In Tootsie, Dustin Hoffman shows off his considerable talents in a sparkling comedy of errors that makes you think.

As the credits roll, we see Michael Dorsey (Hoffman) conducting workshops and coaching actors as if he were Lee Strasberg of the Actor's Studio, himself. Then the clips begin to show Dorsey auditioning for parts and getting turned down every time. No matter what he does, he gets turned down. Finally, his agent heatedly tells him he is unemployable as an actor on either coast because he is too difficult and demanding to work with.

Dorsey has been trying without success to get his girlfriend Sandy (luscious Teri Garr) to show a little spirit in her acting. Sandy auditions for a part as a hospital administrator and gets turned down. Out of the blue Dorsey transforms himself into a woman, Dorothy, auditions for the same part and gets it. It's a part on a daytime drama - um, soap opera.

Suddenly compelled to masquerade as a woman to keep his lucrative job and not wanting his friends to know, Dorsey quickly develops a feel for the plight it is to be a woman. Where people once only wanted him to go away, as Dorothy he has fan mail, men are hitting on him, and he has to learn how to handle a scene where the lecherous doctor (known among the girls around the studio as "The Tongue") tries to steal a kiss…

Around the dressing room, the girls casually disrobe and Dorothy develops more than a passing interest in his costar, Julie (Jessica Lange). When he/she tries to reveal his secret to Julie, Julie mistakenly thinks Dorothy wants girl-to-girl sex and refuses. If you could just see me without my clothes, Michael/Dorothy offers, to no avail. Meanwhile, Julie's widowed father (Charles Durning) has the hots for Dorothy, as well. Sandy thinks Michael is cheating because he is not paying attention to her like he used to. Amid all these tangled relationships created by Michael's deception there is moment after moment of comedic genius.

Written by a battery of writers, Tootsie has one of the tightest scripts in the movies. It is an interesting and penetrating look behind the scenes of the New York acting community and has just the right mix of romance, wistful longing, and drama punctuated by some extremely well-done belly laughs.

Direction by Sydney Pollack never lags and brings the best out of the cast, which is exemplary. Dustin Hoffman, of course, is excellent and makes a credible woman. Not a beauty, mind you, but attractive and believable. Supporting cast is also exemplary, with uncredited Bill Murray (yes, that Bill Murray!) a standout, as Hoffman's roommate. Murray shows incredible restraint as he plays straight man to Hoffman's Tootsie. Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, and George Gaynes as Tootsie's admirers shine also. With Teri Garr, Geena Davis, and Jessica Lange to provide the pulchritude, I can't see any flaws in the casting. I was mildly surprised to learn that Lange won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance, which did not particularly stand out among all the rest. Maybe it was for the scene where she bent over in front of the camera in her underpants??

Trivia note: Hoffman's fake breasts reportedly weighed eight pounds and cost a whopping $350. That's in 1982 dollars.

Tootsie will be a treat the whole family will want to see time and again.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening