, which makes everyone's reactions - especially Julie's - credible when the final reveal happens. Dorothy is fairly ugly, but feminine. And this is a testimony to Dustin Hoffman's effective portrayal. As Dorothy, Hoffman is quite funny - which is what one would expect from a comedy - but there are also some dramatic and, even touching moments. His vulnerability is what wins us over.
Also fantastic is Jessica Lange as the sweet, insecure Julie. She has easy chemistry with Hoffman; though, mostly when he is "Dorothy", and less-so with "Michael". Julie is a complex role. And the film is surprisingly sensitive about homosexual issues. The thrust of the story is to put Julie & Dorothy together and watch how things develop. He falls for Julie but can't show it because he's Dorothy. And she feels something for "Dorothy", but doesn't know how to express it because she's not a lesbian -- that's fascinating. And Lange deals with the tricky role exceedingly well. Along with her amazing role in 'Frances', Lange is having an incredible year. Terri Garr also impresses as the humorously self-loathing Sandy. The whole cast is great.
'Tootsie' is just a very cool motion picture and, it works for 3 main reasons: a witty script (at one point, Michael confesses: "I was a better man as a woman with a woman than I've ever been as a man with a woman." That's a great line), excellent comic timing, & wonderful performances. There's nothing overly deep or philosophical about 'Tootsie'. It's just a warm & smart romantic dramedy that spends most of its time developing the characters, while also taking a peak at the ups & downs of the acting profession, sexual identities, the idea of lovers being friends, as well lampooning soap operas, & making a statement about the fluctuating role of women in the workplace. Top-notch film.
Giving the no-nonsense hospital administrator role some much-needed spunk, Dorothy is an immediate hit with the producers of 'Southwest General', & is hired over the objections of chauvinistic director, Ron Carlisle (Dabney Coleman). As Dorothy, Michael sees the crappy way women are treated by men & the everyday humiliations they suffer. When his soap character becomes a cult heroine to viewers, Michael finds himself more open to his feelings. And he finds himself befriending Julie Nichols (Jessica Lange), a glamorous blonde actress in the same soap who is having trouble coping with life.
Soon Julie is pouring out her innermost feelings about being a single parent, the emptiness of her relationship with the director of the soap, & career issues. She even starts to fall for 'Dorothy'. Dorothy then spends the holiday with Julie & her sweet, sensitive widowed father (Charles Durning). While his Dorothy persona is learning what women want in men, Michael, now hopelessly (literally) in love with Julie, is treating Sandy like a has-been. Michael's charade as the soap superstar gets in trouble when Julie's father proposes, & the show's leading man, John Van Horn, tries to seduce Dorothy. Everything culminates in a very funny, yet also very poignant last act.
One of the great things about 'Tootsie' is how Michael & Dorothy seem like different people, rather than different physical manifestations of the same person. In fact, it's easy to forget that one man is playing both roles, which makes everyone's reactions - especially Julie's - credible when the final reveal happens. Dorothy is fairly ugly, but feminine. And this is a testimony to Dustin Hoffman's effective portrayal. As Dorothy, Hoffman is quite funny - which is what one would expect from a comedy - but there are also some dramatic and, even touching moments. His vulnerability is what wins us over.
Also fantastic is Jessica Lange as the sweet, insecure Julie. She has easy chemistry with Hoffman; though, mostly when he is "Dorothy", and less-so with "Michael". Julie is a complex role. And the film is surprisingly sensitive about homosexual issues. The thrust of the story is to put Julie & Dorothy together and watch how things develop. He falls for Julie but can't show it because he's Dorothy. And she feels something for "Dorothy", but doesn't know how to express it because she's not a lesbian -- that's fascinating. And Lange deals with the tricky role exceedingly well. Along with her amazing role in 'Frances', Lange is having an incredible year. Terri Garr also impresses as the humorously self-loathing Sandy. The whole cast is great.
'Tootsie' is just a very cool motion picture and, it works for 3 main reasons: a witty script (at one point, Michael confesses: "I was a better man as a woman with a woman than I've ever been as a man with a woman." That's a great line), excellent comic timing, & wonderful performances. There's nothing overly deep or philosophical about 'Tootsie'. It's just a warm & smart romantic dramedy that spends most of its time developing the characters, while also taking a peak at the ups & downs of the acting profession, sexual identities, the idea of lovers being friends, as well lampooning soap operas, & making a statement about the fluctuating role of women in the workplace. Top-notch film.