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Plot, Details & Awards

Tootsie

PG In Theaters 12/17/1982 , 116min.
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Plot & Details

Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman), a brilliant but troublesome New York actor, has managed to alienate every producer on both coasts. Michael's agent George Fields (Sydney Pollack) can't even get his client a commercial since Michael complained that the tomato he was playing wasn't properly motivated. "You were a tomato!" screams George in desperation, adding that Michael is so obnoxious that he will probably never work again. Dorsey thinks otherwise; when he hears of an opening on a popular soap opera, he applies for the job--even though the job is for a woman. Posing as "Miss Dorothy Michaels," Michael wins the part and becomes a widely-known actress. Yet complications ensue when Michael falls for his co-star Julie (Jessica Lange, in an Oscar-winning performance) but, as Dorothy, is courted by Julie's widowed father (Charles Durning). Michael ultimately finds that his disguise as a woman has made him a better man. One of the classic comedies of the 1980s, Tootsie's gender-bending premise boasts a screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal, and by a host of memorable supporting comic performances from Dabney Coleman, Teri Garr, George Gaynes, and Bill Murray. Future Oscar-winner Geena Davis makes her screen debut as a daytime drama queen, which indeed she had been before Tootsie came along.
  • MPAA Rating: PG
  • Genre(s): Comedy,Drama,Romance
  • Run Time: 116min.
  • Theatrical Release Date: 12/17/1982
  • DVD Release Date: 05/29/2001
  • Distributor(s): Columbia Pictures
  • Director(s): Sydney Pollack
  • Starring: Dustin Hoffman , Jessica Lange , Teri Garr , Dabney Coleman , Charles Durning
  • Themes: Actor's Life,Schemes and Ruses,Big Break,Assumed Identities,Gender-Bending
  • Tone: Literate,Affectionate,Stylish,Warm,Madcap,Witty
  • Keywords: actor,behind-the-scenes,disguise,drag [cross-dressing],forbidden-love,impersonation,love,role-switching,romance,television
  • Language: English

Awards

Academy Awards

Year Award CategoryCast & Crew Result
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Screenplay Murray Schisgal Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Song Marilyn Bergman Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Song Alan Bergman Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actress Jessica Lange Won
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture Dick Richards Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Arthur Piantadosi Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Les Fresholtz Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Dick Alexander Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director Sydney Pollack Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actress Teri Garr Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture Sydney Pollack Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing William Steinkamp Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Cinematography Owen Roizman Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Screenplay Don McGuire Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Actor Dustin Hoffman Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing Frederic Steinkamp Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Les Lazarowitz Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Screenplay Larry Gelbart Nominated
1982 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Song Dave Grusin Nominated

British Academy of Film and Television Arts

Year Award CategoryCast & Crew Result
1983 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Actor Dustin Hoffman Won

Golden Globes

Year Award CategoryCast & Crew Result
1982 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy Dustin Hoffman Won
1982 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture Jessica Lange Won
1982 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture - Musical or Comedy Won
1982 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Screenplay Larry Gelbart Nominated
1982 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Director Sydney Pollack Nominated
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