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Summary: One of my all-time favorite movies
Review: This is one my all-time favorite movies for its agile handling of some of life's complex issues. At one level it is a nice story of an actor's pursuit of a dream, with challenges, trip-ups and triumphs. At a deeper level it explores the male and female roles and relationships in today's complex society, being produced during the reverberations of the feminist movement.The juicy context is the actors lifestyle, from workshops and commercials to a lucrative role on a soap ("daytime drama"). The supporting characters orbit Dustin Hoffman but each have a strong presence, colliding for critical scenes that reminds one of a finely choreographed dance. I won't ruin the ending by telling you that it comes to the common-sense conclusion that men and women are people, both different from, and similar to, each other. Please read the synopsis from other reviews posted here.
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Summary: An Oldie but a Goodie!
Review: I had the good fortune of revisiting this film recently and I had forgotten a lot of the detail.
Suffice to say it is a water tight and flawless script, the pace of comedy and emerging anxst is perfectly timed.
The story involves Hoffman as a good but "difficult" actor, struggling to find work and love in the Big Apple. His success rate at both tasks is becoming evermore elusive and impossible. After a disaster of a Birthday Party in which his dilemmas are acutely focussed, he consoles himself by helping a struggling female friend and actor, to prepare for an audition; the part of a hospital soap matriarch.
When the friend fails to get the part the idea to try himself as herself emerges. Truly brilliant themes are comedically explored, sexual politics, self identity and exploration and the equality of the difficulties of being either male or female emerge. Made all the more powerful by it's lead performances, Hoffman and Lang are outstanding, the film is also strengthened by having being made in the 80's; the ultimate sexual politics era! A must see, you'll miss "Dorothy" just like Lang does!
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Summary: Gender Bender
Review: Tootsie is a very funny comedy that boasts a top notch leading man--er female perfomance, a cracker jack script, a pitch perfect supporting cast and flawless direction. The film continues to make me laugh, even though, I have had multiple viewings and it was made decades ago. It has never gone out of style.
Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) is a talented actor, but his demanding nature as an acting coach and stubborn temperament have antagonized every producer in New York. His agent, George Fields (the film's director Sydney Pollack) insists no one will hire him. But Michael needs money -- eight thousand dollars to be exact -- and to earn it, he's willing to do whatever it takes, even dressing up as a woman named Dorothy Michaels to play on a daytime soap opera.
The script by Larry Gelbart, famous for the TV version of M*A*S*H, and Murray Schisgal is a riot. Hoffman gives a tour de force perfomance, filled with great moments. Working opposite Jessica Lange as Julie Nichols, whom Dorsey has feelings for, one of his students, and sometime girlfriend Sandy (Terri Garr), his roomate Jeff (Bill Murray, in a fine understated role), Julie's Dad Les (Charles Durning) who becomes smitten over Dorothy. The list goes on. Gelbart's knowledge of the industry and actors allows for wonderful commentary. Pollack is a pro here as he pulls double duty. Hoffman owns both roles though and he keeps you watching.
The DVD extras are very disappointing, given that the film is one of the best comedies of the 80's All that's here is the theatrical trailer, a few filmographies, and trailers for other studio releases. A special edition disc is warranted. You can watch Tootsie in either the widescreen or full frame formats--the choice is yours.
Tootsie is a highly recommended comedy that's really gender neutral.
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Summary: Best Actress Performance From A Dude
Review: This is one of the best and funniest comedies of all time.
I've read the original script and it's brilliant. The only difference in the film is Bill Murray's character: in the script he's described as the stereotypical New York playwright with a pipe and a tweed jacket with elbow pads, but his lines are the same. Bill Murray gives the role some of the film's biggest laughs, but it's also fun to picture a droll, academic-looking guy saying his lines.
The casting is wonderful. It was good to see Jessica Lange win the Best Supporting Oscar but DUSTIN HOFFMAN SHOULD HAVE WON FOR THIS MOVIE! No, I wouldn't take away his other Oscars--but TOOTSIE is the role where you see a master at work. There are times I watch this movie simply to watch his expressions. It's a part that works on numerous levels and Hoffman is funny on every one of them.
Director Sydney Pollack not only flawlessly keeps the timing of the humor going, but he also contributes an authentic performance as Michael Dorsey--er, Dorothy Michael's agent.
My only disappointment was that the DVD does not have a bunch of extras about the film. Director's commentary, actor's commentary, even the writer's commentary--all would be fascinating, I'm sure.
(One last note: I'm originally from Ohio and, for 20 years, I've had to convince some friends and family to watch this film because they didn't want to watch a "gay movie." Any movie where a guy dresses up like a girl has to be a gay movie. Don't believe it. TOOTSIE is a smart, intelligent film about the roles and characteristics of men and women--and how many comedies can you say that about?)
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Summary: *~*Question...*~*
Review: I was surprised when "Tootsie" made #2 on the American Film Institute's poll of the top 100 comedies of all-time; pretty good for a film that 'doesn't get noticed anymore.' I'm not sure if I'd rank it that high, but I do agree, it's a great, almost perfect comedy. There's a lot of movies built around a similar premise of a man trying to impersonate a female, but what makes "Tootsie" stand out is how it never gets too low-brow and how it explores every worthy nuance of that premise.
It's pretty amazing how well this film works as both popcorn entertainment and as a feminist classic. Lots of pictures have tried to be both, like "What Women Want," but fail miserably because they're either not funny/entertaining at all or really shallow or even dumb. The comedy never lets up in "Tootsie," but Michael's (Dustin Hoffman's character) growing sympathy and understanding of what it's like to be a woman is always there. I was pretty surprised at how much this picture meant to Hoffman when he interviewed for it on CBS. A surprisingly emotional interview, he basically said that before the picture, he was 'brainwashed' at how he was supposed to perceive women, and coming out of it, he felt guilty for having ignored/shortchanged/misjudged so many people before because of that mindset he used to have.
I don't want to ruin any jokes, so I'll just repeat that it's a very funny picture. All the performances are excellent, especially Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange. The only real complaint I have is the music, which feels a bit too dated.
As for the DVD, this was released fairly recently, and it seems to be a good transfer from an excellent print. You get an anamorphic picture, which is great if you have a widescreen set, and there's a new 5.1 mix but it's not exactly a sophisticated soundtrack. It's also a two-sided disc, full-frame on one side, widesceen on the other, but each side only has about 4.1 GB of data, meaning the resolution isn't going to be great, and it shows in the long-shots and even medium shots where the facial details don't seem very defined. No real extras, which is unfortunate because even if they can't get Pollack, Hoffman, Lange, Garr, Murray, etc. to do commentary, there's plenty of available material that would've been nice (like Hoffman's emotional interview). Unless there's a 25th anniversary edition in the works for 2007, this is probably your best bet on home video.
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Summary: Javitch Read
Review: Dustin Hoffman in a comedy set in New York City. Hoffman plays an unemployed actor, Michael Dorsey. After his girlfriend failed to get an acting audition for a soap opera, he dresses in drags under the alias "Dorthy Michaels" (Great Alias...) and gets the job. Now most people thing that a movie like this would be realy stupid. But like the old saying goes; "Never judge a book by its cover" (Some Guy Page Unknown). Tootsie offers minutes after minutes of classic comedy, that are only matched by the greats on Comedy Central. 116 Minutes
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Summary: Tootsie does not suck :)
Review: I have to admit, I was never really a fan of 80's movies. Very few movies filmed in the 80's have ever appealed to me. So after watching Tootsie, I was glad that I had found one comedy made in the 80's that does not suck. In fact, it was one of the best movies I have ever seen. Dustin Hoffman plays Michael Dorsey, an unemployed actor who pretends to be a woman in order to get a job on a soap opera, and raise enough money to produce his roomate's new play. Bill Murray plays his roomate, and is very funny in this role, one of the funniest I've seen him in actually. Dabney Coleman plays Ron Carlilie, a character you can't help but hate, because of the way he treats Julie. Jessica Lange as
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Summary: A Nearly Perfect American Comedy
Review: I heard a story that Dustin Hoffman was considering doing this movie, but that he waited until he had been made up to see if he made a convincing enough woman before agreeing. I don't know how true this story is, or even how convincing he is as a woman, but thank goodness this movie was made.I can't think of another movie more perfectly cast except.... maybe... Casablanca? Jessica Lange is perfect as the beautiful soap actress and love interest. Charles Durning is perfect as the sweet older man who falls in love with Dustin's "Dorothy". Terri Garr is perfect as the insecure female friend who loses the role on the soap to "Dorothy". Bill Murray is great in his few scenes - this is one of the first movies where we actually got to see him "act". Dabney Coleman is perfect as the arrogant director of the soap who cheats on poor Jessica. Director Sydney Pollack wisely casts himself perfectly as Dustin's exasperated agent. (The scene early on where he informs Dustin that NO ONE will hire him because he's too "difficult" is fantastic.) Lastly, Dustin Hoffman is perfect as the actor who becomes a better man by pretending to be a woman. The film is full of situations that turn your expectations sideways - I'd give examples, but that would ruin your enjoyment if you haven't seen it yet! Trust me - just watch this movie - but only if you want to be entertained!
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Summary: Dustin Hoffman is the best!
Review: Dustin Hoffman is a fantastic character actor, one of the all time greats. He is superb in this movie. He is an actor who can't get a job as a man but through circumstances, ends up getting a woman's part in a soap opera. The cast thinks he is a woman and it really was funny watching Hoffman try to keep them from learning he was a man. This movie was really funny and yet it had a lot of drama and humanity included. I found his portrayal of a woman more interesting and likable than that of the male character, in fact, there were times that I would get so wrapped up in the character, Dorothy, that I would forget that he was a man acting as a woman. The cast, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Bill Murray, Charles Durney, Geena Davis, were all great. This is one of those movies that will be remembered for years to come! Enjoy!
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