The Movie I Watched Last Night XXI
Sunday: Tootsie
It's a recipe for a laugh riot -- just like "Bosom Buddies" was. Dustin Hoffman is an underemployed character actor and in-demand acting coach (a slight contradiction, no?). He decides that if he's going to get work, he needs to dress up as a woman. So he does, gets a part on a soap opera, becomes extremely popular, and falls in love with a female co-star. Hilarity ensues. While the basic "How could you lie to me?" romantic plot line is a bit tiresome -- as is the character actor/mistaken identity plot also used in "Hero at Large" -- there are several bright spots to this 20-year-old movie -- particularly Bill Murray's understated performance as Dustin's character's roommate. It's funny; I read the Mad magazine parody of this when I was 9 and am just now getting around to seeing the movie -- it's amazing how Mad hit most of the sweet spots of the films it parodied in the '80s. You almost don't need to see the movie. That said, I'm glad I saw "Tootsie." It holds up rather well.