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Movies / Upcoming / Tootsie
Tootsie

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Tootsie (1982)

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87 %
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Reviews Counted:38

Fresh:33

Rotten:5

Average Rating:7.5/10

Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

Genre: Comedies

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: When theatrical mastermind Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) finds himself blacklisted by just about every producer in the acting business, he decides to thwart the entertainment industry by... When theatrical mastermind Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) finds himself blacklisted by just about every producer in the acting business, he decides to thwart the entertainment industry by disguising himself as an older woman and auditioning for a daytime soap opera. Dorsey arrives for the audition in a dress and makeup. Calling himself Dorothy Michaels, he/she gives an astonishing screen test and is hired on the spot by the show's executive (Dabney Coleman). Dorsey is an overnight sensation with the show's fans, but as his secret career escalates, his relationship with his girlfriend (Teri Garr) suffers. Soon Dorsey finds a new romantic interest at work with his co-star, Julie. The only problem is, Julie thinks Dorsey is a woman and it's not long before she's trying to fix up Dorothy with her single father. In the tradition of Mel Brooks's THE PRODUCERS, Sydney Pollack's TOOTSIE is a rich, funny, complex film. In featuring Hoffman as the smock-wearing protagonist, its boldness exposes movie-goers to the hilarious challenges faced by a modern cross-dresser. At the same time, the film promoted tolerance for transgendered people. Hoffman is unforgettable as the actor so desperate for work that he'll dress as a woman to get it, and supporting players Geena Davis and Bill Murray create plenty of comedy relief to help the plot along. [More]

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Charles Durning, Bill Murray

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Charles Durning, Bill Murray, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Geena Davis, Sydney Pollack

Director: Sydney Pollack

Director: Sydney Pollack

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Tootsie

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; Australian critics are listed first)
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The film is mostly remembered for Dustin Hoffman's outstanding portrayal of Dorothy, the bespectacled, conservative woman who stands for neither discrimination nor nonsense

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
04/26/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The tone is quick-witted and appealing, with some of the smartest dialogue this side of Billy Wilder...

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

A rousing comedy that deals with the agonies and ecstasies of the acting profession, the confusion of sexual roles, and the importance of lovers being friends.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
02/13/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Tootsie restores the original meaning to the term 'situation comedy,' free of the pejorative associations that have accrued over the years because of the glut of awful ones on television.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It turns out to be a touching love story, after all -- so touching that you may be surprised how moved you are at the conclusion of this comedy.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's jaunty, witty, and somehow satisfying despite being simple.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/01/00
William Gallagher
William Gallagher
BBC

As wonderful of a romantic comedy today as it was 20 years ago.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
05/23/01
Rachel Gordon
Rachel Gordon
Filmcritic.com

The politics of the film seem to be a bit out of whack...

Full Review Source: MovieMartyr.com | comment 1 Comment
03/05/02
Jeremy Heilman
Jeremy Heilman
MovieMartyr.com

...there are several solid laughs and some excellent supporting performances.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
06/28/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

People would have you believe this film was the Rosetta Stone of comedy, whereas it's really just an ok film dominated by television actors.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Brad Laidman
Brad Laidman
Film Threat

One of the best and most significant comedies of the 1980s: Unlike Curtis and Lemmon in Some Like It Hot, when Dustin Hoffman is in drag, it does change his attitude toward sex, women, and courtship. Pollack is here at his best as a commercial director.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
01/09/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Remarkably funny and entirely convincing...

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
02/13/01
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...an amiable and frequently hilarious comedy that boasts one of the most effective performances of Hoffman's career.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
02/10/08
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

...a perfect setup for some funny and provocative jabs at women’s lib, gender consciousness, equal rights, sexual freedom, as well as soap operas.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
06/07/01
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

It is not just the best comedy of the year; it is popular art on the way to becoming cultural artifact.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
10/05/08
Richard Schickel
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine

I found this polished sitcom comedy to be a drag.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment 1 Comment
06/05/08
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Pollack's easy-going, gender-bending comedy seems to have grown in stature and reputation with age, and it is not difficult to see why.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/26/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A sparkling turn by Hoffman and an absolutely fabulous cast make this a risk -- and a risque -- success.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
05/26/08
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One of the funniest things I have ever seen was Dustin Hoffman weeping uncontrollably as he recounted how he never truly understood the inner pain and torment of what it felt like to be an ugly woman until he made Tootsie.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Rather than confront what it sets up, it takes the one joke and runs -- till it runs out of steam.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment 1 Comment
06/28/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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Latest News for Tootsie

May 26, 2008: Sydney Pollack dies aged 73
Academy Award-winning director, producer and actor, Sydney Pollack, dies aged 73. More...

June 22, 2007: AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15 other lists every few years. And then last night they... More...

January 19, 2006: Trailer Bulletin: She's the Man
Anyone remember the teenaged "Tootsie" with the gender-twist called "Just One of the Guys"? The one where the hot teenage girl posed as a guy and got into... More...

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