Tootsie

Movie: Tootsie, 1982; 116 min

Director: Sydney Pollack

Actors: Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr

Summary: Actor, Michael Dorsey, cannot find work anywhere in New York City so he decides create an alter ego, Dorthy Michaels, and dresses up as a woman to land the job on a television soap opera. He soon falls in love with one of the actresses on the show, Julie Nichols, whose widowed father falls in love with Dorthy. A crazy love triangle forms and provides a comedic storyline to the film.

Question 1: How are women in the 80’s portrayed in the film? State specific examples from the film.

The 1980’s were a time for change in the roles of women. Women had equal rights but they were still treated differently from men. These differences are portrayed through the film. For example, when Dorthy (Michael) attempts to get a taxi, it does not stop until Michael uses his harsh man’s voice. It does provide comedy to the film because it is a man dressed as a woman, but this also shows how men have a more dominant role in the 1980’s society. In addition, Dorthy brings up that the television show producer only calls women by nicknames such as “Baby” and “Tootsie,” but he does not call men by any nicknames. As a man dressed as a woman and called nicknames, Michael realizes that the producer seems to be putting himself above women due to his condescending nicknames and he wouldn’t dare to call another man by a nickname. Dorthy becomes openly against the nicknames and asserts her power as an independent woman who wants to be called by her real name. Julie’s father is also one of the men who sees men as stronger than women. He says that, “Bulls are bulls and roosters don’t lay eggs.” This statement directly shows how he believes that women should keep to their own roles and that men should keep to their own roles. This idea was probably common in the 1980’s and the film raises attention to the issue from a comedic standpoint.

Question 2: Analyze the differences in mise en scene (wardrobe and make-up) between Dorthy and Julie.

 Julie and Dorthy are both very different women. Julie is very natural, wearing little makeup and comfortable clothes, while Dorthy (Michael) wears heavy makeup and always dresses up. This contrast is interesting because Julie is a real woman and Dorthy is actually a man. Michael does happen to have to wear a great deal of makeup in order to hide his masculine features and to be able to pull off being a woman. When Dorthy comes to dinner at Julie’s apartment, the contrast in wardrobe especially shows because Dorthy gets all dressed up and Julie comes to the door in sweats and a sweatshirt. Julie seems to be more of a man looks wise compared to Dorthy because she wears little to no makeup and does not seem to be extremely preoccupied with her appearance. Julie’s attitude shows that someone can still be beautiful without makeup and fancy clothes, things that women were usually expected to wear.