When struggling, out of work actor Michael Dorsey secretly adopts a female alter ego – Dorothy Michaels – in order to land a part in a daytime drama, he unwittingly becomes a feminist icon and ends up in a romantic pickle.
Acting
Hoffman disappears so completely you forget it's him.
Writing
Murray's improvised lines steal every scene he's in.
Direction
Pollack keeps farce grounded in genuine emotional stakes.
Director
Sydney Pollack
Dustin Hoffman
Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels
Jessica Lange
Julie Nichols
Teri Garr
Sandy Lester
Dabney Coleman
Ron Carlisle
Charles Durning
Les Nichols
Bill Murray
Jeff Slater
Sydney Pollack
George Fields
George Gaynes
John Van Horn
Geena Davis
April
Doris Belack
Rita
Ellen Foley
Jacqui
Lynne Thigpen
Jo
Debra Mooney
Mrs. Mallory
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Hoffman insisted on screen tests in full drag; when passed on the street without recognition, he demanded the film be made.
The 'Tootsie effect' became industry shorthand for cross-dressing comedies, though few matched its actual engagement with feminism.
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