Tootsie (1982)
84%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
25 wins & 30 nominations total
Tootsie doesn’t squander its high-concept comedy premise with fine dialogue and sympathetic treatment of the characters
Tootsie is a classic comedy that will have you laughing until your sides hurt. Dustin Hoffman’s dual performance as Michael Dorsey and Dorothy Michaels is nothing short of remarkable. The film’s originality and engaging storyline make it a must-watch for anyone who loves a good gender-bending comedy. Plus, the supporting performances are excellent, and the dry humor is sensationally funny. Tootsie is a cultural artifact that will continue to be enjoyed for years to come.
Production Company(ies)
Channel Four Films, Ci By 2000 Thin Man Films,
Distributor
Columbia Tristar, Criterion Collection, RCA/Columbia, Columbia Pictures, Columbia TriStar Home Video
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Hurley, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1982
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 51m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 17, 1982 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 5, 2008
Genre(s)
Comedy/Lgbtq+
Keyword(s)
starring Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, Bill Murray, directed by Sydney Pollack, written by Larry Gelbart, Barry Levinson, Elaine May, Murray Schisgal, comedy, LGBTQ+, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Bob Thomas, Tasha Robinson, James Berardinelli, Richard Schickel, Dave Kehr, Mike Massie, Molly Haskell, Tim Dirks, Diego Galán, Robert Hatch, Christopher Machell, PG rating, produced by Sydney Pollack, Ronald L Schwary, Columbia Tristar, Criterion Collection, RCA/Columbia, Columbia Pictures, Columbia TriStar Home Video, mono, stereo, 35mm, Scope (2.35:1), Michael Dorsey, Dorothy Michaels, Julie Nichols, Sandy Lester, Ron Carlisle, Les Nichols, Jeff Slater, New York, soap opera, audition, gender-bending, feminism, romance, complications
Worldwide gross: $177,200,000
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $560,255,389
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 251
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 61,096,553
US/Canada gross: $177,200,000
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $560,255,389
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 58
US/Canada opening weekend: $5,540,470
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $17,517,371
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 723
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $21,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $66,395,955
Production budget ranking: 629
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $35,754,222
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $458,105,213
ROI to date (est.): 448%
ROI ranking: 289
Jessica Lange – Julie Nichols
Teri Garr – Sandy Lester
Dabney Coleman – Ron Carlisle
Charles Durning – Les Nichols
Bill Murray – Jeff Slater
Sydney Pollack – Director, Producer
Ronald L. Schwary – Producer
Larry Gelbart – Writer
Barry Levinson – Writer
Elaine May – Writer
Murray Schisgal – Writer
Director(s)
Sydney Pollack
Writer(s)
Larry Gelbart, Barry Levinson, Elaine May, Murray Schisgal
Producer(s)
Sydney Pollack, Ronald L. Schwary
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
25 wins & 30 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (5)
Both [Garr and Lange] are excellent, and Miss Lange continues her promise to become a superstar of the 1980s.
November 12, 2018
Bob Thomas
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
It’s a movie with a lot on its mind – while never toppling over under the weight of its good intentions.
May 30, 2016
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
What makes Tootsie a smart, enduring comedy instead of a silly, momentary one is its real sympathy for women.
January 12, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Tasha Robinson
The Dissolve
TOP CRITIC
April 30, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
It is not just the best comedy of the year; it is popular art on the way to becoming cultural artifact.
October 5, 2008
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
…there are several solid laughs and some excellent supporting performances.
June 28, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
It all comes together with some sensationally dry humor – the kind of comedy that feels natural, realistic, and spontaneous.
September 8, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
[Hoffman gives] a remarkable dual performance, as profound as it is funny.
February 26, 2020
Molly Haskell
Vogue
Tootsie (1982) is an engaging, original, hilarious gender-comedy story of an unemployed actor Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) whose disguises as a feminist named “Dorothy” fooled his/her co-actors and helped him get a job and become a female star
September 29, 2019 | Rating: A+
Tim Dirks
Filmsite
Tootsie is a brilliant and intelligent movie that can interest the public because of its originality. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 28, 2019
Diego Galán
El Pais (Spain)
Shadow-boxing his way downtown, Dorsey suddenly yells, “I’m a great character actor; I can play anybody!” In Tootsie, Hoffman proves that he just about can.
January 30, 2018
Robert Hatch
The Nation
Tootsie’s finely balanced writing is one of the film’s greatest strengths, being consistently funny without ever turning the central premise into a gag.
April 18, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
Christopher Machell
CineVue…
Plot
Michael Dorsey is an unemployed actor with an impossible reputation. In order to find work and fund his friend’s play he dresses as a woman, Dorothy Michaels, and lands the part in a daytime drama. Dorsey loses himself in this woman role and essentially becomes Dorothy Michaels, captivating women all around the city and inspiring them to break free from the control of men and become more like Dorsey’s initial identity. This newfound role, however, lands Dorsey in a hot spot between a female friend/’lover,’ a female co-star he falls in love with, that co-star’s father who falls in love with him, and a male co-star who yearns for his affection.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Tootsie on Fresh Kernels.
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