Thursday, April 15, 2010

Tootsie (1982)


Dustin Hoffman continues to impress me in the 80s films, which makes me wonder what the hell he was thinking when he decided to sign on for Meet the Fockers. This hilarious comedy revolves around an unemployed actor named Michael Dorsey, who disguises himself as a woman, Dorothy Michaels, in order to land a part in a TV soap opera; a role which proves incredibly successful. Meanwhile, Michael falls in love with the soap's female star, Julie, but cannot divulge Dorothy's secret or will lose his acting job. Unfolding events are further complicated by the fact that Julie's father, Les, is in love with Dorothy himself.

If you haven't seen "Tootsie", watch it. You'll never regret whiling away a couple of hours with this wonderful ensemble. And it will get you thinking about gender roles, something we as a society are still struggling with today. My personal favorite was Hoffman's moment of truth, when he explains to Lange near the end, "I was a better man with you, when I was a woman, than I ever was with any woman when I was a man." If you can puzzle through the logic you'll see that this simple statement holds a world of truth in its couple of dozen words.

1 comment:

Vladigogo said...

A great quote that you cite.