Tootsie (1982)
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A struggling actor adopts a female persona to land a role in a popular soap opera.
The story
Michael Dorsey is a respected New York City actor who can't find employment because he is a perfectionist and difficult to work with. He makes ends meet by working as a server in a restaurant and teaching acting classes. After months without an acting job, Michael hears of an opening on the popular daytime soap opera Southwest General from his friend and acting student Sandy Lester, who unsuccessfully auditions for the role of hospital administrator Emily Kimberly. In desperation, after an argument with his agent, Michael disguises himself as a woman named Dorothy Michaels and auditions for Southwest General. "Dorothy" is cast as Emily Kimberly. Michael takes the job as a way to raise $8,000 to produce a play by his roommate Jeff Slater.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Michael Dorsey, a difficult actor, disguises himself as a woman named Dorothy to land a role as Emily Kimberly on the soap opera Southwest General. As Dorothy, he becomes a national sensation, leading to complications with his co-stars and his friend Sandy. He faces romantic entanglements with Sandy and a co-star, Julie Nichols, while dealing with unwanted advances from others. When a technical problem forces the cast to perform live, Michael reveals his true identity as a man. After the fallout, he eventually reconciles with his co-stars. He tells Julie that he was a better man with her as a woman than he ever was with a woman as a man, and they walk away together.
- First release year
- 1982
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sydney Pollack
- Writers
- Larry Gelbart · screenplay; Murray Schisgal · screenplay; Don McGuire · story; Larry Gelbart · story
- Cast and characters
- Dustin Hoffman · Michael Dorsey; Jessica Lange · Julie Nichols; Teri Garr · Sandy Lester; Dabney Coleman · Ron Carlisle; Charles Durning · Les
- Genres
- satirical romantic comedy; comedy-drama
- Themes
- gender roles; identity; sexism
- Tone and mood
- satirical; humorous
- Premise and plot tags
- cross-dressing; soap opera; identity swap
- Source material / true-story basis
- Don McGuire's Would I Lie to You?, a play about an unemployed male actor who cross-dresses to find jobs
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, praised for its humor, performances, and social commentary.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 88 · scale: 100 · review count: 21
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actress · won
- Production trivia
- The film's theme song, 'It Might Be You', peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.; The film was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry in 1998.; The film was the third-highest-grossing film of 1982.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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