30 Day Movie Challenge: Day 9- Tootsie (1982)

I hope that everyone is starting to enjoy the slow reopening process of the US and I hope that you are enjoying the more challenging 30 Day Movie Challenge that I have presented to you guys. The task for today was for you to check out a film that was released the year you were born and for me that would be 1982. There was only one film that I really wanted to check out from 1982 and that was Tootsie and it was released on December 17, 1982 and was directed by Sydney Pollack (Eyes Wide Shut). The film stars Dustin Hoffman (Hook) as failing actor Michael Dorsey who has been basically blacklisted everywhere because of his attitude. So to prove everyone wrong, he dresses up as a woman named Dorothy Michaels and he gets a gig on a soap opera, but what happens when he gets too deep with a fellow actress and the truth looms overhead? The film also stars Jessica Lange (King Kong) as Julie, Teri Garr (Close Encounters Of The Third Kind) as Sandy, Charles Durning (Dog Day Afternoon) as Les, Dabney Coleman (Meet The Applegates) as Ron, Bill Murray (Isle Of Dogs) as Jeff, George Gaynes (Police Academy) as John Van Horn, Geena Davis (Earth Girls Are Easy) as April, Sydney Pollack as George Fields, Doris Belack (What About Bob?) as Rita, and Ellen Foley (Fatal Attraction) as Jacqui.

It's so easy to forget how beautiful Jessica Lange was back in the day, but there is no forgetting how ugly Dustin Hoffman was as a woman. The only thing I can really say about this film is that it actually was pretty smart and entertaining and was saying a lot for women back in those days. Hoffman and co. were exposing how women were being treated in that industry because Dorothy kept being referenced as the tough gal who doesn't take crap from anyone and then the speech about women's rights from Coleman's character who is a male chauvinistic pig himself. I'm not saying that the film did anything to change the way women were being treated then, but it was definitely a start. This was also such a weird film to have Bill freaking Murray in it because he is literally so mellow and tame in this film that I was waiting for outbursts, but the man was as cool as ice. He was mainly a background character and not really in the forefront like Lange and Hoffman. There were a ton of funny moments in the film mixed in there nicely with the romance and drama so a lot of credit goes to the writing because they were the backbone of the film. Much like Murray, you see some stars of the future like one Geena Davis who I was shocked to see was in the film, but she looked great. There was really nothing much wrong with the film as it is a classic in my opinion and I am surprised it took me 38 years to see it. So, I am going to go ahead and give the film an A for a final grade.

Hook (1991)

Every month the app VUDU has free movies that you can watch, but the only catch is that it comes with advertisements. Those are the least of your worries because the selection is usually amazing and I found one that I have been meaning to see for 29 years now. The film I am talking about is the 1991 Steven Spielberg (Jaws) directed Hook which stars the late Robin Williams (Good Morning Vietnam) as Peter Banning, a lawyer known for closing deals between companies that merge. During a trip to England to see Granny Wendy (Maggie Smith), his children are kidnapped by Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) and that is when he learns that he was Peter Pan at one time in his life, but he needs help remembering so that he can save his kids before it's too late. The film also stars Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman) as Tinkerbell, Bob Hoskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) as Smee, Caroline Goodall (Schindler's List) as Moira, Charlie Korsmo (Can't Hardly Wait) as Jack, Amber Scott (American Experience) as Maggie, the late Laurel Cronin (A League Of Their Own) as Liza, Phil Collins (Buster) as Inspector Good, the late Arthur Malet (Halloween) as Tootles, Dante Basco (The Perfect Weapon) as Rufio, Raushan Hammond (Tales From The Crypt) as Thud Butt, and Jasen Fisher (The Witches) as Ace.

What can one say about the film that probably hasn't already been said? I mean Dustin Hoffman was masterful as the conceited and disillusioned Captain Hook. Every time he was on screen, he intrigued me to want to keep watching because he is an amazing actor.  One of the things I really enjoyed about the film was the idea they used in explaining how Robin's character was the grown up Peter Pan. He simply stopped believing and he grew up as a result of it and most of the memories of Neverland were erased from his memory because all he knew was his love for Moira. If you think about it, that was a brilliant idea because it was a different take on a classic story and I loved how everyone thinks they are made up stories by Granny Wendy who is really Wendy in the story. The only thing that was predictable was how Robin was a shitty dad who focuses way too much on his work that he ends up neglecting his kids and now he has to prove to them that he still loves them. WE have seen that part of the story so many times in the past, but it helps with this. The scenes with the Lost Boys were really good, the cinematography and sets were amazing and the writing was well done which is all that matters. Oh yeah, the acting was amazing all around, but one thing I was confused about at first was that you see Phil Collins in the beginning of the film as a cop, I thought at first that he was Smee in Neverland, but I was wrong. The film is awesome so go and check it out because I am going to give the film an A for a final grade.