2012 Film Challenge #55 - Tootsie

I remember once reading one of those opinion pieces somewhere. I can't remember where. But you know the type: They make you feel as though nothing's alright in your life.

The notion was put forward that for a man to dress in drag should be viewed as equally offensive an act as blacking-up.

It was only whilst watching Tootsie that it sunk in just how absurd a notion this is.

At first, I feared that Michael's transformation into Dorothy – with all his affected stereotypes - might well be viewed as offensive by many.

Offensive too might be the idea that, in the world of Tootsie, it takes a man in drag to free scores of women from their overbearing, disrespectful partners.

But as the film progressed, a few things occurred to me.

First of all, Michael finds that the whole transgender experience invigorating and liberating. "I was a better man with you as a woman than I ever was with a woman as a man. Know what I mean?"

Yes, Michael. I know exactly what you mean.

Second of all, though it takes the catalyst of Dorothy to make the women in this film question their surroundings, I'm here reminded of the story of Johnny Rotten walking down the street with an annotated Pink Floyd t-shirt.

With tippex, he'd altered the legend on the t-shirt to read “I HATE Pink Floyd.”

I believe the argument these days is that you have to consider as to why Mr. Rotten had the t-shirt in the first place.

Was it perhaps because the love was there all along and he'd just felt obliged to mask it in artifice?

No smoke without fire.

Know what I mean?

And anyway. Surely to suggest that cross-dressing is somehow offensive to women is to insult the section of the LGBT community contained within the T?

Yeah.

Anyway, Tootsie.

A lot of fun.

A cross-dressing comedy which is even better than Mrs. Doubtfire and about as good as Some Like It Hot.
And that's it.


From me, I mean. There's a lot more to Tootsie. But that's it from me.

For now.

I'm going away for a bit.

I don't imagine there'll be any films in the next two weeks.

But you never know.


Not to assume that I have such a readership from which I'll have to excuse myself, but we all have our crutches.