HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS
Directed by Michael Showalter
Written by Laura Terruso and Michael Showalter
Starring: Sally Fields, Max Greenfield, Tyne Daly, Stephen Root, Elizabeth Reaser
You say no one actually dresses like Doris, and I say you are wrong because Doris’ doppelganger worked in the office next to me for 20 years. Additionally the glimpse or two I got of that woman’s car similarly spoke to a hoarding disorder. Both of these are features of Doris, as played by Sally Fields in HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS. Although Sally does what she can with the material here, it is not nearly as funny as it wants to be. And I say that, in particular, to the woman who sat behind me, laughing raucously throughout the film.
Doris’ story is this: after devoting her life to her mother, Doris is released by her death and immediately falls for a man half her age. She pursues him in a way that is supposed to be funny but, in fact, is just sad. She manages to misread every signal he gives her. I might have misread it too because you are meant to. What almost saves the film is how true Doris stays to her character.
Although it is nice to see Sally Fields in a leading role, better material would have been a plus.
Patti Abbott
