Michael Dorsey, a male chauvinist, may be a fine actor. However, the fact is, as his agency boss friend shouts to him, ‘No one in New York wants to hire you!’The drama producers think he is ‘too tall’ or ‘too short’ or’ too pushy’, or in a word, ‘too difficult’. He always insists on the way he wants to act the role while refuses to listen to the director’s orders.
Michael decides to try the role of Dorothy, Nurse Kimberly when his actress friend, Sandy is turned down for this role in one TV opera show. Dressed in curly wig, high heels and waist skirt, and with heavy makeup, Michael surprisingly wins the favor of the show producer. His unique performance -- showing some masculine behaviors while speaking in a soft and wired woman’s voice, immediately captures the audience’s interest, which lets him become a TV comedy star overnight whom men and women both love. However, the life of being a man woman at the same time is not easy for Michael. He finds himself being madly in love with his partner actress, Julie, while still making the promises to Sandy, who loves him. Even worse, Julie’s father and Dorothy’s partner actor both love Dorothy, which gets Michael into a lot of troubles.
I find Michael’s experience very amusing because all the things happen to him seem very random. Michael is a failure as an actor yet is a success as an actress. He has all the masculine characters, such as stubborn and self-important. He considers his own values more before he takes the role of Dorothy. Thus, in order to be the best Dorothy, Michael tries his best to fit in the character of an aged nurse, dressed in her way and behaving in her way. And, Julie, the girl Michael loves, is another reason for him to be more feminine, being a good listener and considering more about others’ feelings. That’s why Michael says that ‘I’m a better man when I am a woman.’
Nevertheless, Dorothy is still a man. No matter how hard Michael tries, it’s impossible for him to hide his strong side. When Ron, the doctor, tries to kiss Dorothy in the show, ‘she’ jumps up and hits Ron. Dorothy also resists Ron’s orders if ‘she’ doesn't want to do the thing. Dorothy’s power against men makes her very popular among female audiences because women see Dorothy as their hero who dares to struggle with men’s power and be independent. On the other hand, the strong side of Dorothy, a woman, is especially attractive to men, who assume that women are always weak and soft. When men find someone like Dorothy challenges
their ideas, they become excited and chase after her who seems very hard to get.
During the process of playing Dorothy’s role, Michael learns to be considerate and independent. In fact, Dorothy has become a part of Michael, even after he finishes the show. This shows that even Michael, such a male chauvinist, finds his own way to become more approachable and understand women better. Any man is able to do that. Men and women may not be fundamentally different. But if they are treated differently and never try to understand each other’s way of speaking and interpreting, there may be greater gender gap occurring.
