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Natasha Ross reviews
UCA Catalogue
- Cert:
- Cat.no: C8237356
- Running time: 112 minutes
- Year: 1982
- Pressing: 2007
- Chapters: 28
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Stereo)
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: English, French, German, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Hindi, Turkish, Danish, Arabic, Bulgarian, Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, Dutch, Norwegian, Portugese, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, Italian
- Widescreen: 2.35:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £9.99
- Extras: Filmographies, trailers
Director:
- Sydney Pollack
(Bobby Deerfield, Absence of Malice, The Electric Horseman, The Firm, Havana, The Interpreter, Jeremiah Johnson, Out of Africa, Random Hearts, Sabrina (1995), Sketches of Frank Gehry, They Shoot Horses Don’t They?, Three Days of the Condor, Tootsie, The Way We Were, The Yakuza)
Producers:
- Sydney Pollack & Dick Richards
Screenplay:
- Larry Gelbart & Murray Schisgal
Music:
- Dave Grusin
Cast:
- Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels: Dustin Hoffman
Julie Nichols: Jessica Lange
George Fields: Sydney Pollack
Sandy Lester: Teri Garr
Ron Carlisle: Dabney Coleman
Leslie Nichols: Charles Durning
Jeff Slater: Bill Murray
Men dressing up as women in film is certainly something that has been done time and time again, but the one film in which it has been done so well and parts of which, so many later films have tried to reproduce, is Tootsie.
Directed by Sydney Pollack in 1982, it is the tale of Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) an actor who is having a spot of trouble finding work, which is mainly due to the fact that he has problems getting on with the various producers he auditions for.
As well as directing, Sydney Pollack stars in the film as George, Michaels agent who is losing his faith in him. He tells Michael that no-one in New York will hire him because hes just too difficult and that he should sort himself out and get some therapy. So you can imagine Georges surprise and horror when he discovers what Michael has done. So very desperate for work, he disguises himself as a woman Dorothy Michaels to audition for a role in a hit soap opera and surprisingly, bags the part – and so the fun begins.
Soon Dorothy becomes a much-loved household name across America but things get increasingly complicated for Michael as he falls more and more in love with his co-star Julie Nichols (Jessica Lange), a single parent who is in a non-fulfilling relationship with the director of the soap, Ron Carlisle (Dabney Coleman).
It gets worse still for Michael when he realises that Julies father, Les (Charles Durning) is falling for ‘Dorothy’ and so he has to decide if he should come clean and let the nation in on Dorothys secret and risk letting down not just those close to him, but a nation too.
The film was nominated for ten Academy awards and its clear why – Dustin Hoffman is brilliant, he plays Dorothy so well, its scary and nearly every scene he/she is in is hilarious! It was so funny watching Michael as Dorothy trying to squirm his way out of kissing a male co-star who is nicknamed the tongue.
There’s also a great scene where a very young Geena Davis stands around in her underwear talking to Dorothy, making Michael incredibly uncomfortable! I have to say, it is a little creepy watching a man shave his legs, pluck his eyebrows, don a wig and plaster his face in make-up, but somehow Dustin Hoffman pulls it off.
Everything about this film is great, right from Pollacks directing, the strong and amusing cast (which even includes Bill Murray who is in and out of the film as Michaels roommate), down to all those terrible ’80s hair-cuts and very bizarre outfits!
When Id finished watching Tootsie I had a nice warm feeling inside and at the end of the film when Julie tells Michael she misses Dorothy I found myself feeling the same and Im sure you will too.
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.