Tootsie (1982) - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (Columbia Classics Vol. 5)

As our own David Krauss did an amazing review for this film already, I’ll let his words stand. But first I have to say how much I adore the Sydney Pollack and Dustin Hoffman teamup Tootsi. I grew up with this film, it was one we owned on VHS and watched all the time. It came out the year I was born, so I was pretty well raised with this film. 

For how many viewings I’ve gone through, I still discover new little tidbits that never really resonated when I was younger. This time around I was struck by Michael’s new sense of purpose. When we first meet him, he thinks the best part of him is an actor and a teacher. That’s it, there’s nothing else he can do to serve humanity (other than being a waiter when he can’t get a gig, but that’s a different kind of service). But by becoming Dorothy and working at being his best self, he realizes that he can be a better man for other people. He doesn’t have to be an amazing accomplished actor to be a good friend or lover, he can just be who he really is inside. 

Anyway, enough of my psycho-babble dithering, I love the movie to bits, that’s all you need to know from me. But from Mr. Krauss, here’s what he had to say when he reviewed the Criterion Collection Blu-ray: 

"There are no other women like you. You're a man!"

Cross-dressing comedies are a dime a dozen, but 'Tootsie' remains unique, namely because it's not a one-gag film. Sure, there's innate humor in watching Dustin Hoffman flounce around in a dress, stumble in high heels, and fend off the attentions of a couple of smitten men, but unlike 'Some Like It Hot,' that's not the meat of the movie. Sydney Pollack's warm, witty, and oh-so-wise romp examines sexual roles and how an insensitive, selfish guy becomes a more enlightened and caring man by being a woman. It also tackles gender politics in the workplace and chronicles the desperation of a serious actor who goes to extreme lengths to ply his craft. All these messages - woven into a tight comedic fabric by screenwriters Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal (with uncredited help from the great Elaine May) - ring terrifically true and still strike a chord 33 years later, making 'Tootsie' much more substantive than any other movie in its class.

'Tootsie' works because its premise is fairly plausible. Michael Dorsey (Hoffman), an intensely committed, classically trained actor, is a first-class pain in the ass who drives his directors to distraction by stubbornly refusing to compromise, even in ridiculous situations. (He played a tomato in a TV commercial and held up production for hours because he felt it was "illogical" for a tomato to sit down.) Much to the chagrin of his exasperated agent, George Fields (wonderfully played by Pollack), Michael alienates everyone with whom he works, and his inability to secure theatrical employment makes it tough for him to raise enough money to produce a play written by his roommate (Bill Murray) in which he hopes to star with his good pal Sandy (Teri Garr). Michael needs $8,000 to mount the drama, but George promises he won't even raise 25 cents. "No one will hire you," he bluntly and emphatically states. Yet with dogged determination, Michael perseveres, and in a last-ditch effort to find meaningful work (and prove George wrong), he dons a curly red wig, spectacles, panty hose, and pumps, and transforms himself into Dorothy Michaels, a dowdy, middle-aged character actress with spirit, drive, and enough spunk to land a featured role on the hit daytime soap opera 'Southwest General.'

Michael channels his penchant for truth into Dorothy, who often veers off the soap's trite script, ad-libbing more believable lines to make her character, hospital administrator Emily Kimberly, a more forceful, independent presence. Dorothy's bosses don't like her renegade attitude, but America eats her up, and as Emily becomes less subservient on screen, her strength, moxie, fierceness, and refusal to be stepped on and manipulated by men make her a role model for millions of women who watch the show every day. Almost overnight, Dorothy becomes a star, but her fame and success are tempered by the stress of maintaining her ever-more-tenuous masquerade.

That stress is compounded by Michael's instant attraction to Julie (Jessica Lange), the resident hottie of 'Southwest General,' who is romantically involved with the soap's chauvinistic and womanizing director, Ron (Dabney Coleman). Julie, however, only knows Michael as Dorothy, and as the two become close girlfriends, Dorothy empowers the insecure Julie, helping her take charge of her life and career and navigate the treacherous waters of an unhealthy relationship. (Michael knows guys like Ron all too well, because he is one.) Yet while Dorothy counsels and supports Julie, Michael treats Sandy, with whom he shared an unfortunate one-night stand, like dirt, deceiving her with half-truths and flat-out lies, and showing her none of the respect and empathy he showers upon Julie while wearing a blouse and skirt. As a man, Michael behaves in a stereotypical (and reprehensible) manner, treating women as objects and second-class citizens, but as a woman (who quickly endures her fair share of gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and condescension), he champions other women and encourages them to stand up for themselves and confront the arrogant males who minimize and marginalize them. 

Further complications ensue when a frisky older actor on the soap (George Gaynes) becomes infatuated with Dorothy, as does Julie's widowed father (Charles Durning), who hasn't fallen for a woman since his wife's death many years ago. At the same time, Michael's feelings for Julie intensify, and the resulting confusion leads to a total mix-up of sexual perception. Sandy thinks Michael might be gay and Julie believes Dorothy to be a lesbian. Amazingly, the script sorts everything out in a relatively believable fashion, which allows the relatable themes of 'Tootsie' to resonate.

'Tootsie' is smart, romantic, touching, thought-provoking, and, most importantly, laugh-out-loud funny. Sure, the outrageous scenario strains credulity, but the humor is grounded in reality, and the most amusing lines skewer our ingrained perceptions of how men and women relate. Though feminism has clearly evolved and advanced in the 30-plus years since the film premiered, the movie's assessment of male-female relationships - both professional and personal - remains accurate and relevant. We've come a long way, baby, but we may never scale certain humps, and 'Tootsie' reminds us of our inherent differences while helping us bridge the gaping chasm between the sexes so we can hopefully find a bit of common ground.

Hoffman creates two distinct characters and juggles them well. Tapping so deeply into one's feminine side isn't easy, but Hoffman fully embraces Dorothy, making her both tough and endearing...just masculine enough to remind us of the ruse, but also warmly feminine in a plain, spinster-ish sort of way. And Michael's genuine affection for his creation and concern for her well-being is quite touching. Hoffman also acutely transmits Michael's passion for acting, which drives the story and fuels his intense commitment to his new persona. Without such fervent motivation, 'Tootsie' would lose both its sting and relevance. Unfortunately, Lange is saddled with the film's only bland role, but her disarming naturalness and fresh-faced beauty instantly win us over. The scene in which she recalls her mother helping her pick out her bedroom wallpaper is played with such simple tenderness, it's impossible not to fall in love with her. Though Lange gave a riveting performance in the Frances Farmer biopic 'Frances' the same year (for which she received a well-deserved Best Actress Oscar nomination), the Academy gave her the consolation prize of Best Supporting Actress for 'Tootsie' instead. The choice was popular and predictable (Meryl Streep was a lock to win Best Actress for her magnificent work in 'Sophie's Choice'), but ironically, Lange's portrayal wasn't the best of the year. It wasn't even the best featured performance by an actress in the film.

That honor goes to Garr, whose brilliantly etched, savagely funny portrayal of the ditzy and neurotic Sandy provokes many of the movie's biggest laughs. It's a shame she didn't win the award (she, too, was nominated), and it's a shame the sardonic, bemused Murray didn't receive any tangible accolades for his fine work. His deadpan deliveries help him steal almost every scene in which he appears, especially the one in which he derisively utters the disdainful assessment "You slut," a line that never fails to bring down the house during theatrical showings. Coleman, Durning, Pollack, Gaynes, a young Geena Davis in her film debut, and Doris Belack as the acerbic soap producer all assert themselves well and help make the internal engine of 'Tootsie' hum.

In all, 'Tootsie' received 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Screenplay, Cinematography, Song, Sound, and Editing, yet the Academy's habitual and shameless disregard of comedy left it criminally ignored on awards night. (Lange took home the film's only citation.) 'Gandhi' was the big winner, yet Richard Attenborough's bloated epic isn't nearly as beloved as Pollack's intimate and insightful farce, which still speaks to us on a variety of levels today. Most guys won't put on a dress to become a better human being, but we all can learn plenty about each other from 'Tootsie,' and laugh a lot along the way. That's the essence of comedy, and few films capture its elusive qualities with as much verve and relish as this perennial favorite.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Tootsie rolls onto 4K UHD thanks to Sony as part of the Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 5 as a two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray. A digital slip is also included unlocking the film in 4K along with the other five films in the set. The 4K is pressed on a BD100 with a BD50 serving up 1080p and bonus features. Like previous Columbia Classics sets, the discs are housed in a two-disc case with a custom slipcover unique to this release. As of now, there are no current plans for a solo release, but I wouldn’t put it past Criterion to offer their own edition down the line.

Tootsie absolutely shines with a gorgeous sequined 2160p Dolby Vision dress. Full stop. This is a magnificent presentation top to bottom, front to back, pants to dress. From the opening close-ups of Dustin Hoffman applying makeup for his various failed auditions to his transformation into Dorothy to his live-on-air transformation into Edward Kimberly, the details are immaculately flawless. Facial features, the late ‘70s/early ‘80s fashions, and the copious wigs and makeup work are on full display. Film grain is apparent throughout but never noisy or intrusive. Image depth was particularly impressive offering incredible views of New York City or the soap opera sound stages with a real-to-life three-dimensional vibe. Dolby Vision HDR is likewise well applied giving the image appropriate color, black level, and contrast enhancements without altering the color pallet. Primaries have plenty of time to stand out with lovely true reds, blues, and yellows. Black levels are right on point and shadows are excellent. The darker behind-the-camera areas of the soundstages or the control booth are great examples. There are also plenty of spectral highlights throughout. Bottom line, this is a demo-worthy transfer for a catalog title of this vintage.

On the audio side, Tootsie enjoys a trio of sound options, Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD MA 5.1, and DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono. For most of this viewing, I was curious to hear what the Atmos would do for it, and it works quite well actually. While there aren’t tons of high-level action or busy sequences, the mix uses channel spacing for a naturally immersive experience. However, as good as it is, and it is quite good, it’s not a film that drastically called out for Atmos to fully enjoy it. I replayed a number of sequences for the 5.1 mix and that too held up well. Similar to the Atmos it enjoyed a smart channel spread for key audio elements while letting dialog maintain the front/center position. But as most of the film is so dialog-heavy, the drifts into the surround channels weren’t all that aggressive. And so we come to the Mono track that plays very similar to the Criterion disc’s LPCM. So much so that I didn’t really notice much of a difference when I did the disc flippies. But we also come to my ultimate point, Mono works perfectly for this film. Through the years I’ve never once felt the audio needed any more attention or expanded channel spacing. I never thought even once that I was “missing something” without a surround output option. Even when I saw this film in theaters; A: I was happy it was a print and not a DCP, but then I was also happy it was mono. So I’ll give kudos to Sony for being inclusive for multiple setups, all three tracks are great, but to be truthful, I’m likely only going to run the mono from here on out.

On the bonus features front, we have something of a mixed bag of old and new but not complete bonus features. A couple of the smaller featurettes on the Criterion disc didn’t port over, but most notably is the Sydney Pollack commentary, which considering its age I didn’t realize would be an exclusive to that label. However, this set still has the excellent three-part Documentary, the Hoffman interview, the screentest footage, and the deleted scenes. New for this set is a nice interesting commentary from Cerise Howard and Rohan Spong. Obviously, it’s not quite as great as Pollack’s track considering he was a first-hand participant in the film, but they bring a quality worth-the-listen experience to the mix. 

• Audio Commentary featuring Cerise Howard and Rohan Spong
• A Better Man: The Making of Tootsie: (SD 1:08:53 Total)
• Good Friends
• A Better Man
• Keep it Real
• Deleted Scenes (SD 8:59)
• Dustin Hoffman Screen Test Footage (SD 2:45)
• Dustin Hoffman Interview (HD 18:02)
• Theatrical Trailer

In an era where madcap comedies were a dying breed, Tootsie showed that there was plenty of life left in the sadly underused genre. Not only is the film hilarious, but thanks to the sharp writing, deft direction, and impeccable cast, the film is as much a comedy as it is a heartfelt character drama. Jessica Lange certainly deserved her Best Supporting Actress Oscar. With that, if there was ever a case that the Oscars needed to break out Best Supporting Comedic Actress as a category, it’s the late great Teri Garr who delivered a truly standout career performance here. On 4K UHD Tootsie is a marvel with a demo-worthy Dolby Vision transfer complete with three different audio options and a nice set of extras. Currently exclusive to the Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 5, I would bet solid money Criterion is angling to update their edition for a near-future solo-title release. But, if this is a film that’s an essential pickup, it’s a true standout of the latest Columbia Classics set. Highly Recommended