GenQ

I love ‘Tootsie’. She’s like the woman we all wanna be. Even if you happen to be male. And being male just seems to be Michael Dorsey’s (Dustin Hoffman) problem in every sense. So what do you do if one gender isn’t working out for you? Dress up as a woman of course. Michael is an actor so desperate for work that he tackles the dresses and the eyebrow plucking to become Dorothy Michaels, a woman who gets the part of head nurse in a hospital soap opera.

Long before Mrs Doubtfire was even a speck in the mind of Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman was toying with the idea of ‘Shirley’, a woman who, beneath all the costume and make up, is a man. A perfect reason for a man to dress up as a woman would be an out of work actor who finds the perfect job… The catch? It’s a female character. After some script rewrites, Shirley became Dorothy and ‘Tootsie’ was born, released in the US in 1982.

So clearly the plot has been given away already right? Male protagonist (man) can’t do something as a male, man dresses up a woman, man as woman makes with the funnies, man learns lessons as woman and, for the big climatic finale, man’s true identity is revealed before everyone, much to the disgust of some characters whilst betraying some others. This movie is no different.

man dresses up a woman, man as woman makes with the funnies, man learns lessons as woman...

Of course, feminism and queer identity all come into play in stories like these. I, for one, actually find these types of movies to be very pro-feminine in the sense that men are lacking something which they need to become a woman, in order to obtain something, or to learn or mature. As a woman myself, I see that as completely flattering. As the scenes unfold and Michael becomes more and more involved with his alter ego Dorothy, we can observe a slight queering of his character, as he learns more about shaving his legs or the fact how a certain dress might make his bum look bigger. Yet he manages to maintain his masculinity that aids the hilarity in the scenes. For example, after he gets the part at the TV soap, his roommate (Bill Murray), whilst overlooking all his new female toiletries, expresses his concern about Michael’s obsession with looking realistic, even subtly questioning his sexuality. Michael retorts back (but without taking offence) that it’s purely for the job and that this is one true challenge for a real actor. Not once does he portray himself as the stereotypical camp guy, high pitched and worried about his nails. All his concern regarding the way he looks comes from within and is not superficial: a far cry from other portrayals of gender bending situations.

More laughs are thanks to the mistaken identity and the unusual love triangle that Michael/Dorothy make for each other. His crush Julie (Jessica Lange) assumes that Dorothy is a lesbian (after an amusingly awkward scene) while his current girlfriend (Teri Garr), upon seeing a card from another man, thinks that Michael is gay. Not to mention the numerous suitors that Dorothy gathers, a male co-star and Julie’s dad. Oh, it’s gonna be fun times ahead. Once Michael realises the impossible tangle he has weaved, he knows the only way out is to be open…

If you haven’t seen the original gender bending sensation before it became cool (not including any black and white films), then obviously Tootsie screams out to be watched. Unlike Mrs Doubtfire or other comedies where men (or women) in drag is the hilarious punch line, Tootsie gains respect through the maturity and growth that Michael displays. His transformation is complete when he finally lets go of Dorothy but uses what he has learnt as a woman to be a better man. As Michael himself puts it: “I was a better man with you as a woman than I ever was with a woman as a man.”

Sony Pictures have re released Tootsie as a 25^th anniversary DVD pack, with extras like test footage of Dustin in drag, missing scenes and the making of Tootsie where we can see its conception. The extras, which include many interviews with actors and crew, show us a younger Dustin guiding us through Tootsie’s birth and an older Dustin looking back, reliving memories. A fantastic edition to any collection with a swag of extras that you actually want in an anniversary pack, make this a great mother’s day gift.

Tags: bill murray, dustin hoffman, tootsie