Whenever I want to see what real acting is, I always go to Tootsie, which I consider to be one of the greatest comedies of all time. On the surface, you immediately think of  "Oh, the movie where Dustin Hoffman dresses up as a woman". Sure, it's got that, but I think the movie is a great commentary about 'working actors' and the absurd things they have to deal with and go through to get a role in something.....anything. Now, about Dustin Hoffman.....

This is an actor at his peak. He hasn't really been able to top himself after playing the duel role of Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels. Okay, Rain Man is pretty good too. I think the role is definitely a showcase for him as Dorothy, but in all honesty, he is just as great as Michael. To be able to do both parts convincingly and have weight to it, just shows you how frickin' awesome Hoffman is here. Think about it, most actors would spend too much time on one character at the expense of the other if it meant more screen time.

As far as his portrayal as Dorothy, his performance STILL blows me out of the water every single time. No matter how many times I have seen this, I always catch myself getting sucked into the movie to the point where I sometimes forget that it's even Hoffman underneath that wig and that it's really some chick, which is another great commentary on what women have to go through on a daily basis in just being a woman in today's society. Even though the movie came out in the early 80's, it's still just as relevant today. Just a pitch-perfect performance Hoffy for sure. Truly amazing and extremely funny. FYI, to this day, I still curse the Academy Awards for giving the Oscar to Ben Kingsley for Gandhi. Really? Highway robbery!!

Moving on. As great as Hoffman is, it's still a movie that only works if the sandbox he is playing is stacked with other great characters and actors and Tootsie is loaded with them. Bill Murray, Teri Garr, Jessica Lange, Dabney Coleman, Geena Davis, Charles Durning and George Gaynes make this an absolute must see movie. Hell, even the director himself, Sydney Pollack was awesome in his role too. Everyone has a great scene to call their own and this is why the movie never bores me. It's got great scene after great scene with some real humor as well as deep emotional weight when things begin to cross the line. The corker of course is the the reveal when he undresses to reveal the "real him" on live TV. It. Is. Awesome! Watching him trying to "ad lib" and think on his feet while he "creates" a logical story line to justify the whole scenario as plausible to work within the Soap Opera he is on makes me laugh every damn time.

I highly recommend this as a must-Buy. Even though I've seen this movie more times than I can count, this is actually the first time I've gotten to check out the 25th Anniversary Edition DVD. Gonna hit the bonus stuff now.........

Let's combine those two roles together, "yeah, yeah, I'm a woman now, I'm a woman, I'm wearing a dress, I'm an excellent actor, I'm an excellent actor, dad let me act up and down the driveway..."

Don't remember the last time I saw this, to be honest.  And I don't remember liking this as much as you clearly did but no worries, I like reading a glowing review.

No, I'm sure I will.  It may have been 6-7 years maybe.

And now that I'm into the physical writing execution I am revisiting some old flicks to get my pacing and energy down.  But while I'm not into noting movies at the moment, I also haven't done it in a while.

Lemme ask you, who would you consider to be the current Hoffman, as in what actor could be the most acceptable replacement for Hoffman in Tootsie or the Graduate?  Not that he has to look alike or sound alike or be a carbon copy, but who's the actor who would fit those sort of roles and be as entertaining?

Remembering that DiCaprio started off on a sitcom.  Albeit an unfunny one.

You know, I'm actually hard-pressed to think of any actor who could do it either, but my mind goes in interesting places with "the next"s, a few years ago I wrote a blog entry that I've since lost about all these "the next" actors and they're folks you least expect.  Wish I could remember it.  And of course my mind is blanking at the moment.

Oh trust me, having TWO stories I'm working on involving a runaway, I know it's impossible to make them funny.

See, the recasting game is something I enjoy to get my inspiration going, I start thinking how a different actor would approach something established, then I can think about how they'd approach what I'm trying to do.

What a great documentary. This is basically a deconstruction of what it took to make the film we all know and love. There are a lot of anecdotes and behind the scenes stories that I never knew about with contributions from the principal players. Dustin Hoffman obviously carries the bulk of the documentary. What I found very fascinating when watching him tell stories and talk about Dorothy, he would literally step into character and give her a voice and continue telling the story. Not sure if he even knew he was doing it. The reason why I bring this up is that most actors will refuse to revisit a character that is hugely popular because they don't want to reduce it to nothing more than a 'dancing monkey' rehash for cheap laughs.

Anyway, it's a sentimental look back, but there is one moment that gets very real for the viewer and that when Dustin is telling a story of how when he first got into character as Dorothy, how he would "test" it out on unsuspecting people to see if he could pass as a believable woman. And in one scenario, he does in fact pass the test, but then is immediately dismissed as a woman as if she was nothing. This was very real and in that moment, Dustin finally knew what it was like to walk in a woman's shoe and how it's a struggle for all women to be accepted as equals. The story is still very much a game changer for Dustin, because while he is telling the story, he is breaking down and crying. It's heavy stuff that points out exactly what the original intent of the movie was and is about. Definitely check it out along with the movie. A lot of behind the scenes footage that even I didn't know about.