Details
Movie Description
When theatrical mastermind Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) finds himself blacklisted by just about every producer in the acting business, he decides to thwart the entertainment industry by disguising himself as an older woman and auditioning for a daytime soap opera. Dorsey arrives for the audition in a dress and makeup. Calling himself Dorothy Michaels, he/she gives an astonishing screen test and is hired on the spot by the show's executive (Dabney Coleman). Dorsey is an overnight sensation with the show's fans, but as his secret career escalates, his relationship with his girlfriend (Teri Garr) suffers. Soon Dorsey finds a new romantic interest at work with his co-star, Julie. The only problem is, Julie thinks Dorsey is a woman and it's not long before she's trying to fix up Dorothy with her single father.
In the tradition of Mel Brooks's THE PRODUCERS, Sydney Pollack's TOOTSIE is a rich, funny, complex film. In featuring Hoffman as the smock-wearing protagonist, its boldness exposes movie-goers to the hilarious challenges faced by a modern cross-dresser. At the same time, the film promoted tolerance for transgendered people. Hoffman is unforgettable as the actor so desperate for work that he'll dress as a woman to get it, and supporting players Geena Davis and Bill Murray create plenty of comedy relief to help the plot along.
Synopsis
Sydney Pollack directs this touching gender-bending farce in which Dustin Hoffman plays actor Michael Dorsey. Dorsey, who is fine actor but an irreproachable perfectionist, can hardly make ends meet; the best he can do for his wallet is take on a couple of jobs as a part-time drama coach and a part-time waiter. But when, with the help of a few accessories (including rouge and a padded bra) he transforms himself into Dorothy Michaels, everything changes. Dorothy lands a hot job on a soap opera, monopolizes the covers of glossy magazines, and wins thousands of adoring fans. But when he falls head-over-heels for his co-star Julie (Jessica Lange), he's got a real problem: How can he tell Julie he loves her when she thinks he's a she Michael, desperate to relinquish his disguise, proceeds as a she and endures a battle with his agent, played by Pollack, who refuses to end his contract with the soap; a fight with his best friend, who is a woman; unwanted sexual advances from a fellow soap actor; and sweet affections from Julie’s father. Dustin Hoffman is brilliant in this very, very funny, poignant movie.
Film Notes
Filmed on location in New York City.
TOOTSIE is number 2 on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Funniest Movies and number 62 on the list of America's 100 Greatest Movies.
TOOTSIE was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1998.
The film grossed more than $175 million at the box office.
Dustin Hoffman came up with the title TOOTSIE because it was his mother's nickname for him as a child.
Look for director Pollack as Dorothy's agent, George Fields.
TOOTSIE marked the film debut for actress Geena Davis.
Industry Reviews
"...TOOTSIE is an extremely funny movie..."
Sight and Sound - Nick Roddick (06/01/1983)
"...Remarkably funny and entirely convincing....[The] film instantly takes flight with charm and confidence and stays aloft thereafter..."
Variety - Cart. (12/08/1982)
"...Better than ever and looking better than ever..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (02/07/1992)
"Hoffman had more than proven his chop by then; but this drama-comedy, male-female dichotomy of a film was something else again."
Premiere - Premiere Staff (04/01/2004)
"TOOTSIE earned 10 Oscar nods and remains a masterful farce..." -- Grade: A-
Entertainment Weekly - Entertainment Weekly Staff (02/15/2008)
4 stars out of 5 -- "[The] gender-bender farce is still a gas, Hoff on virtuoso form as a turbulent actor flunking on Broadway....Something special."
Empire - Empire Staff (03/01/2008)
4 stars out of 5 -- "[B]y playing its farcical situation for real, Dusty, Sydney et al were able to sprinkle the laughs with some serious musings on gender stereotyping and the differences between the sexes."
Total Film - Neil Smith (04/01/2008)
3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]here's some Wilder-ish wit..."
Uncut - Chris Roberts (04/01/2008)
Quotations
"How do you feel about Cleveland?"--cameraman's response when asked how far back he can go to make Dorothy Michaels (Dustin Hoffman) look more attractive
"I was a better man with you as a woman than I ever was with a woman as a man."--Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) to Julie Nichols (Jessica Lange)
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