When struggling, out of work actor Michael Dorsey secretly adopts a female alter ego – Dorothy Michaels – in order to land a part in a daytime drama, he unwittingly becomes a feminist icon and ends up in a romantic pickle.
It is not just the best comedy of the year; it is popular art on the way to becoming cultural artifact.
– Richard Schickel,
TIME Magazine,
5 Oct 2008
fresh:
...there are several solid laughs and some excellent supporting performances.
– Dave Kehr,
Chicago Reader,
28 Jun 2007
fresh:
The tone is quick-witted and appealing, with some of the smartest dialogue this side of Billy Wilder...
– Geoff Andrew,
Time Out,
9 Feb 2006
fresh:
It turns out to be a touching love story, after all -- so touching that you may be surprised how moved you are at the conclusion of this comedy.
– Roger Ebert,
Chicago Sun-Times,
23 Oct 2004
fresh:
Tootsie restores the original meaning to the term 'situation comedy,' free of the pejorative associations that have accrued over the years because of the glut of awful ones on television.