Tootsie is a
1982 comedy film that tells the story of a talented but volatile
actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to go to extreme lengths to land a job. The movie stars
Dustin Hoffman and
Jessica Lange, with a supporting cast that includes
Teri Garr,
Dabney Coleman,
Charles Durning,
Bill Murray,
Sydney Pollack,
George Gaynes,
Lynne Thigpen,
Marg Helgenberger and
Geena Davis.
[Intenet Movie Database] Tootsie was adapted by
Larry Gelbart,
Barry Levinson (uncredited),
Elaine May (uncredited) and
Murray Schisgal from the story by Gelbart. It was directed by Pollack.
In
1998 the United States
Library of Congress deemed the film “culturally significant” and selected it for preservation in the
National Film Registry. The theme song to the film, "
It Might Be You" by
singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop, was a
Top 40 hit in the U.S.
Plot
Michael Dorsey (
Dustin Hoffman) is a respected but
perfectionist actor on the verge of turning forty. Nobody in New York wants to hire him anymore because he is so difficult to work with or he is either too old or too young for a role. Not having worked in four months, he eventually hears of an opening on the
soap opera Southwest General (a parody of
General Hospital) from his friend Sandy Lester (
Teri Garr), who initially tries out for the role but doesn't get it. In desperation, he
cross-dresses, auditions as ”Dorothy Michaels” and eventually wins the part.