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Tootsie

 Tootsie
type
TVTItem
 Tootsie
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Tootsie
 Tootsie
page
Tootsie
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comment
Tootsie is a 1982 romantic comedy film starring Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange and directed by Sydney Pollack, who also has a supporting role. Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H) and Murray Schisgal wrote the screenplay, with uncredited contributions from Barry Levinson and Elaine May.Michael Dorsey (Hoffman) is a struggling actor in New York City who, despite being very talented, has trouble finding work because he's too much of a perfectionist and consequently very difficult to work with. Desperate for money to finance a play written by his roommate Jeff (Bill Murray), Michael goes to his agent George (Pollack), who tells him that no one in New York will hire him.note George tells him no one in Hollywood wants to work with him either. After taking his friend Sandy (Teri Garr) to an unsuccessful audition for the part of a female hospital administrator in a soap opera, he decides to put on a dress and wig and audition for the part himself. After initially being dismissed as too feminine, "Dorothy Michaels" lands the part and soon gains immense popularity with the show's fans.The romantic relationships in the film are very convoluted, since the same person is two completely different characters, a fact known only by his roommate. Michael falls in love with Julie (Lange), one of his costars on the show, who knows him only as Dorothy. As the two grow closer, Julie invites Dorothy to spend the holidays with her and her widowed father Les (Charles Durning), who ends up falling for Dorothy. Michael, meanwhile, is technically dating Sandy after sleeping with her to avoid telling her his secret when she catches him nearly naked in her bedroom sizing up her clothes, while Julie is going out with the show's misogynistic director, Ron Carlisle (Dabney Coleman); it is through observing this relationship as Dorothy that Michael realizes he's treated Sandy as badly as Ron treats Julie. Dorothy also attracts John Van Horn (George Gaynes), one of the soap's has-been stars, who thinks she's dating Michael's roommate Jeff. Confused yet?The film was well-received by both critics and the public, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1982. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning Best Supporting Actress for Lange, and garnered Hoffman a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for Best Actor. It was also praised for its innovative take on gender relations, showcased through the things Michael learns about men and women by living both lives. In 2019, it was adapted into a Broadway stage musical called Tootsie and changes the main setting of a TV show into a Broadway show and updating it to present-day New York City, whilst expanding roles of several characters. It starred Santino Fontana as Michael / Dorothy, Lili Cooper as Julie, Sarah Stiles as Sandy, Andy Grotelueschen as Jeff, Reg Rogers as Ron, and Michael McGrath as Stan.Has nothing to do with the rolls or the pops, though the Title Theme Tune does say, "Roll, Tootsie, roll!"
 Tootsie
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2023-07-19T14:46:18Z
 Tootsie
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2023-07-19T14:46:18Z
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Dropped link to Fanservice: Not a Feature - IGNORE
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DBTropes
 Tootsie / int_1616e13
type
Ripped from the Headlines
 Tootsie / int_1616e13
comment
Ripped from the Headlines: The reveal of Emily Kimberly to be her brother Edward Kimberly on Southwest General was based on a real plot twist on the soap General Hospital, in which the character Sally Armitage was revealed to really be Max Hedges.
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 Tootsie / int_18d15922
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Title Drop
 Tootsie / int_18d15922
comment
Title Drop: Ron calls "Dorothy" this once, which causes Michael to snap.
 Tootsie / int_18d15922
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 Tootsie / int_1fa5ae07
type
The Prima Donna
 Tootsie / int_1fa5ae07
comment
The Prima Donna: Michael's defining characteristic, which is why no one in New York or Los Angeles will hire him.
 Tootsie / int_1fa5ae07
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Tootsie / int_1fa5ae07
 Tootsie / int_23330a99
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Immediate Self-Contradiction
 Tootsie / int_23330a99
comment
Immediate Self-Contradiction: All the things Michael tells his class during the opening montage? He violates during all of his auditions.
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 Tootsie / int_267ce120
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Dirty Old Man
 Tootsie / int_267ce120
comment
Dirty Old Man: John Van Horn is an aging actor who has served as the leading man on Southwest General for over two decades and has kissed every single female actor he's shared a scene with in that time, so much so that he is nicknamed "The Tongue" behind his back. When Dorothy manages to avoid having to do an on-screen kiss with him in their first scene together, he makes a point of kissing her for real as soon as the cameras stop rolling to congratulate her for a job well done.
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Tootsie / int_267ce120
 Tootsie / int_28f852ea
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Wholesome Crossdresser
 Tootsie / int_28f852ea
comment
Wholesome Crossdresser: Dorothy Michaels is a very convincing woman (Dustin Hoffman apparently tried her out at his daughter's parent-teacher night and no one suspected) and a good person, fiercely devoted to both acting and those in her life and feeling like she has something to say about being a woman. Jeff, however, suspects Michael isn't just doing it for the money.
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 Tootsie / int_2d409194
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Unsettling Gender-Reveal
 Tootsie / int_2d409194
comment
Unsettling Gender-Reveal: But not for the usual reason.
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Tootsie / int_2d409194
 Tootsie / int_313e9485
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Hero with Bad Publicity
 Tootsie / int_313e9485
comment
Hero with Bad Publicity: Michael Dorsey was notorious for being too much of a perfectionist and consequently very difficult to work with, hence why he took up the Dorothy Michaels alter ego. After the Internal Reveal during a live taping of the soap opera Southwest General, while Michael was able to produce his friend Jeff's play, it's possible he completely lost his acting license in disgrace for perpetrating a public fraud by masquerading as Dorothy Michaels for a long period of time during the soap's run, even though even manages to make amends with Julie and her father for deceiving them.
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Tootsie / int_313e9485
 Tootsie / int_31546b19
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Hurricane of Excuses
 Tootsie / int_31546b19
comment
Hurricane of Excuses: The casting director at one of Michael Dorsey's auditions says he wants someone taller. He can put inserts in his shoes. The CD corrects himself and says he wants someone shorter. Michael's already wearing inserts, so he can do that too. Then he says he wants someone different, and of course, as an actor, Michael can be different. Finally, he just gives up and says, "We want someone else."
 Tootsie / int_31546b19
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Tootsie / int_31546b19
 Tootsie / int_315a122
type
Hospital Hottie
 Tootsie / int_315a122
comment
Hospital Hottie: Jessica Lange as Julie and Geena Davis as April both play hot nurses on Southwest General. Subverted with John Van Horn, who plays an over-the-hill, over-sexed doctor.
 Tootsie / int_315a122
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 Tootsie / int_3835df26
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Gender-Bender Friendship
 Tootsie / int_3835df26
comment
Gender-Bender Friendship: One of the most notable and well-done examples of this trope, Michael falls in love with Julie as a woman, and learns valuable things about himself as a man through his relationship with her.
 Tootsie / int_3835df26
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Tootsie / int_3835df26
 Tootsie / int_392372f9
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Actor Allusion
 Tootsie / int_392372f9
comment
Actor Allusion: All the complaints about Michael Dorsey? They were all real complaints about Dustin Hoffman.
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 Tootsie / int_3ed23024
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Surprisingly Realistic Outcome
 Tootsie / int_3ed23024
comment
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Michael outing himself as Dorothy on live television has major repercussions on several levels, with both the people he bonded with while playing the persona and the viewing public justifiably feeling a personal sense of betrayal and the film and television industry blacklisting him from ever working again for committing long-term fraud. While the ending suggests that he will be able to win back both Julie and Les' love and trust, it also makes it clear that doing so will take effort on his part.
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 Tootsie / int_405f6f52
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Recycled Soundtrack
 Tootsie / int_405f6f52
comment
Recycled Soundtrack: The "Working Girl March" by Dave Grusin was recycled by Mark Goodson Productions for three different pilots: 1983's Star Words and Body Language, and 1986's On a Roll. Only Body Language went to series and as a result, Edd Kalehoff composed a Suspiciously Similar Song (and in turn, the ticket plug that Kalehoff composed would be reused for Classic Concentration starting in 1987).
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Tootsie / int_405f6f52
 Tootsie / int_415b3315
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Stylistic Suck
 Tootsie / int_415b3315
comment
Stylistic Suck: From what we see of it, Southwest General is stereotypical soap opera schlock with outlandish plotlines and a leading man well past his expiration date who needs to be fed every single line. Dorothy's nuanced portrayal of a strong and uncompromising woman in a position of authority, combined with her increasing reliance on ad-libbing over following the scripts, breaths new life into the show and turns her into a national phenomenon.
 Tootsie / int_415b3315
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Tootsie / int_415b3315
 Tootsie / int_4435aa66
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Attractive Bent-Gender
 Tootsie / int_4435aa66
comment
Attractive Bent-Gender: Downplayed. While Michael makes a very convincing woman, the limitations of drag cause Dorothy to appear as a fairly unremarkable (if well put together) middle-aged lady rather than a knock-out bombshell, and the rest of the cast all have varied opinions about her attractiveness. Nonetheless, she manages to inadvertently attract the attention of two different men over the course of the film.
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Tootsie / int_4435aa66
 Tootsie / int_4523420b
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Love Dodecahedron
 Tootsie / int_4523420b
comment
Love Dodecahedron: Michael loves Julie, who knows him only as Dorothy, and has hit on her in both guises and been rejected (although they reconcile at the end). Michael is dating Sandy, who is convinced that he's cheating on her with Dorothy. Dorothy meanwhile is wooed by both Julie's father Les and John Van Horn, an actor on the soap. Julie, meanwhile, is dating Ron, the soap's director, a charming but misogynistic jerk.
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Tootsie / int_4523420b
 Tootsie / int_4ada5be3
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Twelfth Night Adventure
 Tootsie / int_4ada5be3
comment
Twelfth Night Adventure: Since no one in New York will hire him, Michael Dorsey dresses as a woman and gets a part on a popular soap. As a man acting as a woman, he brings a unique perspective to the part of Emily Kimberly, and she becomes an inspiration to women everywhere.
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Tootsie / int_4ada5be3
 Tootsie / int_4ae72307
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Be Yourself
 Tootsie / int_4ae72307
comment
Les gives a speech to Dorothy about how he believes society's increasing fixation on breaking down the barriers that exist between genders to be more harm than good and that men and women are fundamentally too different from each other to ever achieve true equality. While his overall sentiment is well-meaning (he's essentially saying that people should be more interested in being themselves than chasing an unobtainable ideal), it is completely undermined by the fact that he is unknowingly saying it to a man pretending to be a woman whose experiences doing so have caused him to gain new understandings of himself and the world around him.
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Tootsie / int_4ae72307
 Tootsie / int_4af55b78
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Credits Gag
 Tootsie / int_4af55b78
comment
Credits Gag: Dustin Hoffman received credits for both Michael Dorsey and Dorothy Michaels separately in the closing credits.
 Tootsie / int_4af55b78
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Tootsie / int_4af55b78
 Tootsie / int_4d422f71
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Throw It In!
 Tootsie / int_4d422f71
comment
Throw It In: Dorothy does this a lot in-universe, to Ron's consternation. Out of universe, Michael's rant about playing vegetables (see Playing a Tree above) was not in the script and was improvised by Dustin Hoffman. Sydney Pollack's look of consternation in the scene is real. How the soap treats the improvised reveal by Dorothy Michaels — as something they'd planned all along, according to Julie.
 Tootsie / int_4d422f71
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Tootsie / int_4d422f71
 Tootsie / int_4e7017f1
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Wig, Dress, Accent
 Tootsie / int_4e7017f1
comment
Wig, Dress, Accent: Michael uses all of these when becoming Dorothy, transforming himself into a middle-aged Southern woman.
 Tootsie / int_4e7017f1
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Tootsie / int_4e7017f1
 Tootsie / int_4ff31e76
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Playing a Tree
 Tootsie / int_4ff31e76
comment
Dorothy does this a lot in-universe, to Ron's consternation. Out of universe, Michael's rant about playing vegetables (see Playing a Tree above) was not in the script and was improvised by Dustin Hoffman. Sydney Pollack's look of consternation in the scene is real.
 Tootsie / int_4ff31e76
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Tootsie / int_4ff31e76
 Tootsie / int_561dab6b
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Mistaken for Gay
 Tootsie / int_561dab6b
comment
Mistaken for Gay: Julie assumes Dorothy to be a lesbian after she attempts to kiss her during a particularly intimate moment between the two of them. Not only is Dorothy actually a man in disguise, but said man explicitly states that he is playing her as a straight woman.
 Tootsie / int_561dab6b
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Tootsie / int_561dab6b
 Tootsie / int_565106b3
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Women Are Wiser
 Tootsie / int_565106b3
comment
Women Are Wiser: Michael muses Dorothy is smarter than him. The trope is averted with Sandy, who is a complete neurotic mess, and Julie can't seem to find a partner good for her.
 Tootsie / int_565106b3
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Tootsie / int_565106b3
 Tootsie / int_5d414804
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Just Friends
 Tootsie / int_5d414804
comment
Just Friends: Subverted with Michael and Sandy, who aren't in love with each other, yet sleep together and start dating because Michael doesn't want to tell her his secret. Michael proceeds to be a much worse boyfriend than he was a friend.
 Tootsie / int_5d414804
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Tootsie / int_5d414804
 Tootsie / int_5eb3a0a0
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Audience-Alienating Premise
 Tootsie / int_5eb3a0a0
comment
Audience-Alienating Premise: Invoked In-Universe by Michael's agent about Jeff's play Return to Love Canal, about a couple moving back to a toxic waste laden town in New Jersey.
 Tootsie / int_5eb3a0a0
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Tootsie / int_5eb3a0a0
 Tootsie / int_5f5720d8
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Shocking Voice Identity Reveal
 Tootsie / int_5f5720d8
comment
Shocking Voice Identity Reveal: When "Dorothy" approaches George at the Russian Tea Room:
 Tootsie / int_5f5720d8
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Tootsie / int_5f5720d8
 Tootsie / int_60eac4ba
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Off the Rails
 Tootsie / int_60eac4ba
comment
Off the Rails: Regularly with Dorothy, much to Ron's indignation; but unfortunately for him, Dorothy's alterations work, i.e. are hugely popular with the in-universe soap opera audience; evidenced by the significant jump in ratings after "Emily's" appearance.
 Tootsie / int_60eac4ba
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 Tootsie / int_634a2ff9
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Sue Donym
 Tootsie / int_634a2ff9
comment
Sue Donym: Michael Dorsey flips his own name around and effeminates "Dorsey" to create his new alter ego, Dorothy Michaels.
 Tootsie / int_634a2ff9
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Tootsie / int_634a2ff9
 Tootsie / int_680f950
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Gilligan Cut
 Tootsie / int_680f950
comment
Gilligan Cut: Michael ponders what to tell Sandy about the money he's gotten from his job on Southwest General:
 Tootsie / int_680f950
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Tootsie / int_680f950
 Tootsie / int_6b2b3b59
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The Reveal
 Tootsie / int_6b2b3b59
comment
How the soap treats the improvised reveal by Dorothy Michaels — as something they'd planned all along, according to Julie.
 Tootsie / int_6b2b3b59
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Tootsie / int_6b2b3b59
 Tootsie / int_6c81c95
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True Art Is Incomprehensible
 Tootsie / int_6c81c95
comment
True Art Is Incomprehensible: Jeff believes so. He doesn't want people to tell him they liked his plays. He wants them to ask him "I saw your play — what happened?!" invoked
 Tootsie / int_6c81c95
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Tootsie / int_6c81c95
 Tootsie / int_6d7cd3e
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Dead Person Impersonation
 Tootsie / int_6d7cd3e
comment
Dead Person Impersonation: Michael ad-libs a backstory in this vein to justify revealing himself as a man playing a woman live on television; his character chose to take on the identity of his deceased older sister and became a hospital administrator in order to inherit her will and fulfill her lifelong ambition of helping people.
 Tootsie / int_6d7cd3e
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Tootsie / int_6d7cd3e
 Tootsie / int_738eef3a
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Theatre is True Acting
 Tootsie / int_738eef3a
comment
Theatre is True Acting: Michael Dorsey is a talented, effective stage actor who drives everyone in New York nuts with his perfectionism. However, while he saves the best of himself for the stage he knows that screen work is necessary to earn a living, and even tells his agent to get him work in commercials and radio to help finance an upcoming play (which doesn't work, because he's managed to alienate Hollywood with his behavior too). He also doesn't look down on one of his friends for auditioning for a soap opera, knowing she's trying to survive and get ahead in acting too.
 Tootsie / int_738eef3a
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Tootsie / int_738eef3a
 Tootsie / int_786bf97f
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Real Life Writes the Plot
 Tootsie / int_786bf97f
comment
Real Life Writes the Plot: The character of George was written and/or cast with Sydney Pollack, the director, playing the part at Hoffman's suggestion, to incorporate some of the real-life tension between the two of them into the movie itself.
 Tootsie / int_786bf97f
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Tootsie / int_786bf97f
 Tootsie / int_7de3aec2
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What Does She See in Him?
 Tootsie / int_7de3aec2
comment
What Does She See in Him?:
 Tootsie / int_7de3aec2
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 Tootsie / int_81eb806a
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Live Episode
 Tootsie / int_81eb806a
comment
Live Episode: In-universe. It is during the live episode of Southwest General that Dorothy Michaels reveals herself to be Michael Dorsey, or rather Emily Kimberly reveals that she is really her brother, Edward Kimberly.
 Tootsie / int_81eb806a
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 Tootsie / int_823c6e3e
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Large Ham
 Tootsie / int_823c6e3e
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Large Ham: Sandy's speech when she is told about "the other woman".
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 Tootsie / int_83445b04
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Pun
 Tootsie / int_83445b04
comment
Pun: The Title Theme Tune tells Tootsie to "roll", and calls Tootsie "sweet".
 Tootsie / int_83445b04
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Tootsie / int_83445b04
 Tootsie / int_835d1cd2
type
Satellite Love Interest
 Tootsie / int_835d1cd2
comment
Satellite Love Interest: In-universe. The women of Southwest General all appear to be oversexed bimbos who exist to either support their male co-stars through their personal conflicts or to be the source of said conflicts due to being unable to control their romantic urges when around them. Dorothy's decision to subvert this and play her character as an uncompromising and independent woman propels her into the position of Breakout Character and seemingly causes the rest of the female cast to begin getting portrayed with more nuance and dignity.
 Tootsie / int_835d1cd2
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 Tootsie / int_863fa679
type
What Happened to the Mouse?
 Tootsie / int_863fa679
comment
What Happened to the Mouse?: We only see Sandy again once after she and Michael break up, when she sees Michael reveal herself on live TV and screams in horror, but the movie doesn't seem to care what happens to her in the end, despite getting the worst treatment out of any of the major characters. She announces to Michael that despite Michael seriously fucking her over (for a part she'd never have been able to get), she'll do Jeff's play because she's a professional. (Translation: She's a desperate out-of-work actress.) The only hint that she and Michael have reconciled is a billboard announcing that they're starring together in Jeff's play.
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 Tootsie / int_887d6d58
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Hipster
 Tootsie / int_887d6d58
comment
Hipster: Jeff.
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 Tootsie / int_887d6d58
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_887d6d58
 Tootsie / int_890d4ef2
type
Humiliation Conga
 Tootsie / int_890d4ef2
comment
Humiliation Conga: Poor Sandy. It starts with her being rejected for a role and just goes downhill from there.
 Tootsie / int_890d4ef2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_890d4ef2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_890d4ef2
 Tootsie / int_98a19d7f
type
Money, Dear Boy
 Tootsie / int_98a19d7f
comment
Money, Dear Boy: invokedIn-Universe, Michael's reason for taking a soap opera job.
 Tootsie / int_98a19d7f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_98a19d7f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_98a19d7f
 Tootsie / int_9d12bbc1
type
Foreshadowing
 Tootsie / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing: During the opening montage, the idea of a man playing a woman is subtly introduced during one of Michael's auditions: Comments fairly early in the film about how crew mishaps and technical problems occasionally force the show to do a Live Episode.
 Tootsie / int_9d12bbc1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_9d12bbc1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_9d12bbc1
 Tootsie / int_9f6fb586
type
Leitmotif
 Tootsie / int_9f6fb586
comment
Leitmotif: An instrumental of "It Might Be You" is the theme for the interactions between Michael and Julie.
 Tootsie / int_9f6fb586
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_9f6fb586
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_9f6fb586
 Tootsie / int_a10d8339
type
The Show Must Go On
 Tootsie / int_a10d8339
comment
The Show Must Go On: Michael manages to turn his personal secret into a part of the (live-broadcast) show, thus forcing the executives to pretend they always knew about it and giving him a way out of his contract. Even though Sandy's been treated like shit by Michael, and even after she finds out he cheated on her with Julie and she was actually in a loveless relationship with the guy who took the part she desperately wanted, she continues as a co-star with him in a play he's producing. Chiefly because she's a desperate actress and knows a good part when she sees one. She does make it clear that from now on they are only going to be co-workers, not friends.
 Tootsie / int_a10d8339
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_a10d8339
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_a10d8339
 Tootsie / int_a3eae597
type
Award-Bait Song
 Tootsie / int_a3eae597
comment
Award-Bait Song: "It Might Be You"
 Tootsie / int_a3eae597
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_a3eae597
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_a3eae597
 Tootsie / int_a8dcb1d7
type
Love at First Sight
 Tootsie / int_a8dcb1d7
comment
Love at First Sight: Michael is instantly smitten with Julie from the moment he meets her for the first time when she's helping him collecting his scattered papers.
 Tootsie / int_a8dcb1d7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_a8dcb1d7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_a8dcb1d7
 Tootsie / int_ad1db87c
type
Oh, Crap!
 Tootsie / int_ad1db87c
comment
Oh, Crap!: Michael is informed that Emily is going to be made a regular character, meaning he'll be stuck pretending to be a woman for the foreseeable future. He gulps while keeping a smile frozen on his face. A milder version earlier when he learns Emily will be kissing Dr. Brewster on the show.
 Tootsie / int_ad1db87c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_ad1db87c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_ad1db87c
 Tootsie / int_ae3d6438
type
Deadpan Snarker
 Tootsie / int_ae3d6438
comment
Deadpan Snarker: Jeff. His moment of glory comes when John turns up at the apartment to see Dorothy, and Michael has to pretend that he's in a relationship with Jeff: Also, after The Reveal (seen by Jeff as well as the rest of the greater metropolitan area on live TV): Michael gets off a few good ones.
 Tootsie / int_ae3d6438
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_ae3d6438
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_ae3d6438
 Tootsie / int_ae43d443
type
Soap Within a Show
 Tootsie / int_ae43d443
comment
Soap Within a Show: During his tenure on Southwest General, people fall in and out of comas, nurses have passionate affairs with both doctors and patients, and characters die because the actors asked for more money.
 Tootsie / int_ae43d443
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_ae43d443
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_ae43d443
 Tootsie / int_b54fe3ce
type
Classically-Trained Extra
 Tootsie / int_b54fe3ce
comment
Classically-Trained Extra: At the beginning of the movie, Michael is a brilliant actor whose most recent paid role was as a tomato in a commercial due to his notoriously perfectionist behavior making him an industry pariah. Even his breakout performance as Emily Kimberly could be viewed as a form of this, as he auditioned for it expecting it to be a short-lasting guest spot on a cornball soap opera before the popularity of his performance effectively turns the character into the series' lead and a national sensation.
 Tootsie / int_b54fe3ce
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_b54fe3ce
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_b54fe3ce
 Tootsie / int_bc00493f
type
Precision F-Strike
 Tootsie / int_bc00493f
comment
Precision F-Strike: The show's producer mutters "Son of a bitch..." when "Dorothy" outs himself as Michael, in a combination of amazement, appreciation and annoyance.
 Tootsie / int_bc00493f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_bc00493f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_bc00493f
 Tootsie / int_bd275786
type
Older Alter Ego
 Tootsie / int_bd275786
comment
Older Alter Ego: Dorothy appears to be somewhat older than Michael and behaves accordingly, acting as a stern-yet-motherly figure to her female co-stars. Notably, the three male characters who express attraction toward her are all over 60. Truth in Television, as it is common for male drag performers to play older characters to accommodate their sharper facial structures.
 Tootsie / int_bd275786
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_bd275786
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_bd275786
 Tootsie / int_be977433
type
Good-Times Montage
 Tootsie / int_be977433
comment
Good-Times Montage: Dorothy's success on the soap is depicted with scenes of her posing for various magazine covers. More subtly, we are shown Julie signing autographs and then later, Julie signing autographs and "Dorothy" signing lots and lots of autographs.
 Tootsie / int_be977433
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_be977433
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_be977433
 Tootsie / int_c0b01
type
Set Behind the Scenes
 Tootsie / int_c0b01
comment
Set Behind the Scenes: The film is about an actor from New York. He auditions for roles. He acts in a TV series.
 Tootsie / int_c0b01
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_c0b01
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_c0b01
 Tootsie / int_c2cedc1c
type
Big "NO!"
 Tootsie / int_c2cedc1c
comment
Big "NO!": Sandy's aghast reaction to Michael revealing he's Dorothy on live TV.
 Tootsie / int_c2cedc1c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_c2cedc1c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_c2cedc1c
 Tootsie / int_c335b9ec
type
Irony
 Tootsie / int_c335b9ec
comment
Irony: Jeff gets frustrated with not being able to answer the phone. Les gives a speech to Dorothy about how he believes society's increasing fixation on breaking down the barriers that exist between genders to be more harm than good and that men and women are fundamentally too different from each other to ever achieve true equality. While his overall sentiment is well-meaning (he's essentially saying that people should be more interested in being themselves than chasing an unobtainable ideal), it is completely undermined by the fact that he is unknowingly saying it to a man pretending to be a woman whose experiences doing so have caused him to gain new understandings of himself and the world around him.
 Tootsie / int_c335b9ec
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_c335b9ec
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_c335b9ec
 Tootsie / int_c35d837f
type
Loves My Alter Ego
 Tootsie / int_c35d837f
comment
Loves My Alter Ego: A platonic, non-superhero variation of the trope. Julie harbors nothing but disdain for Michael, but develops a strong friendship with Dorothy.
 Tootsie / int_c35d837f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_c35d837f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_c35d837f
 Tootsie / int_c5ccf60f
type
Internal Reveal
 Tootsie / int_c5ccf60f
comment
Internal Reveal: The big reveal for both the fictional soap and the actual movie, when Michael takes off his wig and many of his feminine touches and reveals himself to be a man during a live taping of Southwest General. The movie's audience, of course, has known all along.
 Tootsie / int_c5ccf60f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_c5ccf60f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_c5ccf60f
 Tootsie / int_c9597a03
type
Self-Deprecation
 Tootsie / int_c9597a03
comment
Self-Deprecation: It's easy to see a lot of Michael's behavior in Dustin Hoffman's career.
 Tootsie / int_c9597a03
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_c9597a03
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_c9597a03
 Tootsie / int_ca3a6dbd
type
Informed Ability
 Tootsie / int_ca3a6dbd
comment
Informed Ability: Ron is ostensibly considered to be one of the most respected directors working in television. Not only is he a repugnant misogynist who belittles his female staff, but what we see of his work prior to Michael's involvement in it is thoroughly mediocre and by the numbers, with the majority of his actual direction being restricted to demanding that everyone stick to the script. Perhaps it's his efficiency as a director rather than his talent that makes him so highly evaluated? Or that his talent is highly conventional?
 Tootsie / int_ca3a6dbd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_ca3a6dbd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_ca3a6dbd
 Tootsie / int_da0eeab5
type
Breakout Character
 Tootsie / int_da0eeab5
comment
Breakout Character: In-universe. The character of Emily Kimberly was intended to only appear for a single arc on Southwest General before the overwhelmingly positive response to Dorothy's portrayal of her causes her to quickly take over the show and be turned into a regular cast member. This actually serves as a source of conflict for Michael, as having to play Dorothy forever is the last thing he wants to do.
 Tootsie / int_da0eeab5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_da0eeab5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_da0eeab5
 Tootsie / int_dd891949
type
Who Writes This Crap?!
 Tootsie / int_dd891949
comment
Who Writes This Crap?!: When asked if her character intentionally gave an overdose to a woman, April shrugs and says, "I have no idea. I don't write this shit."
 Tootsie / int_dd891949
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_dd891949
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_dd891949
 Tootsie / int_de04e30c
type
Tears of Remorse
 Tootsie / int_de04e30c
comment
Tears of Remorse: In a 2013 interview on Good Morning America, Hoffman reflected on Dorothy's beauty being average rather than bombshell gorgeous, and admitted that had he met her in public, he would not have talked to her. He wept when he realized how many people he missed having good times and conversations with, just because they weren't up to his or society's standards of beauty.
 Tootsie / int_de04e30c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_de04e30c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_de04e30c
 Tootsie / int_e37f19
type
Disguised in Drag
 Tootsie / int_e37f19
comment
Disguised in Drag: Michael has managed to irritate New York producers so thoroughly that he has to pretend to be a woman to get a part.
 Tootsie / int_e37f19
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_e37f19
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_e37f19
 Tootsie / int_e563bf09
type
Insistent Terminology
 Tootsie / int_e563bf09
comment
Insistent Terminology: It's not a "soap opera", it's a "daytime drama". (Truth in Television: Until a few years ago, you could get fired for calling them "soap operas".)
 Tootsie / int_e563bf09
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_e563bf09
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_e563bf09
 Tootsie / int_e8ca5cb3
type
Freudian Slip
 Tootsie / int_e8ca5cb3
comment
Freudian Slip: "What kind of mother would I be if I didn't give my girls tits? Er, tips. It's tips."
 Tootsie / int_e8ca5cb3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_e8ca5cb3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_e8ca5cb3
 Tootsie / int_e9e35e8f
type
Exact Words
 Tootsie / int_e9e35e8f
comment
Exact Words: Assuring Sandy that he is not having an affair with a "woman" that she spotted entering his apartment, Michael tells her that "she" has been a friend of Jeff for years. Later, he assures her that she would never give her another woman's candy (the candy was originally given to "Dorothy").
 Tootsie / int_e9e35e8f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_e9e35e8f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_e9e35e8f
 Tootsie / int_ec40626
type
Love Martyr
 Tootsie / int_ec40626
comment
Love Martyr: Seems to be a serial trope for Sandy, who has a history of accepting shabby treatment from her boyfriends, Michael included. One upside of her breakup with him is that this might be in the process of changing.
 Tootsie / int_ec40626
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_ec40626
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_ec40626
 Tootsie / int_f03aae7f
type
Your Other Left
 Tootsie / int_f03aae7f
comment
Your Other Left: When Dorothy is doing her camera test for "Southwest General," she mistakenly thinks the director is speaking to her when he is telling the cameras to turn left and right.
 Tootsie / int_f03aae7f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_f03aae7f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_f03aae7f
 Tootsie / int_f19e8a55
type
Bad "Bad Acting"
 Tootsie / int_f19e8a55
comment
Bad "Bad Acting": In-Universe, John Van Horn's eyes are constantly glued to the teleprompter, and most of his effort is put into kissing his female co-stars.
 Tootsie / int_f19e8a55
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_f19e8a55
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_f19e8a55
 Tootsie / int_f23c26ab
type
Food Slap
 Tootsie / int_f23c26ab
comment
Food Slap: When Michael (while disguised as Dorothy) hears from Julie just how she would like a man to approach her, he decides to try it himself to her at a party while out of his disguise. He tries to be sincere, but she thinks that he is being creepy, and splashed her cupful of water in his face.
 Tootsie / int_f23c26ab
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_f23c26ab
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_f23c26ab
 Tootsie / int_f36c4f98
type
Easily Forgiven
 Tootsie / int_f36c4f98
comment
Easily Forgiven: After a little sulking, Les quickly gets over Michael pretending to be Dorothy and agrees to let Michael buy him a beer.
 Tootsie / int_f36c4f98
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_f36c4f98
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_f36c4f98
 Tootsie / int_f6f2ff1
type
Insult Backfire
 Tootsie / int_f6f2ff1
comment
Insult Backfire: Sandy rants to Michael about Dorothy's supposedly tough character on the soap, calling her a "wimp" and saying she should write her own lines if they're the problem. Since Michael is Dorothy, he takes the suggestion and starts doing exactly that.
 Tootsie / int_f6f2ff1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_f6f2ff1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_f6f2ff1
 Tootsie / int_fbd285b7
type
Comically Missing the Point
 Tootsie / int_fbd285b7
comment
Comically Missing the Point: "Does Jeff know?" Also Ron during the big reveal. He's more happy that he figured out now why Dorothy/Michael doesn't like him than the fact that he's put his job in jeopardy.
 Tootsie / int_fbd285b7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_fbd285b7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_fbd285b7
 Tootsie / int_fd023811
type
I Have Nothing to Say to That
 Tootsie / int_fd023811
comment
I Have Nothing to Say to That: When Sandy asks Michael about some flowers he's received.
 Tootsie / int_fd023811
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_fd023811
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_fd023811
 Tootsie / int_fd16495f
type
Answer Cut
 Tootsie / int_fd16495f
comment
Answer Cut: Technically not a question, but close enough: Also, when Dorothy is babysitting Julie's daughter Amy:
 Tootsie / int_fd16495f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_fd16495f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Tootsie / int_fd16495f
 Tootsie / int_ff473450
type
Failed Audition Plot
 Tootsie / int_ff473450
comment
Failed Audition Plot: Michael fails many auditions in the beginning. This encourages him to take an audition dressed as a woman for a female role.
 Tootsie / int_ff473450
featureApplicability
1.0
 Tootsie / int_ff473450
featureConfidence
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 Tootsie
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Tootsie / int_ff473450
 Tootsie / int_name
type
ItemName
 Tootsie / int_name
comment
 Tootsie / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
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featureConfidence
1.0
 Tootsie
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Tootsie / int_name
 Tootsie / int_name
itemName
Tootsie

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 AcademyAwardForBestOriginalSong
seeAlso
Tootsie
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Anticipatory Breath Spray / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Attractive Bent-Gender / int_c7599675
 BillMurray
seeAlso
Tootsie
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Cue Card / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Disguised in Drag / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Everyone Hates Mimes / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Failed Audition Plot / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Failing a Taxi / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Food Slap / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
I Have Nothing to Say to That / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Live Episode / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Living a Double Life / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Love Dodecahedron / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
My Sibling Will Live Through Me / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Off the Rails / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Playing a Tree / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Romantic Comedy / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Screen-to-Stage Adaptation / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Sdrawkcab Alias / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Soap Within a Show / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Sue Donym / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Theatre is True Acting / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Twelfth Night Adventure / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Unfortunate Implications / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Wag the Director / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Wholesome Crossdresser / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Woken Up at an Ungodly Hour / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Your Other Left / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies / int_c7599675
 Tootsie
hasFeature
Spinning Paper / int_c7599675