Review of Tootsie (1982) by Cameron H — 13 Jan 2015

Dustin Hoffman is Michael Dorsey, a versatile character actor whose at-work temper has led to a struggle in finding roles in New York City. His last chance of working in the city is in a hospital-set soap opera, but they're looking for someone a little more feminine. Thus, Dorothy Michaels is born. Did you like how I established the premise? Don't worry, the film doesn't establish it like that. If I hadn't known the film was, on general grounds, a drag comedy, I would've been shocked when Dustin Hoffman first appears as a surprisingly convincing woman. I never noticed how delicate his face is. I should refrain from comments like that, and it will be obvious later in the review. Not all of the jokes are, "Look at Dustin, trying to be a woman and failing." In fact, because Dustin's character (or an extension of himself, as he... er, Michael words it) is so versatile of an actor, there is no quirky transition to the little daily rituals of being a woman. The awkwardness cuts much deeper than that. Michael Dorsey grows insecure about how he, or Dorothy rather, looks, and, despite representing strong female empowerment in the soap more than anyone else in the cast, is not always ready to stand up for herself. Tootsie, among other things, studies how women want to be treated, in the setting of early-1980s New York. In one scene, fellow actress Julie (Jessica Lange) explains to Dorothy how she wants a man to walk up to her and invite her to bed, without any nonsense. Michael does just that to Julie, and then Julie splashes wine into his face. It's for comedic effect, but the scene hangs around long enough for me to wonder, "Why did she not like that?" Although the soap director (Dabney Coleman) and Julie's father (Charles Durning) feel that way, the film's atmosphere never implies that. Everything is put into perspective, and I really love that. It takes Dustin Hoffman in drag to send a good-vibe feminist message.

If that doesn't seem like your cup of tea, it doesn't need to be for you to enjoy the film. Tootsie centers around Dustin Hoffman, whose fiery energy enlivens every scene he is in. Sometimes, he is committed to being Dorothy, and other times, he is committed to being Michael. I recognize Dustin's suffering from too many commitments. By the end of the film, the line, "She misses you," in response to Julia saying, "I miss Dorothy," has deeper meaning, because Michael, the actor, is separating himself from Dorothy. Thus, Dustin is fully committed to being Michael, while retaining what he found as Dorothy. God, I am confused. I love Hoffman's acting, okay? Bill Murray, as Hoffman's roommate, deals the goods with his everlasting deadpan wit. So does George Gaynes, who basically plays himself as an old-time soap opera star and humiliates himself in wooing Dorothy until Bill Murray walks in on Gaynes and Dorothy. The ongoing relationship between Michael and Sandy (Teri Garr) is rich in humour and drama. Initially platonic, Michael acts sexually when Sandy caught him undressing himself. Unbeknownst to Sandy, he was undressing only to re-dress in one of her dresses. Nevertheless, the two have sex and then try to date throughout most of the movie. It doesn't work... to great comedic effect! It's all so lovely, and I barely addressed the romance between Hoffman and Lange. It is likely that you can guess why Dorothy would have trouble making a move on the heterosexual Julia. At one point, Dorothy tries to kiss Julia, and it's awkward between them. Grand reveal, Dorothy is a man! Julia doesn't like to be deceived by another guy. Okay, last scene. I quoted it earlier. The ending is a bit ambiguous, but literally, it ends with the two casually talking and walking together, arms on each other's backs. Given the strong feminist message the film had been trying to send for most of its length, I have trouble in believing that the ending was the two going into a relationship. It seemed more like a friendship. The interpretation may differ in another's eyes, but I say what I saw. And I love what I saw.