Tootsie (1982)

(On DVD, July 2005) This classic comedy has both aged well and not so well. On one hand, you can watch it easily enough, and the performances are still as good as they were. (I’m still not sure about the believability of “Dorothy Michaels”, but that’s better left unquestioned). The sense of New York is well-done, and the casting roster is impressive even today. (If an early performance by Bill Murray isn’t enough to make you interested, consider Terri Garr, and seeing a young Geena Davis in her underwear. Woo!) What’s more, even people allergic to fake-identity-plots (like myself) will be forced to admit that the story isn’t nearly as annoying as it could have been. On the other hand, well, the anti-sexism message seems a bit alien nowadays (were people ever so retrograde? Wait; don’t answer that!) and the pacing could use some tightening up. Still, a pleasant film to watch. The bare-bones DVD has no extra features worth writing about.