Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde is a 1995 British-American comedy movie inspired by Robert Stevenson's horror story, with the twist of a power-hungry female alter-ego, instead of just an evil side. The film stars Tim Daly as Jekyll and Sean Young as Hyde.
This movie provides examples of:
- Accidental Pervert:
- Helen's transformations back into Richard often leave the latter in some rather embarrassing situations, from accidentally flashing Mintz's neighbors in women's lingerie (while trying to climb down the outside of his apartment building) to being stranded at a high society party in drag.
- Later, in an attempt to convince everyone that he and Helen are the same person, Richard handcuffs himself in his office naked in front of a video camera (with obscenities written on his body, no less), assuming that he'll transform. Helen deliberately delays said transformation, leaving him to be discovered in what looks like a very compromising position (and fired).
- Alliterative Name: Helen Hyde.
- All Men Are Perverts: Helen's allure attracts every man in the office she works in, even attracting the attention of the homosexual Yves (much to his confusion).
- All Women Are Lustful: Downplayed. Helen Hyde comes on to, and sleeps with, nearly every man she encounters at Richard's job. However, she does so mostly to manipulate her way on top, and is quick to dismiss men who aren't instrumental to that goal. She's also the only woman who behaves this way, with her behavior contrasted to that of Sarah (who is sweet, level-headed and faithful). Additionally, the men in the movie (save for Richard) are just as bad, if not worse, than Helen.
- A Rotten Time to Revert:
- While seducing a colleague in her lingerie, Helen Hyde begins shapeshifting back to her male form of Dr. Jacks. Jacks locks himself in the bathroom before the guy can see and is forced to climb down a fire escape while wearing Helen's underwear.
- An inversion is attempted in a later scene, when Jacks tries to get Helen fired by scrawling obscenities all over his naked body and waiting to transform into her during an important meeting. She manages to delay the transformation entirely, leaving him humiliated (and fired by his perplexed bosses).
- Be Careful What You Wish For: At one point, Oliver mentions liking women with balls. Then he falls into a relationship with Helen Hyde who, by the end, transforms back into Richard Jacks, stunning him in the process.
- Bigger Is Better in Bed: There is one joke where Richard implies a potential side effect of the antidote would be a bigger penis, then Sarah gets a bit more enthusiastic in helping him complete it.
- Butt-Monkey: Several examples:
- Richard is ridiculed by his colleagues and superiors after his experiments fail. He also receives nothing but scientific notebooks after his uncle dies, while everyone else in his family inherits money, mansions, yachts, and other property. To say nothing of the humiliation he goes through once he starts morphing into Helen — beginning with his first transformation, which occurs in the middle of a restaurant during a very important job interview.
- Pete receives the most abuse from Helen.
- Caught on Tape: Richard is unable to convince Sarah that he and Helen are the same person — until he shows her the security footage from his laboratory, which catches him mid-transformation.Richard: The next time I tell you I'm a woman, just take my word for it, okay?
- Censor Steam: Helen Hyde is introduced showering in a glass cabinet, but the glass is steamed over to prevent showing too much detail. When she steps out a moment later, a whole cloud of (added in post-production) steam obscures her even further, probably to hide the use of a body double for the actress.
- Covers Always Lie: With the look he's giving on the poster, one could be forgiven in thinking that Richard is the evil one.
- Driven to Suicide: Richard attempts to slit his wrists with a kitchen knife when faced with the possibility that Helen could take over his body and life permanently. He's unable to handle the pain, and stops.
- Gender Bender: The film's twist has this happening, with Dr. Jacks turned into a female version of himself.
- Groin Attack: Sarah jams the syringe of antidote right near Helen Hyde's vagina. Helen also slams a desk drawer into a man's groin.
- Humiliation Conga:
- After being injected with the cure, Hyde gets facial stubble, then a full mustache, grows an erect penis, her breasts deflate, and she finally reverts back to Jekyll in front of a conference for the launch of a new perfume.
- Also throughout the movie, Richard's colleague Pete goes through a painful humiliation conga from Helen's actions. She slams a desk drawer into his groin, puts acid into his experimental aftershave causing him to burn his face and finally electrocutes him by messing with a car's electrical system.
- Ignoring by Singing: Done during one of Richard Jacks's attempts to explain his plight to Sarah.
- Jekyll & Hyde: Parodied, with meek scientist Richard Jacks turning into a lustful, cutthroat female alter ego named Helen Hyde (via a recreation of his ancestor Henry Jekyll's formula).
- Line-of-Sight Alias: Hyde's descendant picks the first name Helen for his alter-ego after seeing the headline "Scientists Believe Mt. St-Helens May Blow Again".
- Literal Split Personality: Like his ancestor before him, Richard morphs into an alter ego who embodies the darker aspects of his personality. In Richard's case, said alter ego is Helen Hyde, who embodies his aggressive, manipulative, malicious, and lustful tendencies.
- No Bisexuals: Yves, who's gay, is completely confused when he's attracted to Helen Hyde (and they have sex). At the end when she turns back into Richard, he's relieved, because it means he isn't turning into a heterosexual. The idea he might be just bisexual apparently never occurs to him.
- Plot Hole: After being cured, Richard reaches under his cocktail dress and removes a lacy black thong; he tosses it aside in disgust, exclaiming "Helen and her damn thongs!" The problem is, Helen arrived at the event wearing Richard's clothing, and stole her entire outfit off a woman in the lobby. Did she steal her underwear, too?
- Raging Stiffie:
- After being injected with the cure, Richard's penis springs up between Helen's legs.
Sarah: (laughing) Oh Richard.- Earlier, Oliver Mintz and Yves each gain one when Helen rubs her feet on their groins under the meeting table. Neither of them is willing to get up, but Yves ends up leaving the room covering his crotch with a folder.
- Reveling in the New Form: Subverted. When Dr. Richard Jacks transforms into the sexy female Helen Hyde, at first it seems he's just taking advantage of this new form to get ahead in his career and enjoy some freedom as a woman. However, it quickly becomes clear that Helen is a personality all her own, and is willing to battle Richard over control of their shared body.
- Sex Shifter: The film takes the old Jekyll-and-Hyde story to another level by making Jekyll male and Hyde female.
- Shopping Montage: Helen Hyde, fresh from the first transformation, goes shopping for a new wardrobe at high-end boutiques to the tune of Jean McClain's "Brand New Me". At one point, she nearly blows her cover when she attempts to take out a credit card from her wallet, only to pull out Richard Jacks's ID; she quickly puts it away.
- Shower Scene: Helen's first appearance is a shower scene, much to the delight of Pete Walker.
- Split-Personality Takeover: As time goes on, Helen starts taking over Richard's body more and more frequently and for longer intervals. Unlike in the original story, however, he's able to prevent a full-blown takeover in the end (mainly because he's able to find video evidence that he and Helen are the same person, which convinces his fianceé to help him create an antidote).
- Trailers Always Spoil: The theatrical trailer includes where Helen morphs back into Richard in front of everyone, convincing them of his condition.
- A True Story in My Universe: The film portrays The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as being based on a real man, Richard's great-grandfather, who was author Robert Louis Stevenson's friend (and the inspiration for the novel).
