This is going to be kind of a flip-floppy review for me – on the one hand, I absolutely loved “Tootsie,” but on the other hand, I can’t endorse all of the content.
Dustin Hoffman stars as Michael Dorsey, an out-of-work actor who has been trying for the longest time to raise enough money to produce an off-Broadway play written by his good friend Jeff (Bill Murray). No matter how many auditions Michael goes on, nothing pans out, and he doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t want to get a regular job – he is an artiste!
When a casting call goes out for a role in a soap opera, Michael’s friend Sandy (Teri Garr) decides to go for the part, and while he helps her prepare for it, a whacky idea creeps into his head. What if he were to dress like a woman and audition? Jeff thinks he’s out of his mind, but Michael wants to give it a try. He gets a wig, a dress, and goes to the audition.
This particular soap opera takes place in a hospital, and he’ll be auditioning for the role of Emily Kimberly, the new hospital administrator. As the script is written, Emily is supposed to succumb to a kiss with one of the doctors, but Michael just can’t screen test a kiss with another man. Instead, he (in the guise of Dorothy Michaels, his nom de guerre) slaps the doctor and delivers a rousing speech about how women should be treated with respect and not as playthings. This catches the eye of the director, who signs a contract with Dorothy to play several episodes.
Now Michael is living a double life, as a man in the evening and a woman during the day. Dorothy becomes a role model to all the other actresses on the set, encourages them to stand up for themselves, and to progress further in their careers using their brains and not their looks. In the meantime, Michael is developing feelings for Julie (Jessica Lange) who plays the head nurse on the show.
There are some great moments of comedy sprinkled throughout the film, and we see just how good an actor Dustin Hoffman really is.
But now for the flip-flop of the review – there is some language throughout the film, and some sexual content as well. Nothing graphic – this is a PG, after all – but if you’re concerned about sexual content in the movies you watch, this one probably won’t be for you. I didn’t find it offensive, but as my tastes may be different from yours, I do offer the warning.
Related Blogs:
Dustin Hoffman: An Unlikely Leading Man