A beautifully surreal detour...To answer your original question, an absolute classic. I think my two favorite "mainstream" films (whatever that means) of the past 30 years--certainly my favorite comedies--are Tootsie and Broadcast News. I never tire of either. George Gaynes, Coleman, Teri Garr, they're all fantastic. I'm laughing just thinking of the way Garr says "Will I ever see you again?" after she and Hoffmann have sex.
― clemenza, Wednesday, 16 June 2010 23:49 (2 years ago) Permalink
"Sex changes things" (looks curiously at her breasts under the cover).
― Filmmaker, Author, Radio Host Stephen Baldwin (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 23:54 (2 years ago) Permalink
I still think that first half hour or so has the most accurate depiction of struggling actors/writers/whatever in a big city i've ever seen; doing shitty jobs, going to reads, having parties, getting nowhere and waiting for a break and suchlike. Going back to it a few years ago i realised i'd forgotten all that section because of the farce/ romance/ etc stuff that comes after.
― piscesx, Thursday, 17 June 2010 00:22 (2 years ago) Permalink
it's so distilled removes some of the verisimilitude that would help you buy into the situation
Jesus God.
― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 17 June 2010 00:26 (2 years ago) Permalink
Pretty good essay.
― Hey Look More Than Five Years Has Passed And You Have A C (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 7 April 2011 18:51 (2 years ago) Permalink
for some reason i was convinced for years that ed o'neill was in this movie
― cum dude (Princess TamTam), Thursday, 7 April 2011 18:53 (2 years ago) Permalink
better before dorothy comes along?
It's a pretty creepy stunt for everyone to just get over in the last five mins, i may be asking too much.
― Darranzhi MacKhakhala (darraghmac), Monday, 4 July 2011 21:59 (1 year ago) Permalink
The writing and acting are so sharp that the Dorothy stuff works on its own: huffy soap actress falls for young costar.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:18 (1 year ago) Permalink
maybe, but i agree with upthread comment- traded punchiness for sentimentality with the emergence of the 'love story' angle.
Teri Garr and Pollock were great in their roles, picked it up whenever they appeared
― Darranzhi MacKhakhala (darraghmac), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
ha that's not to say the leads let it down, obviously.
― Darranzhi MacKhakhala (darraghmac), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:44 (1 year ago) Permalink
I constantly go around saying, "This is a coast too, George. New York is a coast."
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:50 (1 year ago) Permalink
yeah the throwaways were a cut above alright
― Darranzhi MacKhakhala (darraghmac), Monday, 4 July 2011 23:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
The Les-Dorothy exchanges underrated.
DURNING: Another drink?
DOROTHY: No -- I have to keep my wits about me tonight.
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 24 March 2012 13:15 (1 year ago) Permalink
Man he sure is a jerk to Sandy!
― Dale, dale, dale (Abbbottt), Sunday, 6 May 2012 19:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
I liked this from an interview w/Terri Garr:
Tootsie (1982)—"Sandy Lester"
TG: I just saw that again recently. I hadn't seen it in twentysomething years. And it's the same thing! Pretty, nice girls being taken advantage of by slimy men. They put a man in a dress, and he's supposed to know what it feels like to be a woman. But of course he doesn't. I think what Dustin [Hoffman] says is, "I realize now how important it is for a woman to be pretty. And I wasn't pretty." God! That's all you realized? Jesus Christ. Oh well. Don't quote me. Actually, quote me.
AVC: You play this very neurotic character who's full of self-loathing, who's desperate for attention, yet somehow, she's sweet and likeable. Was all that indicated in the script, or was that something you brought to the role?
TG: I think that's something that I was or am. Likeable? I guess, yeah. But neurotic, yes. It was right at that time in history when feminism was rearing its ugly head, so I read all these books like The Second Sex, and that's where I got that line, "I know I'm responsible for my own orgasm." [Laughs.] I read that sentence and I thought, "What does that mean?" I didn't even know. I thought that [Sandy] was caught between trying to have a career and trying to be a sexual woman, and it just doesn't work. At least it didn't in that movie, because it was made by sexist men. I can say that now, because Sydney [Pollack] isn't with us anymore. [Laughs.] But he was a fine director.
AVC: But you thought he was sexist?
TG: Oh, yeah! I think so. He just wanted the beautiful, blond, cute, shiksa girls to be nice and shut the fuck up! [Laughs.] God, I'm bad. But that's what he wanted. And that's what the world wants, I think. I'm bitter. Bitter!
― Dale, dale, dale (Abbbottt), Sunday, 6 May 2012 19:58 (1 year ago) Permalink
I mean Sandy's a real dipdy-doo in the movie, begging for Seconal after a bad party, but it kinda made me mad that the script lets Hoffman be the only woman in the movie with her wits about her. I liked the movie, it's funny, blah blah my feminist this 1983 just called.
― Dale, dale, dale (Abbbottt), Sunday, 6 May 2012 20:00 (1 year ago) Permalink
Also Dustin Hoffman was a hot dude back in the day! Straw DOgs kinda made me forget that bcz of how loathsome he was in it.
― Dale, dale, dale (Abbbottt), Sunday, 6 May 2012 20:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
Michael does treat Sandy shabbily but it's to the script and Garr's credit that she's awesome anyway.
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 6 May 2012 20:08 (1 year ago) Permalink
Hilarious interview, by the way. She's otm about Lange getting nominated in the wrong category.
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 6 May 2012 20:11 (1 year ago) Permalink
"What a good idea, a socket for a plug."
― Dale, dale, dale (Abbbottt), Monday, 7 May 2012 03:21 (1 year ago) Permalink
xpost yeah that was unfair, but tptb felt that Lange was due for an award, and knew that Streep was a shoo-in for Best Actress, so...
nostalgia: this was the last movie our family (parents, 10yo sister and myself) all went out and saw together. my sister was particularly delighted with Murray's "You slut!" and the cattle-prod line.
― Race Against Rockism (Myonga Vön Bontee), Monday, 7 May 2012 09:09 (1 year ago) Permalink
Teri Garr on fire all through that interview! She was a doll on "Sonny & Cher" too, even w/ the often crappy writing.
― World Congress of Itch (Dr Morbius), Monday, 7 May 2012 15:54 (1 year ago) Permalink