History Film / Tootsie

* MistakenForGay: Julie assumes Dorothy to be a lesbian after she attempts to kiss her during a particularly intimate moment between the two of them. Not only is Dorothy actually a man in disguise, but said man explicitly states that he is playing her as a straight woman.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: In-universe, this is very much Jeff's philosophy towards his playwriting.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Jeff believes so. He doesn't want people to tell him they liked his plays. He wants them to ask him "I saw your play -- ''what happened''?!" [[invoked]]

--> '''Sandy''': No, we are not friends. I don't take this shit from friends. Only lovers.

* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim:

* MistakenForGay: Julie assumes Dorothy to be a lesbian after she attempts to kiss her during a particularly intimate moment between the two of her. Not only is Dorothy actually a man in disguise, but said man explicitly states that he is playing her as a straight woman.

* ClassicallyTrainedExtra: At the beginning of the movie, Michael is a brilliant actor whose most recent payed role was as a tomato in a commercial due to his notoriously perfectionist behavior making him an industry pariah. Even his breakout performance as Emily Kimberly could be viewed as a form of this, as he auditioned for it expecting it to be a short-lasting guest spot on a cornball soap opera before the popularity of his performance effectively turns the character into the series' lead and a national sensation.

* DirtyOldMan: John Van Horn is an aging actor who has served as the leading man on ''Southwest General'' for over two decades and has kissed every single female actor he's shared a scene with in that time, so much so that he is nicknamed "the tongue" behind his back. When Dorothy manages to avoid having to do an on-screen kiss with him in their first scene together, he makes a point of kissing her for real as soon as the cameras stop rolling to congratulate her for a job well done.

* InformedAbility: Ron is ostensibly considered to be one of the most respected directors working in television. Not only is he a repugnant misogynist who belittles his female staff, but what we see of his work prior to Michael's involvement in it is thoroughly mediocre and by the numbers, with the majority of his actual direction being restricted to demanding that everyone stick to the script. Perhaps it's his efficiency as a director rather than his talent that makes him so highly evaluated?

** Even though Sandy's been treated like shit by Michael, and even after she finds out he ''cheated'' on her with Julie and she was actually in a loveless relationship ''with the guy who took the part she desperately wanted'', she uses this excuse to stay as a co-star with him in a play he's producing. Chiefly because she's a ''desperate'' actress.

* SoapWithinAShow: During his tenure on ''Southwest General,'' people fall in and out of comas, nurses have passionate affairs with both doctors and patients, and [[McLeaned characters die because the actors asked for more money.]]

* AnswerCut: Technically not a question, but close enough:

* ActorSharedBackground: "Tootsie" was Dustin Hoffman's childhood nickname.

* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler: Michael outing himself as Dorothy on live television has major repercussions on several levels, with both the people he bonded with while playing the persona and the viewing public justifiably feeling a personal sense of betrayal and the film and television industry blacklisting him from ever working again for committing long-term fraud. While the ending suggests that he will be able to win back both Julie and Les' love and trust, it also makes it clear that doing so will take effort on his part.]]

* AttractiveBentGender: Downplayed. While Michael makes a very convincing woman, the limitations of drag cause Dorothy to appear as a fairly unremarkable (if well put together) middle-aged lady rather than a knock-out bombshell and the rest of the cast all have varied opinions about her attractiveness. Nonetheless, she manages to inadvertently attract the attention of two different men over the course of the film.

* AttractiveBentGender: Downplayed. While Michael makes a very convincing woman, the limitations of drag cause Dorothy to appear as a fairly unremarkable (if well put together) middle-aged woman rather than a knock-out bombshell and the rest of the cast all have varied opinions about her attractiveness. Nonetheless, she manages to inadvertently attract the attention of two different men over the course of the film.

* ClassicallyTrainedExtra: At the beginning of the movie, Michael is a brilliant actor whose most recent payed role was as a tomato in a commercial due to his notoriously perfectionist behavior making him an industry pariah. Even his breakout performance as Emily Kimberly could be viewed as a form of this, as he auditioned for it expecting it to be a short-lasting guest spot on a cornball soap opera before the popularity of his performance effectively turns the character into the series' lead.

* DirtyOldMan: John Van Horn is an aging actor who has served as the leading man on ''Southwest General'' for over two decades and has kissed every single female actor he's shared a scene with in that time, so much so that he is nicknamed "the tongue" behind his back. When Dorothy manages to avoid having to do an on-screen kiss with him in their first scene together, he makes a point of kissing her for real as soon as the cameras stop rolling.

* ActorAllusion:
All the complaints about Michael Dorsey? They were all real complaints about Dustin Hoffman.

* AttractiveBentGender: Although not all characters find Dorothy attractive, she is proposed to by a man.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: In-Universe. "Dorothy"'s character becomes extremely popular, leading to her becoming a regular character.

* {{Irony}}: Jeff gets frustrated with not being able to answer the phone.