Tootsie Review (Classic Write-Up)

As weird as it may sound, Tootsie clinched the idea for me that Dustin Hoffman is one of my favorite actors. Not that I've "disliked" him before mind you, far far far from it, I've really enjoyed his performances in the likes of Rain Man and The Graduate. But Tootsie is one where he gets to exist in a more overtly comedic environment and he thrives in it while retaining the kind of persona that's made him a Hollywood legend. Also of note is that surrounding Hoffman in Tootsie are two other noteworthy actors who would go on to become notable fixtures of the silver screen themselves, Bill Murray and Jessica Lange.

It truly is fascinating to see these noteworthy actors in a film that'll turn 34 this coming December, but even if one doesn't take into consideration where this movie fell in the careers of its leading actors though, Tootsie is still a constant riot. In this classic 1984 motion picture, the aforementioned lead actor Dustin Hoffman portrays Michael Dorsey, a New York actor whose dedication to the craft of acting is only outmatched by his desperation to get a role of some kind. Unfortunately, Michael is borderline impossible to work with and he's burned down enough bridges that it's impossible for him to get an acting job anywhere.

Desperately needing money to fund his friends play, Michael concocts a scheme that's the very definition of hair-brained; he'll dress up as a woman named Dorothy Michaels and audition for well-paying supporting role in a well-known soap opera. He lands the part, but soon finds himself struggling to juggle his dual identities, which is where the majority of the humor comes from. Putting a conventionally dramatic actor into a more comedic role is a stroke of genius, as Hoffman seems to relish having the chance to play a character whose antics rely more on comedic timing and stylized antics.

While juxtaposing Hoffman's traditional on-screen persona with a more comedic backdrop is one noteworthy part of Hoffman's lead performance that works well, it should also be noted that Hoffman also does a great job keeping Michael an extremely flawed character that we, the viewer, can't help but watch. That's a virtue that screenwriters Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal obviously kept in mind when pacing out Michael's transition over the course of the story. Various actions of his, like lying to a young woman named Sandy that he's seeing, are not played off as "cute quirks", but rather legitimate kinks in his armor that he should be repentant about. This is the sort of character that can become most aggravating real quickly in certain motion pictures, but luckily the writers and Dustin Hoffman pull it off in Tootsie without a hitch.

Perhaps the biggest testament to Tootsie is how it's able to make even the most conceptually inept ideas work splendidly. For instance, there's a montage of Dorothy/Michael bonding with co-star Julie (Jessica Lange) during an extended holiday set to the tune of It Might Be You by Stephen Bishop. It should be giggle-inducing schmaltz, but the characters and emotional situations are so well realized up to that point that the song somehow just works in that moment. This is a strong story that it's even able to take a sequence like that, something that sounds like something straight out of a parody movie, and actually make it work as an emotionally resonant scene. All in all, Sydney Pollack's Tootsie is an extraordinarily funny movie with more than a touch of humanity to it that takes it to the next level of quality.