1982 Tootsie

Before Mrs Doubtfire, we had Tootsie.

Dustin Hoffman is one of the most versatile of actors. He rose to fame in the late 60's as The Graduate, and spent the 70's in tough real dramas getting respect and kudos for his ability. He continued this in the 80's and proved that his name could carry movies as well as the new crop of young stars.  It was this movie however which really proved him to audiences as a likable and comic actor of great ability.

In Tootsie, Hoffman plays a down on his luck actor who cannot get a break. So he poses as a woman for a daytime soap opera and, hey presto, becomes a star. The comedy, as you may gather, comes from his dual identity, his love for his female co-star, and a male co-star having the hots for his alter-ego.

There are some beautiful performances in this movie, from Jessica Lange to George Gaynes. Lange won an Oscar for her performance; Gaynes would find futher success with the series of Police Academy movies.

It's director, Sydney Pollack, also plays a role as Hoffman's agent who gets him the work; and it also features many faces that you will know today, such as Bill Murray and Geena Davis.

Yet this movie belongs to Dustin Hoffman who takes his chance and is clearly having a great deal of fun.

The 80's is littered with comedy, a lot of which hits more than misses. This is one of the good ones. Catch it if you can. The movie was a huge hit with audiences, up against Stallone and Richard Gere it came second only to E.T. with a massive box office take of $177m.