History Film / Tootsie

* TheShowMustGoOn: 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.

* WholesomeCrossdresser: Dorothy Michaels is a very convincing woman (Creator/DustinHoffman 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:''' I don't want a full house at the Winter Garden Theatre. I want 90 people who just came out of the worst rainstorm in the city's history. These are people who are alive on the planet until they dry off. I wish I had a theatre that was only open when it rained.

* PrimaDonna: Michael's defining characteristic, which is why no one in New York or Los Angeles will hire him.

* DeadpanSnarker: 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:
--> '''Jeff''': [''to Michael''] You ''slut''.

---> '''Jeff''': That is one ''nutty'' hospital.

-->'''Michael:''' Oh, sweetheart, do you know what it was like waking up in Paris that morning, seeing the empty pillow where -- Wait a minute! Cover your breasts. Kevin is downstairs! My God, what are you?\\

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Comments fairly early in the film about how crew mishaps and technical problems occasionally force the show to do a LiveEpisode.

* {{Pun}}: The TitleThemeTune tells Tootsie to "roll".

* ThrowItIn: Dorothy does this a lot in-universe, to Ron's consternation. Out of universe, Michael's rant about playing vegetables (see PlayingATree above) was not in the script and was improvised by Dustin Hoffman. Sydney Pollack's look of consternation in the scene is real.

* BadBadActing: 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.

* RecycledSoundtrack: The "Working Girl March" by Dave Grusin was recycled by Creator/MarkGoodson Production for three different pilots: 1983's ''Star Words'' and ''Series/BodyLanguage'', and 1986's ''On A Roll''. Only ''Body Language'' went to series and as a result, Edd Kalehoff composed a SuspiciouslySimilarSong (and in turn, the ticket plug that Kalehoff composed would be reused for '' Classic Series/{{Concentration}}'' starting in 1987).

Michael Dorsey (Hoffman) is a struggling actor in New York City who, despite being very talented, can never get 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 (Creator/BillMurray), Michael goes to his agent George (Pollack), who tells him that no one in New York will hire him.[[George tells him no one in Hollywood wants to work with him either.[[/note]] After taking his friend Sandy (Creator/TeriGarr) to an unsuccessful audition for the part of a female hospital administrator in a soap opera, he decides to dress in drag and audition for the part himself. After initially being dismissed as ''too'' feminine, "Dorothy Michaels" lands the part and gains immense popularity with the fans.

Michael Dorsey (Hoffman) is a struggling actor in New York City who, despite being very talented, can never get 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 (Creator/BillMurray), Michael goes to his agent George (Pollack), who tells him that no one in New York will hire him. After taking his friend Sandy (Creator/TeriGarr) to an unsuccessful audition for the part of a female hospital administrator in a soap opera, he decides to dress in drag and audition for the part himself. After initially being dismissed as ''too'' feminine, "Dorothy Michaels" lands the part and gains immense popularity with the 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 (Creator/CharlesDurning), 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?

* HeroWithBadPublicity: 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 InternalReveal 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 mages to make amends with Julie and her father for deceiving them.

* HeroWithBadPublicity: 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 InternalReveal 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 mages to make amends with Julie and her father for deceiving them.

The film was well-received by both critics and the public, becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1982. It was nominated for ten UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s, 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 [[ScreenToStageAdaptation staged]] [[AllMusicalsAreAdaptations 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.