Rating: 
Summary: Classic comedy
Review: Dustin Hoffman is just amazing in this movie. I actually prefer him as the Tootsie character, Dorothy Michaels. Could someone just make a movie and cast him as Dorothy? So many funny lines and Terri Garr's best film ever, except maybe Young Frankenstein. Sydney Pollack as Dorothy/Michael's agent is also hysterical. He should act more. I've already forgiven him for "Eyes Wide Shut."
Rating:
Summary: "Go, Tootsie, Go!"
Review: Without a doubt, TOOTSIE is one of the greatest comedy films of all time. The beyond brilliant screenplay by Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H*) moves from one comic moment to another. Throughout, it is peppered by a touching love story that never breaks the films momentum. Credit for that must go with director Sydney Pollack (OUT OF AFRICA). Not only does he balance the romance and comedy, he also gives a great on-screen performance as a theatrical agent. The cast is superb. Dustin Hoffman (KRAMER VS KRAMER) seems to have fun with his own reputation as a difficult actor but never sacrifices the depth of his character, Michael Dorsey... errr... Dorothy Michaels. Teri Garr and Jessica Lange are the women in his/her life and Charles Durning, Dabney Coleman and George Gaynes the men, all of which fall for Tootsie's charms. Bill Murray (STRIPES) puts in the best performance of his career as Michael's carefree roommate. The ensemble works masterfully with the farcical situations and treads lightly when parodying the afternoon drama (Don't call them soaps...) This film is worth viewing over and over again. "We're getting into a weird area now." The DVD has a nice transfer but is missing a enjoyable director's commentary that was made available on the laser disc version of the film.
Rating:
Summary: Three words: Best comedy ever
Review: I have never laughed so much at a movie, and yet Tootsie is far more than just your run-of-the-mill, isn't-it-funny-that-a-man-is-dressed-like-a-woman-and-nobody-can-tell Hollywood flick (see Mrs. Doubtfire).
Tootsie has serious ambitions to go along with its classic Victor/Victoria comedy.
Dustin Hoffman, in the best performance of his career, brings a poignancy to his character, playing an actor out-of-work despite his genious because he is too much of a jerk. As Dorothy Michaels, a brassy character in a daytime soap, he becomes a national phenomenon, to the horror of his roommate and his agent.
Features wonderful, career-making performances from Dabney Coleman as the director of the soap, Jessica Lange as Hoffman's love interest and Teri Garr as his neglected girlfriend.
This is an absolute must-see, and can be uproarious family viewing in all but the most puritan of households.
Rating: 
Summary: Astounding film fails to harness the power of DVD
Review: If ever a movie got robbed on Oscar® night, it was TOOTSIE. Up against the historical powerhouse GANDHI, it didn't stand much of a chance. But in any other year, it would clearly have swept the statuettes off the stage. This sublime comedy is a must for every aspiring actor, not only for the message it delivers about the need for talent to be tempered by professionalism, but also for the sheer quality of the acting on display. There's not a single actor in the entire piece who fails the script. The editing is particularly crisp, often adding a comic punctuation of its own. For me, the standout actor is not Dustin Hoffman but the highly underrated Sydney Pollack. As Michael Dorsey's frustrated agent, and the only character actually in opposition to Dorsey's impersonation, his sense of frustration and confusion provides, I think, the funniest moments in the film. What's even more impressive is that his character echoes his behind-the-scenes role. As the film's director, his principle duty is to make sure that the film coheres into a logical narrative. Similarly, as Dorsey's agent, he provides a lot of that necessary narration. Though many of Pollack's lines are not only hilariously funny, they also serve to better define Dorsey and provide answers to fill in potential plot holes. In the end, the audience is twice served by Pollack. Not only does he direct with great comic assuredness, his character crucially makes Dorsey's madness believable. What makes this DVD disappointing is not its film. No, the woeful lack of any special features is simply inexcusable. There is really no reason to buy the DVD over the cheaper VHS. It's incredible to me that such a seminal work can be so bereft of even a simple director's commentary. Hopefully, later "special editions" will be a more complete addition to your DVD library.
Rating: 
Summary: 5 stars for the movie but with NO features it's an insult!!
Review: This is an excellent film. It's been around nearly 20 years and what features do they give us for such a special movie and special performances?? NONE....NONE. I don't really consider production notes a "special" feature. In my opinion, special features "move" and talk. Who out there thinks that TOOTSIE should not only have commentary but also deleted scenes, a gag reel (can you imagine how funny a gag reel would be for this movie?), a nice featurette, and for God's sake, at LEAST a freakin' theatrical trailer!! That's right, they couldn't even come up with a theatrical trailer. I know that Columbia had been planning an anniversary special release for Tootsie for about two years now. This is what they come up with? I'm sure that what happened was, someone at Columbia noticed how so many DVDs are being rereleased, sometimes only a few months after their initial release. Hence, making consumers buy the same thing over again. Ya know, there are a sea of good movies out there and people work hard for their money. Is there any way that these movie distributors can stop being so selfish and just do it right the first time? This DVD has a good transfer. the sound is okay but nothing to write home about. Just watch out folks, in 2002, they'll be some sort of "Ultimate", "transcendant" edition of TOOTSIE that will include all the features that it should. What do I do with this one, you ask?
Rating:
Summary: Funny, Smart and Sassy
Review: Dustin Delivers a performance of a lifetime in this half-drama, half-farce that deserves its place in Cinmea's pantheon of Best Films of all Time. There have been better cross dressers on film (in "Some Like it Hot" and "Garp" and "Victor/Victoria") but rarely has the viewer been broguht into the farce surrounding the comedy as they are here. Jessica Lange is bland, I think, in an Oscar winning performance that was justified only by her Best Actress nomination the same year for the superb "Frances." And Terri Garr is....well, Terri Garr...that is, hysterionic and laughable, yet never fully developed as a character. Only Hoffman, doing what he does best - ACT - achieves greatness here....and the script that it. It's a wonderful tour-de-force that also teaches us something about life in general. Some of the sequences are phenomenally funny, while others fall flat, but Hoffman shines in every single frame.
Rating:
Summary: Tootsie sweetsie.
Review: One of the few worthwhile American comedies of the 80's. The plot is impeccable: Dustin Hoffman portrays Michael Dorsey, a jobless Big Apple actor, insanely confident in his talent, who, out of desperation, auditions for and wins a female role on a soap opera. Hoffman's achievement here is pristine. He manages to create 3 distinct and whole personas within just 1 character -- that character being the insufferable actor Michael Dorsey. The female manifestations are the "actress" Dorothy Michaels and the funny, uptight feminist hospital administrator SHE'S portraying on the soap. Assembling this nesting doll of a creation is Hoffman himself, character #4 as it were, slyly commenting on the profession of acting itself. Not as successful is the not-so-sly feminist commentary. You know what I mean: Dorsey was an selfish jerk before but now that he's put himself in a woman's shoes blah blah blah. This theme, unfortunately, is presented too sanctimoniously to be regarded as a subtext. But I'm quibbling: the set-ups, incidents, and characters (including Bill Murray in a side-splitting small part) are too much fun to resist.
Rating:
Summary: a cute classic
Review: This cute movie is already a classic. Watch Dustin Hoffman deliver his first great performance (these are 80's, remember?). Hoffman, playing an actor who cannot get a proper job, decides to take on a female role. He does this so wonderfully that he becomes a star female actor almost overnight. A series of humorous scenes as a result of this career change is a great treat for the viewer. The whole film is very funny, balanced and relaxing and should not be missing in your DVD library. Keep in mind, though that the film technical quality of the 80's cannot be compared with today's technology (and film budgets). All in all, however, you will not regret buying this one!
Rating:
Summary: This movie is great
Review: The cast, acting, and comedy in this film are great. I've seen it six times, and plan to see it many more. This is one of the best films of the 80's. If you want a comedy with many laughs, and superior star power, buy this movie.
Rating:
Summary: This Movie Just Pops Up Out Of No Place at All
Review: Once I had a really bad argument with my friend in the rain. It was summer and we were both home from college. I forget what we were arguing about, but it got really ugly and we wrestled in the mud so my clothes were ruined. I ended up running away from him because of the lightning and when I reached my house, sopping wet with my boots making a squishing noise, I opened the door to the kitchen and this movie was playing.
|
