Movie · 1982 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 56m · PG · English
Curator score: 7.7/10 (238.6K ratings)
What do you get when you cross a hopelessly straight starving actor with a dynamite red sequined dress? You get America's hottest new actress.
Overview
When struggling, out of work actor Michael Dorsey secretly adopts a female alter ego – Dorothy Michaels – in order to land a part in a daytime drama, he unwittingly becomes a feminist icon and ends up in a romantic pickle.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.7/10
IMDb: 7.4/10
Letterboxd: 3.75/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Metacritic: 88
TMDB: 7.2/10
Director
Sydney Pollack
Production
Mirage Enterprises, Punch Productions, Delphi Films, Columbia Pictures
Cast
Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, Bill Murray, Sydney Pollack, George Gaynes, Geena Davis, Doris Belack, Ellen Foley, Peter Gatto, Lynne Thigpen, Ronald L. Schwary, Debra Mooney, Amy Lawrence, Kenny Sinclair, Susan Merson, Robert D. Wilson, James Carruthers
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, very funny studio comedy with real bite: Tootsie works as a performance showcase, a romantic farce, and a surprisingly perceptive look at sexism in show business. It’s dated in places, but the writing, pacing, and ensemble still make it one of the defining comedies of the 1980s.
Best for
fans of smart character-driven comedies
viewers interested in showbiz satire
people who like romantic comedies with social commentary
fans of strong ensemble acting
viewers open to classic films with some dated attitudes
Skip if
you want a modern, fully current gender-politics perspective
you dislike farce or mistaken-identity plots
you’re sensitive to 1980s-era sexual politics and broad comedy
you prefer low-key or understated humor
Overview
Tootsie is one of those rare mainstream comedies that feels built around a genuinely great central premise and then keeps finding new jokes, complications, and emotional angles. The film is at its best when it treats acting as both craft and disguise, turning Michael’s desperation into a hilarious study of vanity, insecurity, and survival in the entertainment industry.
Worth noting
What gives it staying power is the ensemble. Dustin Hoffman is committed and nimble, Jessica Lange brings warmth and intelligence, and Teri Garr grounds the movie with real comic timing. Sydney Pollack keeps the machinery moving, so even when the plot gets increasingly absurd, the movie stays crisp and watchable.
Bottom line
It is also very much a film of its era, and some of its ideas about gender and romance land awkwardly now. Still, the movie’s intelligence, momentum, and sheer confidence make it easy to see why it became a classic. It’s funny, polished, and more thoughtful than its setup first suggests.
Top Letterboxd reviews
p e r s i a 🍒 (4★) · 1275 likes
jessica lange winning an oscar for this movie for simply being hot is kinda iconic behaviour in my opinion
Karsten (4★) · 1212 likes
One of my mom’s favorite movies, because of course it is! Hilarious script, great performances all around, and Bill Murray!
Sally Jane Black · 1007 likes
There are better ways to deliver this message.
In the service of conveying a supposedly feminist message, the film engages in misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia. Feminism is not men learning to empathize with women by using them. Feminism is not a man preying on a woman who has been his friend for years to keep up a lie. Feminism is not using Michael's disgust at being kissed by a man as the inspiration for his changing character to be stronger.… more
amaya (2★) · 923 likes
more like dustin hoffWOMAN that's all bye
Aaron Michael (5★) · 893 likes
I won't say that cinema peaked with Tootsie, but I also won't not say that.
1959 · Comedy, Romance, Crime · 2h 3m · NR · Curator 9.7/10 (658.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A foundational gender-disguise farce that pairs screwball energy with enduring comic invention.