
Tootise (1982)
Director: Sydney Pollack
Broke down and bought this on blu ray.
The film itself was well done. I thought they could have padded the ending a little more. Felt a bit rushed with the resolve. I certainly would have given it top marks if it had established more time and conflict due to Michael Dorsey's actions of lying to everyone, but I guess they had to make some serious editing decisions, or maybe it was just the mentality of the time. It came off a bit uneven to me, and the only reason I mention it in regard to an otherwise nearly flawless adult comedy is because of the word nearly. I like payoff to be very well rewarded, and the time for the hurting didn't last long enough. Other than that, I enjoyed it. It was intelligently handled with the writing for the most part, and the performances were all tip top. I found myself cringing a lot, but also laughing, especially at Dustin's continuous use of the word "ye-yas" (yes).
The supplements on the blu ray featured a very moving interview with Dustin Hoffman, who has always been one of my absolute favorite actors. The man is ready to cry between every sentence, and he does. His insight on the body language of women, in particular, the placing of the hand over the heart quite often, brought him to tears, as did the rejection of playing a woman probably deemed ugly by societal standards. It choked me up. I know crying on cue is skill of an actor but I believe Dustin means it.
I believe the ending of Tootsie left me on the verge of tears not so much because of the content of the story, but more for the time it came out and how different certain sensibilities were back then. The type of charisma and intellect and warmth just plain doesn't exist in movies anymore today and I miss it. I believe Dustin does, too. I can see why the guy cries so easily as it's known that he has worked with some legendary talent and must have had some equally legendary times working his craft with others.