"Tootsie" is about a down and out actor named Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) who cannot land a role because he's considered "difficult." In an act of desperation, Dorsey tries for the part of a hospital administrator on a popular soap opera. But the part is for a female. He ends up cross dressing for the role, and becomes hired! Dorsey justifies taking the role because it pays great money and he needs the funds to finance a play he's written. Hoffman has shown his versatility and talent over the years, but I have to admit that playing "Dorothy Michael" has to be his best performance yet. As Dorsey playing Dorothy, he gets a glimpse of life from a woman's perspective and discovers that women are not taken so seriously, especially when having to deal with a letcherous director. While "Dorothy" is not young and beautiful, "she" sees how limited women are when youth (and an amorous director) are the key to success.
Dorothy's life becomes complicated when "she" finds herself falling for Julie (Jessica Lange) another actress on the soap opera. Julie tells Dorothy that she likes her, but not in that way. To further complicate matters, Julie's father (Charles Durning) starts to fall for Dorothy and eventually proposes to "her"! And Dorsey's close friend Sandy (Teri Garr) is upset that some frumpy actress (Dorsey) got the part she auditioned for. Dorothy has become a very popular character on the show and finds herself on the cover of magazines. Dorsey's roomate (Bill Murray) and his agent (Sydney Pollack) are the two allys who support what he's doing. Events are spiraling out of control, and Dorsey has to finally "reveal" himself for what he is. "Tootsie" is a wonderful movie with many brilliant performances, but especially Dustin Hoffman's. After years of serious roles in movies like "All the President's Men," "Kramer vs. Kramer," and "Midnight Cowboy," "Tootise" is his breakout comedy role.
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