Tootsie 25th Anniversary Edition

"Tootsie" is one of my favorite comedies and a huge hit when it first came out during one of the coldest winters where I live. Yet, I still managed to get to the theater twice in the span of a a two-week period both to packed houses. Although the concept is somewhat old fashioned (a guy dressing up in drag), the execution of the film itself along with the superb script and top-notch acting make it a true classic. It would not be a fair review on my part to go over the plot and details of the film, so I will focus on the Blu-ray DVD release itself. From the Criterion Collection, it comes with a new 4K Digital transfer while keeping the original monaural soundtrack and the expected number of bells and whistles which includes the following; - New Interviews with Dustin Hoffman & Phil Rosenthal - Audio Commentary with Sydney Pollack - Two Documentaries, "The Making of Tootsie" (1982) and "A Better Man: The Making of Tootsie" (2007) - Screen and Wardrobe Tests - Deleted Scenes and Trailers - Booklet with Essay by Michael Sragow Doubtless some of the extras will be familiar since they were released in an earlier DVD version. Everything in the DVD package is well presented and the only notable missing interviews are Charles Durning, Bill Murray and Geena Davis which is understandable in some ways since Durning was really getting up in years by 2007, Davis only has a small role in the film and Bill Murray is notorious for not giving interviews of this type anyway. The most revealing aspect of the extras is the initial screen, makeup and wardrobe tests that showed the evolution of Hoffman's appearance over time as he evolved into Dorothy Michaels. It is in these scenes that we see just how very wrong this all could have gone if some of the early decisions about the direction of the film were made. It is a testament to the dedication of Hoffman and the inclusion of Sydney Pollack as the director who managed, perhaps by accident, to be so perfect in the treatment and shooting of the film. Tootsie is a classic film that does not seem dated at all despite obviously being shot in the early 1980s. Hoffman is clearly not all that feminine as Dorothy Michaels, yet he manages to create an unforgettable character that is as real as any ever created. Finally, Pollack's decision (after much urging by Hoffman) to appear as the agent was pure brilliance as he adds an edge that the film really needed to succeed. Did I say that Tootsie is one of my favorite comedies? It's also one of my favorite DVD releases as well.

It seems that in "special" releases, Columbia and Paramount really trail behind Warner Bros., which is why I hesitated somewhat from upgrading my barebones "Tootsie" DVD to this 25th Anniversary Edition. The first extras that I looked at were the deleted scenes; there are quite a few short ones here, none of which really deserved to be inserted. Some are mildly amusing, some shouldn't have even been shot in the first place. OK, one extra down, two to go. Next I looked at Dustin Hoffman's "screen test." Source material are original betamax tapes of Dustin first doing the Dorothy Michaels character. Although theses tests are very short, they are extremely relevatory into the talents of Hoffman. Between the time he filmed these initial test and the time that his final character was put on film, Hoffman transitioned from a bad drag queen into a believable female. Truly incredible to compare the two performances which are roughly 3 years apart. 2nd extra down, last one to go: "The Making Of" documentary. I had no expectations of this whatsoever; expecting a 20 minute assortment of clips and a little narration, instead, we are treated to about an hour and a half of indepth interviews and insight into the creation of this comedy classic. There are current interviews from Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Terri Garr, and Sydney Pollack. The only major player missing is Murray, but it doesn't detract from the documentary. We learn that this movie is one of those amazing occurrances where the right creative team comes together; Hoffman is a difficult to control idea-man who definitely needs to be steered and somewhat restrained. As the Director, Pollack supplied this excellent guidance, and rather than play the movie for bawdy laughter, he went for honesty and truth. Elaine May also apparently gave the film its momentum and helped build all of the intertwined stories that lead to the exciting conclusion of the live Soap Opera reveal at the climax. Bill Murray and Terri Garr gave many classic improv moments, and Jessica Lange gives a very sweet and honest "straight" performance. In the interviews, Dabney Coleman tells how nobody ever laughed on the set; it was the editing of Pollack that made all the humor work, and when looking at the movie after hearing this, it is obvious to see the truth in his statement. This documentary all has many behind-the-scenes clips and confrontations between Pollack and Hoffman, who pushed the director to try every possible route and questioned everything about the movie. Large gripe - why couldn't the theatrical trailer have been put on here? It was on the barebones previous release...surely it could have fit on this DVD, too. For those not familiar with the plot, here it is: Michael Dorsey is a talented but exasperating NYC actor (much like Hoffman apparently) who nobody wants to work with; he drives up budgets and is difficult to work with. Desperate for money, he disguises himself as a woman to win a role on a soap opera. After he gets the role, he must keep it a secret from his girlfriend (Terri Garr), his costar Julie (Jessica Lange) with whom he has fallen for, and from Julie's dad (Charles Durning) who has fallen for him, thinking he is a woman. The longer it continues, the harder it is to keep juggling his life and secrets, and Michael must figure out a solution. The film itself looks good for its age in this widescreen 2:40:1 transfer in English 5.0. It is a little surprising that there's no commentary track, however, the documentary covers so much it really isn't all that necessary. Nice job and a move in the right direction, Columbia!

A classic!

This is a multigenerational movie. I remember watching this movie back in 1982 and I really enjoyed the great cast of actors so I decided to play it again for my wife and my teenage granddaughter and they both loved its theme and its humor. There aren't too many movies that you can say that about.

"Tootsie" is a socially conscious movie, so it requires some realism to engage with and critique. But it's also a comedy, which means that realism is sometimes secondary to laughs. The way "Tootsie" manages its dual nature is that the premise provides a platform for commentary, while the way it actually plays out is unbelievable but very funny. Dustin Hoffman is not a believable woman. Maybe he could have been, but his dollar-bin clothes and clownish makeup and mincing voice are all wrong and come off like cosplay or parody. Who could believe that a major actress like Hoffman's character could do four photo shoots for major magazine covers in those clothes and that wig, or that she would be allowed to do her own makeup at home before filming her daily soap, or that as a new and unknown hire she could walk onto an established TV set run by a tyrant director and so thoroughly blow everyone away with one-take improvised line readings that the crew would abandon scripts and camera cues to suit her whims? Nobody, but it's funny to see Hoffman do those things. Sometimes the jokes are found in the likeliest places, like the banter between Hoffman and slovenly roommate Bill Murray about dieting and whether certain clothes make one's ass look big. A lot of the best lines, both the dramatic and the humorous, go to Teri Garr in a supporting role that is more interesting but smaller than Jessica Lange's, and this creates a certain imbalance in the romantic chemistry. But such misses are excusable in a movie with its heart so clearly in the right place. The premise is a broad one to match the occasionally broad humor, and it's really the same one that drove Hoffman's earlier starring vehicle "Kramer vs. Kramer": that society's assigned roles for men and women are artificial. "Tootsie"'s way of saying this is less sharp than "Kramer"'s, and while the latter is carefully structured so as to leave no room to interpret is as anything but a powerful statement of equality, it is possible to see "Tootsie" as a movie that plays with social conventions without fundamentally overturning them. In the final analysis, though, the movie's intent is to challenge the status quo of male privilege. This is made clear in a scene in which Hoffman calls out the sleazy director who's dating and cheating on his leading lady, only to have the director ruefully acknowledge his behavior in a way that highlights how similar it is to Hoffman's. The movie may have its cake and eat it too, mixing comedy and commentary, but it doesn't let its characters get away with inconsistency. That is to say, it's a smart movie and a good movie.

Great old school movie

Do you know how an ugly woman feels? Do you know what it is to be ugly all your life and inside to feel that you are beautiful? It is very rare. Ernest Hemingway 1982Tootsie IMDb7.4/10 121,197 EnglishFrench subtitles CC ClosedCaptions 1h56m of continuous laughter. 25thAnniversaryEdition2007 Writers LarryGelbart MurraySchisgal had uncredited help from BarryLevinson ElaineMay DonMcGuire RobertKaufman RobertGarland. ReviewerGeneShalit and artistAndyWarhol play themselves uncredited. Composer DaveGrusin. Body language expert (uncredited) / voice and speech coach (uncredited) LillianGlass helped Hoffman believably behave as a woman would act and respond. Tootsie is Hoffman's mom's childhood nickname for him. Hoffman said he used his mom as role model for his portrayal. Spoiler Alert! "I'm just a has-been" JohnVanHorn(GeorgeGaynes). Tootsie "have you ever been famous?" Tootsie is truthful comedy. Actor MichaelDorsey(DustinHoffman) unemployed for 20years is told by his agent "no one will hire you" a challenge Michael takes as a dare. Michael auditions for a woman's role on soap SouthwestGeneral. Walking in a woman's moccasins teaches Michael how it feels to be on the receiving end of dismissive attitudes and ruthless behavior, and he discovers his capacity for compromise: I was a better man with you, as a woman... than I ever was with a woman, as a man. I just gotta learn to do it without the dress. Tootsie25thAnniversary2007SpecialFeature no subtitles no CC BetterMan three separate segments: MichaelDorsey(DustinHoffman) JulieNichols SouthwestGeneral RN(JessicaLangeOscarBestSupportingActress), actors agent GeorgeFields(TootsieDirectorSydneyPollack), Sandy MichaelDorsey's best friend (TeriGarr), Jeff Michael's roomate(BillMurray), self-justilying DirectorRonCarlisle(DabneyColeman), Les(CharlesDurning) widowed father of JulieNichols(JessicaLange) who plays NurseCharles in daytime drama SouthwestGeneral, AprilPage(GeenaDavis'premier) besieged by fans: I don't know why she (her nurse character) said that. I don't write this sh*t. JohnVanHorn(GeorgeGaynes) is teleprompter dependent, unable to memorize lines. Geena: he kisses all the girls, we call him TheTongue. GeenaDavis was selected because of her height. Standing, Hoffman's eyes hit at breast level. 1982Tootsie is laugh out loud comedy about being an out of work actor willing to do anything to get a job. MichaelDorsey(DustinHoffman) is unemployable: confrontational rigid demanding. Michael's agent GeorgeFields(DirectorSydneyPollack): No one will hire you! Not on either coast. SpecialFeature BetterManMakingTootsie over an hour of filmed interviews with principal actors, sadly no Subtitles or CC. I use cell voice to text app to follow SpecialFeature interviews. The script was 3years in the making. Filmed auditions reveal the evolution of makeup and costume for Hoffman as the script was being polished, even on set. Bonus includes conversations thrashing out script, character attitudes, motivations between Hoffman and Pollack in epic disagreements. Hoffman was convinced MichaelDorsey(DorothyMichaels)'s agent could best be portrayed by DirectorPollack recreating their pre-filming script polishing confrontations. As a dramatic director, Pollack resisted "I'm not a comic actor." Hoffman sent roses with a note: please be my agent, Dorothy. Pollack finally gave in and played himself, truthful point of view, demanding keep it real. DabneyColeman plays two-timing insensitive egocentric jerk like his role in 9to5 DollyParton JaneFonda LilyTomlin comedy: if a woman wants me to seduce her I will. But then she pretends I promised her something I didn't. Coleman mimicked the clothes and mannerisms of DirectorPollack for the role and clips are included in the Bonus which show Coleman exactly recreating Pollack behaviors. JessicaLange was deeply touched by Michael's plea: we were already good friends. I just gotta learn to do it without the dress. The insights offered by the actors during script sculpting are fascinating. Hoffman cries as he recalls being rejected as ugly when dressed as Dorothy. It was Hoffman's first experience living as a woman: what does flow mean? I had never been dismissed as ugly before, that hurt. Now I understand why women need to be seen as beautiful. JackWaltzer's ActingClass was conscripted late one Friday night to play themselves as an acting class under MichaelDorsey(DustinHoffman) in a two hour improv first thing Monday morning. DirectorPollack allowed Hoffman license to improv emphasizing unemployed actors' lives, working as waiters to prevent starvation. Hoffman dressed as Dorothy was trying to ferry parcels of newly purchased clothing into a taxi when a man usurps his cab. As a man, Michael is incensed and throws the man to the curb. Dorothy is not yet famous, so Michael is willing to act as a man in Dorothy's dress. It is hilarious, a one take freebie. Pollack, accustomed to directing drama, allowed the comedians license for their instincts. JeffSlater(BillMurray), Michael's roommate, is a struggling playwright who intones profound nonsense to attentive actors. DirectorPollack instructed comedianMurray to lend dramatic solemnity to ridiculous non sequiturs throughout Michael's 40th birthday party scene. Jeff enters their shared apartment just as JohnVanHorn(GeorgeGaynes) co-actor on SouthwestGeneral attacks Dorothy. Jeff: you slut! Michael's plan is to earn $8000 during a temporary stint on soap SouthwestGeneral to fund roommate Jeff's play ReturnToLoveCanal, GeorgeFields "no one wants to see a play about toxic pollution," starring Michael and Sandy. In one evening Michael is rejected after leaning in to kiss JulieNichols(JessicaLange BestSupportingActress), dodging questions "you were sent chocolate by a guy Les thanking you for an evening by the fire?" by Sandy(TeriGarr) acting buddy for 6years, dinner dancing and a marriage proposal with ring from LesNichols Julie's dad, an amorous attack "just sex is fine" by JohnVanHorn(GeorgeGaynes), and producer RitaMarshall(DorisBelack) picking up the one year contract option for DorothyMichaels to continue on SouthwestGeneral. Tootsie is in trouble. MichaelDorsey flees to agent GeorgeFields(DirectorSydneyPollack): Julie thinks Dorothy's lesbian, Sandy thinks I'm gay. Agent Fields: I begged you to get therapy. Michael: you gotta get me out of this! "We were already good friends" touching plea by Michael to resume buddyship between "Dorothy" now as Michael and Julie. Julie: Would you lend me that little yellow outfit? the Halston? Michael: oh no! you'd spill wine on it and ruin it! Over the closing credits the two walk away down the street arms entwined across their shoulders. Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies. Aristotle Soundtracks Tootsie AlanBergman MarilynBergman Music DaveGrusin Sung by StephenBishop ItMightBeYou AlanBergman MarilynBergman Music DaveGrusin Sung by StephenBishop Oscar nominated for BestSong over a montage of life at the Nichols' farm. That'sAll BobHaymes Music by AlanBrandt played on piano by DustinHoffman and sung by CharlesDurning Mary'sAGrandOldName GeorgeM.Cohan played on piano by DustinHoffman and sung by CharlesDurning I'llKnow Music and lyrics FrankLoesser Sung a cappella by GeorgeGaynes under Tootsie's window

I love this movie but never bought it before. Decided to purchase it now so I can enjoy it all over again. It’s a funny movie suitable for everyone.