Tootsie

 3.5/4

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

Rated PG (for Language)

"Tootsie" is a great American comedy because it starts with the basics.  It has a terrific, smart screenplay, gifted performances from actors at the top of their game, and a director who presents the material clearly and effectively.  This is one of those movies that is so well-constructed that it looks effortless.  It isn't, but it feels like it.

Michael Dorsey (Hoffman) is an out of work actor.  He's so poor that he has to share an apartment with his friend, playwright Jeff Slater (Murray).  It's not that he isn't talented, it's that his perfectionist approach has alienated him from everyone working in show business.  In the hands of anyone but Dustin Hoffman, Michael's defense of his "method" approach to his exasperated agent George Fields (Pollack) would be aggravating, but here it makes a twisted sort of sense, and as a result it's much funnier.  Out of options, he goes for his girlfriend Sandy's (Garr) now-lost role on a soap opera called Southwest General as a woman.   Not only does he get the job, he becomes an overnight star.  Now dubbed Dorothy Michaels, he becomes a feminist icon, revolutionizes the set of the show, and causes at least one actor to swoon over him/her.  Making things more complicated is that Michael falls for the lovely actress Julie Nichols (Lange), who looks to Dorothy for lessons in self-confidence.  But of course, he can't tell her the truth, nor her father Les (Durning), who is also infatuated with Dorothy.

I think the key to the film's success is Pollack's approach.  He told his cast not to approach their characters as comic but as dramatic characters in a comedic situation.  That works.  It allows the characters tees to breathe and become people with identify and sympathize with it.  "Tootsie" isn't a sitcom; it's a much deeper and richer experience.  That's not to say there aren't any laugh out loud moments (there are more than a handful of them), but this isn't "Borat."  In point of fact, Bill Murray agreed to have his name removed from the opening credits to avoid such a misconception.

I don't know if this is Dustin Hoffman's best performance but it's up there.  If nothing else, his appearance in "Tootsie" proves that the man is a good sport, since the role so ruthlessly skewers his own reputation as a difficult to work with perfectionist.  Crew members may not like his methods, but he gives a damn fine performance as both Michael and Dorothy.  We see them as two separate people, and only for a few brief and insignificant moments is the illusion broken.  That's really hard to do, but it's key to the film's success.

Jessica Lange is also good as Julie, the young and gentle actress who captures Michael's heart.  Their relationship is effectively presented because there is never any hint that Julie knows the truth nor does she say anything that would constitute foreboding.  She's not so cynical that she could even conceive that Dorothy isn't who she claims to be.  But through her friendship with Dorothy, she leans to stand up for herself.  Her inevitable betrayal when she finds out the truth is not lost on us or Michael.

They're surrounded by a nice supporting cast including Terri Garr as Michael's high-strung, melodramatic girlfriend and director Sidney Pollack doing double duty as Michael's perpetually exasperated agent.  The scenes between Michael and George are the highlights and provide the biggest laughs.  Bill Murray does some of the best improv of his career as the lazy writer and Dabney Coleman is perfectly piggish as the macho director by not going over the top; Coleman trusts the material to do the work for him, and as a result, his performance is more effective.  Special mention has to go to Charles Durning, who plays Julie's father Les.  Les, perhaps inevitably, falls for Dorothy, but the way he approaches it with a mixture of humor and lovelorn pathos is quite effective.  Durning doesn't have more than a handful of scenes, but he leaves a big impression.  There are also a few cameos, including a pre-famous Geena Davis, Lynne Thigpen, and, in a blink-it-or-miss-it, appearance, Estelle Getty.

"Tootsie" is by no means a perfect movie.  Some elements, such as issues of women in the workplace, have lost their luster, and more than a few scenes aren't expanded enough (more could be done with how the public views Dorothy as a feminist inspiration).  But those are relatively small quibbles.  In every way that truly matters, "Tootsie" is a success.  It has a strong script, smart humor, an A-list cast at the top of their game, and confident direction.  This is a great American comedy.