Film Forum

U.S., 1982
Directed by Sydney Pollack
With Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning
Approx. 116 min. DCP.

“In TOOTSIE , Michael Dorsey lands the role of a lifetime—as did the actor playing him, Dustin Hoffman. This multilayered comedy from Sydney Pollack follows the elaborate deception of a down-on-his-luck New York actor who poses as a woman to get a soap opera gig; while “Dorothy Michaels” skyrockets to fame, Michael finds himself learning to be a better man. Given support by a stellar cast that includes Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, Teri Garr, George Gaynes, Bill Murray, and, in a breakthrough performance, Jessica Lange, TOOTSIE is a funny, cutting, and poignant film from an American moment defined by shifting social and sexual identities.” – The Criterion Collection

Reviews

“[TOOTSIE] has what the best screwball comedies had: a Can-you-top-this? Quality.”
– Pauline Kael, New Yorker

“Both [Garr and Lange] are excellent, and Miss Lange continues her promise to become a superstar of the 1980s.”
– Bob Thomas, Associated Press

“It is not just the best comedy of the year; it is popular art on the way to becoming cultural artifact.”
– Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine