I recall thinking how daring it must have been for Dustin Hoffman to put it all out there on the line when this film first came out. Sure, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis did it in "Some Like It Hot", but they went mostly for laughs. Hoffman plays it straight (in a manner of speaking),and even though the film has many funny moments, there's also an understated nuance in the way he handles his character in serious situations. I'll have to credit that to Hoffman's unique ability to take entirely disparate characters and make them his own, just as he did with Ratso Rizzo, Jack Crabb and Raymond Babbitt.

The supporting players here are first rate, and perfectly cast to match their characters. The surprise for me was seeing director Sidney Pollack in front of the camera as Michael Dorsey's agent. My favorite scene is the one where Michael reveals he's Dorothy, and Pollack is completely beside himself with disbelief. It's just what you'd expect from an agent who just reamed his most temperamental client for being impossible to work with.

The picture does have it's expected situations that attempt to compromise Dorothy Michaels' relationship with men, but they're intelligently done and don't resort to slapstick. Les Nichols' (Charle Durning) attempt to romance Dorothy was handled discreetly by the script, and the ensuing confrontation between the two as men was handled professionally. This all could have been done quite differently with an over the top approach to Michael Dorsey's 'womanhood', but then you would have had a mediocre film filled with stereotype and caricature. Instead, you have one that offers the viewer a good time without sacrificing intelligence at the expense of humor.

It's strange how seeing a man dressed up as a woman always seems to be funny and popular with the audiences. Milton Berle helped make television with skits like this on his early 1950s show. It works here, too, with Dustin Hoffman applying the makeup and playing the role to the hilt.

Helping Hoffman is Jessica Lange in, by far, her most attractive role. I'm not particularly a fan of hers but she looked spectacular in here, almost like Marilyn Monroe.

This was a popular film because the humor was good and the two leads did a nice job, and people like a good romance story, too. Hoffman, like him or not, is a fabulous, able to play so many diverse roles. He's an amazing actor.

Sometimes overlooked is the big-name supporting cast which includes Dabney Coleman, Teri Garr, Bill Murray, Chares Durning and Geena Davis. The latter was making her screen debut in here!

This isn't as "cute" as it was 25 years ago but it sure was a justifiable bit hit back in the early '80s.

This is perhaps my favorite comedy of the 1980s--it's that good. But what makes it different from most comedies is that the film is VERY character-driven. And, apart from some hilarious ad-libs by Bill Murray, the film is played very straight--and the end results are fabulous. What's not to like about this film?

The story is about Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman)--an out of work actor who is very talented but so temperamental no one wants to work with him. So, after losing role after role, he's desperate and goes in drag to a casting call. And, oddly, he gets the part. Not only is the female Michael a better actor but also a better person--and that causes a lot of problems. Why? Because although it's hard to love Michael, 'Dorothy' is sweet and soon the object of several folks' attentions! How will Hoffman extricate himself--especially after he's/she's become a huge soap opera star?!

Great music, great acting, a couple nice romances and a lot of laughs--this one is a keeper and one of the best date movies I can think of because men and women can both enjoy it equally. Well worth seeing--I nearly gave this one a 10.