Tootsie in Doylestown

This week, as part of its Hollywood Summer Nights series, the County Theater in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, will screen Sydney Pollack’s 1982 American classic Tootsie. Starring Dustin Hoffman in one of his finest performances, this progressive New York comedy follows Michael Dorsey, a struggling actor who adopts a female persona in order to land a role in soap opera. As a woman, Dorsey not only finds success but becomes more attuned to the sexual and gender issues present in everyday life. Jessica Lange and Teri Garr are unforgettable as Hoffman’s romantic foils, and a rich supporting cast (including Bill Murray, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, and George Gaynes) help to make Tootsie an endlessly watchable, hilarious film—and one of Pollack’s greatest directorial efforts. For those in Pennsylvania, you can see the film next Wednesday, and in the meantime, watch Hoffman talk about the process of becoming Dorothy Michaels.

And for more on Tootsie,read Michael Koresky’s analysis of Garr’s comic genius.