burnt on valentine's

Tootsie, Best Actress Curse & Natalie Portman

I wasn't expecting much for a 1982 show but it was really good and enjoyable movie to watch. Tootise is a romantic comedy starring Dustin Hoffman as Michael Dorsey. He was a stubborn guy and thought that he was always right. As a result, he could not get a proper job as an actor and finally decided to play as a woman, Dorothy Michaels, in a soap opera for money. In order to play as a woman, he had to moderate his personality and make an effort to communicate, which he did not initially. Eventually, Dorothy's character earned respect from women watching the show as she was a role model to them, standing up against men who made use of women. However, that also attracted two men to Dorothy and this provided much comic relief throughout the show. In the end, he had to reveal himself to pursue his love interest.

The most interesting for me is that, despite being a man, Michael was able to attract not one, but two older men, while playing Dorothy's character. Naturally, one would think that older men would be attracted to younger and more beautiful ladies and Dorothy was neither. There was even this scene during the filming of the soap opera where a cameraman suggested zooming out all the way to Cleveland to make Dorothy look prettier. Perhaps since Dorothy displayed authority that most women did not portray at that time, men were attracted to her as she was different from most women. As Dorothy was in fact Michael, a man, it was also easy for him to exercise authority and connect with men.

Another thing I would like to share is a similar article that I read on yesterday's Straits Times Life page. It's about how winners of Oscar's Best Actress tend to divorce their husbands a few years later. These actresses include Halle Berry, Hilary Swank, Reense Whiterspoon, Kate Winslet and Sandra Bullock. In fact, it was also scientifically proven recently. Interestingly, this was not the case for winners of Best Actor. A possible explanation was the husband's discomfort with his wife's fame and success. Also, with her increased status, the wife may have become unsatisfied with her spouse or even have the confidence and opportunity to move away from a bad marriage.

With that said, hopefully Natalie Portman doesn't win this year's Best Actress. She's in this trailer, if you haven't seen it hahaha