Tootsie (1982)

So the film ended and the credits began to roll for Tootsie. I like how TCM shows the credits, making it a more authentic experience. Anyway, as the film ended, I wondered to myself: Why name it Tootsie? The word, term of endearment, what have you, came up in a very short instant, where the soap opera director calls Dustin Hoffman's iconic cross-dressed character 'Tootsie'.

So, you name a film for a brief line that's uttered and forgotten about soon after? Yet, I realized: NO. NO. (Doing all caps for a word isn't classy, is it?). The whole damn film is about "tootsie" and its meaning. But I don't feel like explaining it okay? It's really simple, so don't worry. Like, it's really obvious.



You know the plot, so I won't bother. Let's just say, Dustin Hoffman is brilliant. Really, the other day, I was thinking about how many classics he's been in. The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Rain Man, hell, Tootsie. Oscar-worthy, indeed. I also dug Teri Garr. She did feed off of how well her character was written. Then there was Jessica Lange, and then I get confused. Why did she win the Oscar?

I did some research and the Best Supporting Actress field sucked badly. But, she was possibly the most boring part of the film. I'm just stumped. I even read that she admitted that she was confused when doing Tootsie and "didn't know what she was doing". Wait..but she won.

Anyway, I'll wrap things up. I love, love, loved the dialogue in the screenplay. Sydney Pollack directed extremely capably and also lent a great supporting character into the mix. The cast was excellent, let's just say.

This shows Hoffman's brilliance:



A high ***1/2