This is one of Lily Tomlin's best movies. It's kind of corny, but it's supposed to be. Did anyone notice the bright colors, that satire the 70's, like the lime green? It's charming and amusing, and as a kid, I guess when Pat disappeared it was a little scary, but I knew she would be OK, because she was the star of the movie. It was not that scary, I've seen a lot worse. Most of all, it's very entertaining, and not the least bit tedious if you have a sense of humor and a good imagination. When you watch a movie like this, you have to suspend your disbelief and let your inner child out. This is one of my favorite comedies. Lily is great!
41 Reviews
Not really funny
lampic31 July 2015
Not-so-funny satire of American compulsive consumerism society, based partially on Jack Arnold classic 1957. movie, with several scenes knowingly re-acted completely close to original.
Instead of Grant Williams, here we have Lily Tomlin as everyday housewife slaving for her family and shrinking away, to the delight of media hungry for sensations. Besides being more or less ignored by her family, used that Tomlin simply have to take care of them, she has other serious threats that don't involve cats and spiders but something far more dangerous - humans. Along with quite inane plot, everything is exaggerated: this is not a kind, loving family but a bunch of spoiled brats throwing tantrums, husband and his colleagues are more concerned with profit, Mexican maid is non stop dancing and even neighbors are more concerned about giving interviews than actually giving Tomlin support. Any normal person would pack her bags long ago and run away, but Tomlin - being good wife and self-sacrificing mother - totters on, even as her steps became smaller and smaller. It sounded as a good idea on the paper but is not really funny, perhaps because main character is simply not likable enough - Tomlin is great comedian when given chance to be wicked but as a perpetually serving housewife she is simply annoying (only once, she appears as rude telephone operator "Ernestine" and that minute lightens up the screen). Perhaps great fun for teenagers who delight in obvious jokes but not particularly involving as movie experience and sadly, very far from thrill of 1957. original.
Instead of Grant Williams, here we have Lily Tomlin as everyday housewife slaving for her family and shrinking away, to the delight of media hungry for sensations. Besides being more or less ignored by her family, used that Tomlin simply have to take care of them, she has other serious threats that don't involve cats and spiders but something far more dangerous - humans. Along with quite inane plot, everything is exaggerated: this is not a kind, loving family but a bunch of spoiled brats throwing tantrums, husband and his colleagues are more concerned with profit, Mexican maid is non stop dancing and even neighbors are more concerned about giving interviews than actually giving Tomlin support. Any normal person would pack her bags long ago and run away, but Tomlin - being good wife and self-sacrificing mother - totters on, even as her steps became smaller and smaller. It sounded as a good idea on the paper but is not really funny, perhaps because main character is simply not likable enough - Tomlin is great comedian when given chance to be wicked but as a perpetually serving housewife she is simply annoying (only once, she appears as rude telephone operator "Ernestine" and that minute lightens up the screen). Perhaps great fun for teenagers who delight in obvious jokes but not particularly involving as movie experience and sadly, very far from thrill of 1957. original.
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
phubbs28 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Fun fact, this was Joel Schumacher's directorial debut. Yep that's right, way before we got ultra campy, neon lit Batman movies we got this, a campy, excessively colourful romp based (of course) on the Richard Matheson novel 'The Shrinking Man'. Yeah I know exactly what you're thinking, I'd never heard of this movie either, well judging by the films poster it doesn't look like anybody gave it much hope frankly, holy cheeseballs!
So I think we know what's gonna happen here don't we. An everyday woman leading an everyday life falls afoul of a bizarre accident that causes her to slowly shrink down to a microscopic size. In this case its not a nuclear/atomic bomb scenario, its not a mad experiment and its got nothing to do with potions and magic. In this movie the protagonist suffers from a serve reaction to an experimental perfume her husband is working on, along with various other household things. So yes...OK, it is about a weird experiment, but its not military based. Unfortunately despite the fact they have clearly tried to move away from the old formulaic notions that have surrounded previous movies like this, this new concept is really quite daft. Sure the entire notion of shrinking to the size of an ant is daft but...as a result of a perfume?? couldn't think of anything a bit better?
What's even more ludicrous is the fact that despite it being a perfume/household products related accident and perfume/household products being a relatively innocent and unexciting plot device, they still manage to cram in a few nasty whitecoat scientist types because of course the perfume company gets taken over in part by dubious sources wanting to work out the shrinking mystery for their own dubious plans. Everything is entirely predictable of course, you know once Kramer starts to shrink their will be the media hype to content with, the humiliation, the rubbernecking etc...Along with that you know at some point evil people will try to kidnap her for their evil ways (obviously shrinking people around the world or their own armies), and there will be some kind of adventurous escape from a nasty old lab etc...Didn't really expect anything too mind blowing in all honesty, naturally this will take on many elements of the original source material, they have tried to go in a new direction, but I'm just not sure if this was the right way.
I'm still not really sure what the colour scheme/palette was about here either. All the sets, costumes, cars, props, everything, is an array of soft, outlandish, pastel colours that range from anything and everything. Think 'Dick Tracy', 'Miami Vice' or the 50's suburban housing estate in 'Edward Scissorhands' but in really really extreme camp colours. The weird thing were the outfits everybody wears, its was like some kind of retro 50's, 70's, 80's mishmash with suits in emerald green with bright pink ties etc...I'm guessing Schumacher wanted to create some kind of timeless hybrid that has never existed, a fantasy America where everything is kinda perfect, but scratch beneath the surface and its actually just like reality.
Another odd thing was the usage of Lily Tomlin as multiple characters. Now I'm assuming this was down to her comedic background as others have done the same thing, the problem is others have done it way better. The silly thing was you can clearly tell its Tomlin, there is no real effort to not make her look any different, so in that sense its not really funny or clever (an Eddie Murphy challenge this is not). I might add her various characters aren't exactly very different from each other...and did I mention she isn't funny?
Effects wise the movie does hold its own well and this is mainly down to the old old use of large scale props and sets. Tomlin looks great within the oversized sets and the forced perspective illusion, it just never fails to win that old trick. Naturally there are some hokey bluescreen moments but that can't really be helped. The best thing about the movie effects wise is easily Rick Baker and his gorilla suit. Now if you know your movies and special effects wizards then you know Baker has a gorilla fetish, a fetish he explores deeply here. Not only is his suit excellent in detail and movement, but Baker actually plays the gentle giant too. Think the gorilla from 'Trading Places' only better. The only stupid thing about that (along with all the other stupid stuff), is at the end the Kramer family decide to keep the gorilla as a pet, because that won't cause any problems will it (do I see a gorilla based sequel with hilarious gorilla shrinking antics??..no).
Yeah so this was a pretty mixed bag really. The visuals are undoubtedly lovely to look at in places, very colourful and cheerful, good designs and creativity, but it doesn't really make much sense why its like that. The comedy is so so, the action and adventure is so so, the acting is unsurprisingly so so despite having a darn good line-up of old stars, and the finale is too sickly. Everything gets wrapped up in a nice harmless bow with literately every character there to witness it because...I dunno. Why does she shrink so rapidly right at the end? and why or how does the chemical spillage bring her back to normal size?? Meh, its a family movie heavy on light-hearted tomfoolery and nothing more, don't question it.
5/10
So I think we know what's gonna happen here don't we. An everyday woman leading an everyday life falls afoul of a bizarre accident that causes her to slowly shrink down to a microscopic size. In this case its not a nuclear/atomic bomb scenario, its not a mad experiment and its got nothing to do with potions and magic. In this movie the protagonist suffers from a serve reaction to an experimental perfume her husband is working on, along with various other household things. So yes...OK, it is about a weird experiment, but its not military based. Unfortunately despite the fact they have clearly tried to move away from the old formulaic notions that have surrounded previous movies like this, this new concept is really quite daft. Sure the entire notion of shrinking to the size of an ant is daft but...as a result of a perfume?? couldn't think of anything a bit better?
What's even more ludicrous is the fact that despite it being a perfume/household products related accident and perfume/household products being a relatively innocent and unexciting plot device, they still manage to cram in a few nasty whitecoat scientist types because of course the perfume company gets taken over in part by dubious sources wanting to work out the shrinking mystery for their own dubious plans. Everything is entirely predictable of course, you know once Kramer starts to shrink their will be the media hype to content with, the humiliation, the rubbernecking etc...Along with that you know at some point evil people will try to kidnap her for their evil ways (obviously shrinking people around the world or their own armies), and there will be some kind of adventurous escape from a nasty old lab etc...Didn't really expect anything too mind blowing in all honesty, naturally this will take on many elements of the original source material, they have tried to go in a new direction, but I'm just not sure if this was the right way.
I'm still not really sure what the colour scheme/palette was about here either. All the sets, costumes, cars, props, everything, is an array of soft, outlandish, pastel colours that range from anything and everything. Think 'Dick Tracy', 'Miami Vice' or the 50's suburban housing estate in 'Edward Scissorhands' but in really really extreme camp colours. The weird thing were the outfits everybody wears, its was like some kind of retro 50's, 70's, 80's mishmash with suits in emerald green with bright pink ties etc...I'm guessing Schumacher wanted to create some kind of timeless hybrid that has never existed, a fantasy America where everything is kinda perfect, but scratch beneath the surface and its actually just like reality.
Another odd thing was the usage of Lily Tomlin as multiple characters. Now I'm assuming this was down to her comedic background as others have done the same thing, the problem is others have done it way better. The silly thing was you can clearly tell its Tomlin, there is no real effort to not make her look any different, so in that sense its not really funny or clever (an Eddie Murphy challenge this is not). I might add her various characters aren't exactly very different from each other...and did I mention she isn't funny?
Effects wise the movie does hold its own well and this is mainly down to the old old use of large scale props and sets. Tomlin looks great within the oversized sets and the forced perspective illusion, it just never fails to win that old trick. Naturally there are some hokey bluescreen moments but that can't really be helped. The best thing about the movie effects wise is easily Rick Baker and his gorilla suit. Now if you know your movies and special effects wizards then you know Baker has a gorilla fetish, a fetish he explores deeply here. Not only is his suit excellent in detail and movement, but Baker actually plays the gentle giant too. Think the gorilla from 'Trading Places' only better. The only stupid thing about that (along with all the other stupid stuff), is at the end the Kramer family decide to keep the gorilla as a pet, because that won't cause any problems will it (do I see a gorilla based sequel with hilarious gorilla shrinking antics??..no).
Yeah so this was a pretty mixed bag really. The visuals are undoubtedly lovely to look at in places, very colourful and cheerful, good designs and creativity, but it doesn't really make much sense why its like that. The comedy is so so, the action and adventure is so so, the acting is unsurprisingly so so despite having a darn good line-up of old stars, and the finale is too sickly. Everything gets wrapped up in a nice harmless bow with literately every character there to witness it because...I dunno. Why does she shrink so rapidly right at the end? and why or how does the chemical spillage bring her back to normal size?? Meh, its a family movie heavy on light-hearted tomfoolery and nothing more, don't question it.
5/10
Great 80's cheese
artguylarry25 April 2003
Lily Tomlin has so many comedic talents. And they are all here in this film. Dry wit, dual roles (she's good at that), Ernestine the operator, Edith Ann, the little brat (in a deleted scene). Pure enjoyment. I remember seeing this as a kid. Now as an adult, I enjoy it again, being able to catch little pieces of the humor I never understood as a child. An adorable comedy is all this is. I read so many of these user comments and find too many people looking for some sort of message or spiritual enlightenment or an answer to the meaning of life. Get real. It's cute. Just enjoy it.
Incredible Stinking Movie
JZvezda1 March 2003
12 and under cinema.
I saw this in the theater when I was 11, liked it, and filed the memory of it under "good movie" in my mental cache. All of it's socio-political subtext --endless stabs at Madison Avenue, mass marketing and gross consumerism: Pat is a pimped-out product whore in the merciless clutches of her scAmway-pushing neighbor, and it eventually begins eating away at her, quite literally-- these bits of 'wink-wink' adult humor sailed right over my Bazooka gum-chomping, 11 year-old head.
The fun in "Incredible Shrinking Woman" was the ignorance to the script's so-called message. What tickled us kiddies in the audience was the sight of a pocket-sized Lily Tomlin sporting plastic Barbie sneakers, bedding down at night on a cot in the Barbie Dream House, and cruising down the hallway carpet in an out-of-control Barbie Dream Car. And when the 10-inch version of Pat attempts to perform her daily chores, such as washing the dishes...hee hee... fun stuff if you're a kid.
This flick resurfaced on cable recently, I was reminded that most of what we liked as 11 year olds is pretty cringe-worthy to us as adults. But I went ahead and watched it anyway because it has 3 things working for it:
-Lily Tomlin
-the nostalgia factor
-& that irritatingly catchy "What would we do without Galaxy Glue?" tune
I saw this in the theater when I was 11, liked it, and filed the memory of it under "good movie" in my mental cache. All of it's socio-political subtext --endless stabs at Madison Avenue, mass marketing and gross consumerism: Pat is a pimped-out product whore in the merciless clutches of her scAmway-pushing neighbor, and it eventually begins eating away at her, quite literally-- these bits of 'wink-wink' adult humor sailed right over my Bazooka gum-chomping, 11 year-old head.
The fun in "Incredible Shrinking Woman" was the ignorance to the script's so-called message. What tickled us kiddies in the audience was the sight of a pocket-sized Lily Tomlin sporting plastic Barbie sneakers, bedding down at night on a cot in the Barbie Dream House, and cruising down the hallway carpet in an out-of-control Barbie Dream Car. And when the 10-inch version of Pat attempts to perform her daily chores, such as washing the dishes...hee hee... fun stuff if you're a kid.
This flick resurfaced on cable recently, I was reminded that most of what we liked as 11 year olds is pretty cringe-worthy to us as adults. But I went ahead and watched it anyway because it has 3 things working for it:
-Lily Tomlin
-the nostalgia factor
-& that irritatingly catchy "What would we do without Galaxy Glue?" tune
Great. Now I've got that Galaxy Glue jingle stuck in my head.
Hey_Sweden22 August 2017
Veteran comedic actress Lily Tomlin really gets to show off her chops here by playing no less than three roles. The principal role is that of Pat Kramer, a suburban wife & mom who mysteriously starts shrinking one day due to overexposure to an abundance of chemicals. In short order, she becomes the talk of the town, even going on the Mike Douglas show. She also comes to be exploited by evil scientists who are bent on world domination. Charles Grodin is cast as the harried husband struggling to accept his wifes' diminishing size as a fact of life; Ned Beatty is Grodins' sleazy boss.
Partly a spoof of the classic Richard Matheson story "The Incredible Shrinking Man", this wacky 1980s fantasy functions mainly as a satire of rampant consumerism. As such, it's far from being subtle, and is a little hard to stick with at first due to it being so chaotic. But Tomlin, never more appealing, is the glue to hold it all together. She's terrific; her other roles are neighborhood busybody Judith Beasley and her classic telephone operator character. Grodin is in fine form, and Beatty is a hoot. The villains are played by the likes of Henry Gibson, Elizabeth Wilson, and John Glover, and they're all good. Shelby Balik and Justin Dana are cute as Pats' kids. But the man who deserves a special shout-out is makeup effects ace and multiple Oscar winner Rick Baker, who hilariously, endearingly plays a gorilla named Sidney.
Written by Jane Wagner, and directed by Joel Schumacher (his feature filmmaking debut), this was admittedly never quite as funny as this viewer would have liked, but it was still hard to dislike. It does work towards a priceless, farcical finale. The special effects are quite amusing throughout, and those color schemes in Pats' house are offbeat, to put it one way.
Reasonably entertaining, overall.
Six out of 10.
Partly a spoof of the classic Richard Matheson story "The Incredible Shrinking Man", this wacky 1980s fantasy functions mainly as a satire of rampant consumerism. As such, it's far from being subtle, and is a little hard to stick with at first due to it being so chaotic. But Tomlin, never more appealing, is the glue to hold it all together. She's terrific; her other roles are neighborhood busybody Judith Beasley and her classic telephone operator character. Grodin is in fine form, and Beatty is a hoot. The villains are played by the likes of Henry Gibson, Elizabeth Wilson, and John Glover, and they're all good. Shelby Balik and Justin Dana are cute as Pats' kids. But the man who deserves a special shout-out is makeup effects ace and multiple Oscar winner Rick Baker, who hilariously, endearingly plays a gorilla named Sidney.
Written by Jane Wagner, and directed by Joel Schumacher (his feature filmmaking debut), this was admittedly never quite as funny as this viewer would have liked, but it was still hard to dislike. It does work towards a priceless, farcical finale. The special effects are quite amusing throughout, and those color schemes in Pats' house are offbeat, to put it one way.
Reasonably entertaining, overall.
Six out of 10.
The incredible shrinking comedy...
JasparLamarCrabb2 July 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Stunning in its dullness considering the talents behind it. Joel Schumacher directed this empty headed and far too late goof on 50s sci-fi films. Lily Tomlin, very funny in the film's first half, is left out to dry in the film's second half. Once she's shrunk, the film itself folds in on itself...it's lifeless, tiresome and very badly photographed (everything has a haze around it). Tomlin is not well served by Charles Grodin as her husband...he's wasted. Henry Gibson plays a scientist, but there's nothing remotely funny about him or his character...it's a real waste. A real misfire written by Tomlin collaborator Jane Wagner (who clearly improved her talents with THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE...)
Loved this Lily Tomlin movie from the 80's when I was a kid.
Aaron137521 January 2011
If I were still a child I would perhaps give it a higher score, but from what I remember it did get a bit lame at times and the effects while good for a kid would not stand up as well now. Still, it was a funny movie about a woman whose husband is like with an ad office or with a company that makes a lot of different products. Whatever he was, his job made it so his wife came into contact with a lot of different products which in turn causes her to start to become smaller and smaller. At first there are just a few subtle signs like her appearance at a window, but soon it becomes very apparent. While she gets shorter and shorter she gains the attention of a rather dangerous person and ends up imprisoned. The film for the most part is funny, kind of strange turns here and there such as the monkey, but hey it was never meant to be a serious film. It does though get a bit to dark in the end for the type of movie it was up until that point. Still, Lily Tomlin is great in the lead role as the shrinking woman and Charles Grodin does an admirable job as the father, though it is a role he can do in his sleep.
Lily Tomlin is much more appealing playing funny modern women than kooky characters in disguise...
moonspinner5528 September 2005
A good idea that doesn't work: a sassy, sweetly-zonked wife and mother discovers to her surprise that all the household and sundry chemicals her advertising-executive husband brings home are making her shrink. Actually, this gloppy-looking comedy does manage to get off on the right foot, with playful and funny glimpses into Tomlin's home-life, but once she shrinks and crosses paths with ready-set villains (not to mention talk show host Mike Douglas...who sings!!), the movie frays and falls apart. It's badly photographed (one of the worst-looking movies of the 1980s--what were they thinking when they watched the dailies?) and allows star Tomlin too much room to stretch her comedic chops (playing kooky characters incognito, Lily is much friendlier and funnier just playing a quirky modern woman). A disappointment for Tomlin's fans, especially since the biggest laugh in the picture is delivered by a gorilla flipping the bird. ** from ****
Fun!
GOWBTW26 April 2008
Lily Tomlin is known for her acerbic wit, her sharp tone, and her sense of style for all these years. Ever since "Rowan and Martin's Laugh In", most of her characters come to life in this movie. In "The Incredible Shrinking Woman", she plays Pat Kramer, a housewife who started to shrink, at a alarming rate. I don't mean about her weight, I mean about herself. She has been commonly exposed to all the chemicals around her house. Even small, she can make it all around her surroundings. When she got caught and put inside a lab, she meets a new friend, a big gorilla1 The minute she escapes the lab, the bad guys go after her and the ape. It was funny when the gorilla gives the bad guys the finger after they say, "FREEZE!!" The more she shrank, the news get grim. When she shrank away, it was sad. However, when she came back, they indeed got a new pet, and it's not a dog nor a cat. Then a new problem occurs, I don't think she's worried. A fun movie, lots of gags, and it was a great start for "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" later in the years. 3 out of 5 stars!
Fails to be funny
weller792 April 2018
I had some expectations about this movie, but ultimately I regret the 1/half hour I spent seeing this mess. This film is just a one-woman-show with Tomlin in three roles (two of them completely pointless), but the jokes are at best worth of some cheap sitcom and the movie fails almost each attempt to be funny. Grodin is super-lazy and the introduction of a man in a gorilla suit in the second part of the movie cannot revive a predictable, banal plot with a moral not more complex nor subtle than a Saturday morning cartoon. The few PROs (some nice F/Xs, an authentic 1980s flavour and an excellent Ned Beatty in a thankless role) are not enough to save the movie.
Fond Memories
view_and_review29 June 2019
It has been decades since I've seen The Incredible Shrinking Woman but I have the fondest memories of the movie. It was so fascinating to me to see Lily Tomlin shrinking day by day while still trying to be a mother and a wife. It was both funny and sad to me as a kid.
Schumacker's criticism over american consumerism!!!
elo-equipamentos14 March 2018
The director Joel Schumacker made a fine movie criticism over the american consumerism on style comedy of the 80', in that time Lily Tomlin was a great name is this field and made a fantastic three roles, but somehow the picture is a bit dated now, nevertheless has good moments, jus a few a mix of comedy, sci-fi and family movie., Charles Grodin is the same patetic guy and Ned Beatty in best performance as always as the bad guy, 80' cheesy, but never disposable!
Resume:
First watch: 1987 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD-R / Rating: 6.25
Resume:
First watch: 1987 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD-R / Rating: 6.25
more annoying than funny
SnoopyStyle26 September 2018
Pat Kramer (Lily Tomlin) lives in the suburbs of Tasty Meadows, California. She's a suburban housewife with two bratty kids. Her husband Vance (Charles Grodin) is an advertising executive and Dan Beame (Ned Beatty) is his boss. Her maid is Concepcion. Her neighbor Judith Beasley (Lily Tomlin) is a cosmetics saleslady. She faces a barrage of chemicals and consumer products including an experimental glue from her husband's work. Her doctor discovers that she is slowly shrinking. A dark mysterious organization wants her blood for a shrinking serum to shrink masses of people.
This is a satire and a dark comedy. Problem is that it annoyed me much more than it humored me. The kids are annoying. Every character is annoying in some ways. The in-your-face style is annoying. The production is annoying. That puke pink is annoying. The only appealing aspect is the split screen, the enlarged sets, and the forced perspective. The simple visual of a tiny Lily Tomlin in the everyday world is fun. It pushes a dark worthwhile narrative on modern consumerism. It would work better if the first part is more real and less in-your-face. The movie can build to the surreal later on as she shrinks and they throw in a gorilla. The start is too off-putting and it gets too silly.
This is a satire and a dark comedy. Problem is that it annoyed me much more than it humored me. The kids are annoying. Every character is annoying in some ways. The in-your-face style is annoying. The production is annoying. That puke pink is annoying. The only appealing aspect is the split screen, the enlarged sets, and the forced perspective. The simple visual of a tiny Lily Tomlin in the everyday world is fun. It pushes a dark worthwhile narrative on modern consumerism. It would work better if the first part is more real and less in-your-face. The movie can build to the surreal later on as she shrinks and they throw in a gorilla. The start is too off-putting and it gets too silly.
Down memory lane!
ati2d30 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is pure family fun. I remember watching it when I was very little and look forward to watching it again with my daughter. Very cute and would suggest it to anyone who enjoys a good old 80's flick. I can personally say that these days we need more films like this. Nothing is too inappropriate for children, and it's guaranteed to make you laugh! This is one you will never forget! Lily Tomlin is great in this movie. I personally think she is one of the masters of comedy, and own several of movies she is in. One of my favorite parts in the movie is when she is in the doll house. I can remember when I used to play with dolls and wanting to live inside of their home. This was too funny and cute! I just know my daughter will love it and if you have kids..I am sure they will love it too!
Pretty freakin lame
markmywords8531 March 2005
I recently had to watch this film for a "mass media/culture" class in college, and I have to say it was pretty bad. While Schumacher is not one of my favorite directors, I did not expect the trite, preachy piece of crap which this movie turned out to be. Tomlin, Grodin, and Beatty do their best to follow a god-awful script, which beats you over the head with insanely liberal thinking (AND I'M A LIBERAL!). Basically, the film says CONSUMERISM=BAD while pandering to a consumer market. Any film with such a simplistic plot (SHRINK THE WORLD'S POPULATION?!) and dumb comedy has no right to be preachy. C'mon people, a monkey? While the first half hour or so was amusing and pretty right-on satire for the early 80s consumer mindset, the film got too bogged down in its own pretentiousness and quickly fell apart.
What really bugged me, and many others in the class (including the professor) was the horrifically stereotyped maid, Concepcion. With her slutty Latina ways, ignorance of English, and simpering Mexican friends, I was surprised Hispanic rights groups were not up in arms. I thought it was akin to the loyal, watermelon-eating, "Yessuh yessuh" black servants of movies through the 1950s. It was truly as offensive as those horrific depictions and even more out of place in a movie with such liberal, high-minded subject matter.
All I can say is the actors try, they really really do. And for about half an hour, the film succeeds. Then tanks miserably. Do yourself a favor and watch something intelligent and funny with a similar theme instead of this garbage. I would suggest Terry Gilliam's Brazil.
What really bugged me, and many others in the class (including the professor) was the horrifically stereotyped maid, Concepcion. With her slutty Latina ways, ignorance of English, and simpering Mexican friends, I was surprised Hispanic rights groups were not up in arms. I thought it was akin to the loyal, watermelon-eating, "Yessuh yessuh" black servants of movies through the 1950s. It was truly as offensive as those horrific depictions and even more out of place in a movie with such liberal, high-minded subject matter.
All I can say is the actors try, they really really do. And for about half an hour, the film succeeds. Then tanks miserably. Do yourself a favor and watch something intelligent and funny with a similar theme instead of this garbage. I would suggest Terry Gilliam's Brazil.
The horror, the horror!
czolgolz18 November 2004
Okay, my students laughed at me when I admitted this, but this film scared the living hell out of me! Granted, I was only five when I saw it, but that scene where Tomlin falls down the garbage disposal and the housekeeper can't hear her screams because she's listening to loud music...I ran out of the theater when that happened! Looking back, the plot was rather hokey and they relied too much on Tomlin's star power. Still, the special effects were okay for the time. The commentary of our consumerist society didn't work as well. It may be worth a watch on cable, but to this day I can't even watch 9 to 5 without whimpering. 'Galaxy Glue, Galaxy Glue, what would we do without Galaxy Glue?'
Ambitious
MrDeWinter22 September 2021
Lily is truly a rose!
mark.waltz25 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The presence of the hysterically funny Lily Tomlin holds together this comic spoof of the 1957 sci-fi classic "The Incredible Shrinking Man", utilizing a stereotypical stay-at-home sitcom mom to be the victim of some chemically induced poison that makes her shrink away. Lily plays her extremely passive character with such gentility that you know she's fighting inside to not scream, but with the presence of Lily as her more aggressive Judith Beasley character (and a brief appearance by the hysterically obnoxious Ernestine), Tomlin gets to unleash her inner strength that would never have her staying at home baking cookies and doing her kid's laundry on a daily basis. She's married to Charles Grodin who works for the local product factory that puts out products like canned cheese in an aerosol bottle. There's more questions than answers here, especially since it is obvious that she gets a dosage of the chemical that shrinks her while in the car with her children, and especially why as she shrinks nobody thinks to fire the stereotypically lazy Spanish maid (Maria Smith) who watches her novellas while Tomlin seems to do all the chores.
If this succeeds in any ways, it is through the calm manner that Tomlin holds in her frustrations as she shrinks to the size of a dollhouse, is held captive in an underground compound, and finds support in both a friendly gorilla and the stereotypical dumb assistant who can either help her prove how this organization wants to shrink the bulk of the world or report her and save himself at the expense of civilization. It is also a commentary on the number of artificial products America became used to in order to save time for the busy housewife or career woman, and a warning of how industry can end up controlling our lives if we don't watch it. There are some very funny scenes of how Tomlin deals with her shrinking size, being attacked in her children's closet of now very large toys, especially a urinating doll that has more water pressure for her than any shower could ever hope to. At times, it seems like it is also trying to be too much of a commercial for products that helped sponsor the movie, although the scene of the babbity neighbors yelling commercial slogans at her as she drives down the cul-de-sac is very funny. The conclusion indicated that there might have been plans for a sequel, but that unfortunately never occured.
If this succeeds in any ways, it is through the calm manner that Tomlin holds in her frustrations as she shrinks to the size of a dollhouse, is held captive in an underground compound, and finds support in both a friendly gorilla and the stereotypical dumb assistant who can either help her prove how this organization wants to shrink the bulk of the world or report her and save himself at the expense of civilization. It is also a commentary on the number of artificial products America became used to in order to save time for the busy housewife or career woman, and a warning of how industry can end up controlling our lives if we don't watch it. There are some very funny scenes of how Tomlin deals with her shrinking size, being attacked in her children's closet of now very large toys, especially a urinating doll that has more water pressure for her than any shower could ever hope to. At times, it seems like it is also trying to be too much of a commercial for products that helped sponsor the movie, although the scene of the babbity neighbors yelling commercial slogans at her as she drives down the cul-de-sac is very funny. The conclusion indicated that there might have been plans for a sequel, but that unfortunately never occured.
Cute but no real laughs
teamcaryl27 August 2021
I'm taking my Mom to show and tell.....
FlashCallahan10 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
After being exposed to a bizarre mixture of household chemicals, Pat Kramer begins to shrink.
This baffles scientists, makes parenting difficult, warms the hearts of Americans, and captures the attention of a group of people who want to take over the world.
This evil group plots to kidnap Pat and perform experiments on her so that they can eventually shrink everyone.
First thing first, this is supposed to be a comedy, but I didn't laugh once in its entirety. I only want to see it becasue it was the first film directed by Schumacher, and as we all know, his films can be very hit and miss. Falling Down is an amazing film, and you've seen his Batman films, which I strangely enjoy.
This film has oddity written all over it. Tomlinson gets progressively smaller as the film goes on. Is it a metaphor for housewives not being listened to? Is it a message regarding animal cruelty? Or is it just telling people that even the smallest person can be famous, no matter what?
I just don't know really, but it's fun to see Tomlinson stand next to oversized objects for the duration of the film, and see Charles Grodin becoming more and more concerned and perplexed.
It's no surprise that this film ironically vanished without a trace, but if you ever find out that it's on TV, watch it, and try to figure out what it's all about.
This baffles scientists, makes parenting difficult, warms the hearts of Americans, and captures the attention of a group of people who want to take over the world.
This evil group plots to kidnap Pat and perform experiments on her so that they can eventually shrink everyone.
First thing first, this is supposed to be a comedy, but I didn't laugh once in its entirety. I only want to see it becasue it was the first film directed by Schumacher, and as we all know, his films can be very hit and miss. Falling Down is an amazing film, and you've seen his Batman films, which I strangely enjoy.
This film has oddity written all over it. Tomlinson gets progressively smaller as the film goes on. Is it a metaphor for housewives not being listened to? Is it a message regarding animal cruelty? Or is it just telling people that even the smallest person can be famous, no matter what?
I just don't know really, but it's fun to see Tomlinson stand next to oversized objects for the duration of the film, and see Charles Grodin becoming more and more concerned and perplexed.
It's no surprise that this film ironically vanished without a trace, but if you ever find out that it's on TV, watch it, and try to figure out what it's all about.
I loved this movie!
sarahchew12124 November 2005
Granted, when I last watched this movie, I was probably no more than 10 years old, but it has stuck with me and I would love to see it again! Though others may think the graphics and effects were lame, I look at it this way: it was the 80's...all movies that have effects and such look lame now that we've gone digital and become more technologically advanced. To me, the premise and the antics are what carries this movie in a way that it's a must have in any comedy fan's video library. The physical comedy that stems from Lily Tomlin's vertically challenging situation is pure fun. C'mon, how could the antics from shrinking at a rapid pace NOT be funny?!?!? Now, just have to find it so my daughters can share in the experience...
Absolutely wild and wacky fantasy that you will surely enjoy
Catherine_Grace_Zeh17 November 2006
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN, in my opinion, is an absolutely wild and wacky fantasy that you will surely enjoy. If you ask me, the disposal was the scariest obstacle that Pat (Lily Tomlin) encountered. Don't get me wrong, but I thought that it was funny when she shrunk. Some of the obstacles she encountered were funny, too. Only some of them were a little gross. There is just one things that puzzles me. That one thing is how household chemicals could shrink someone. In conclusion, if you like Lily Tomlin or hilarious fantasies, I highly recommend this absolutely wild and wacky fantasy that you will surely enjoy. You're in for a wild ride if you haven't seen it, so hold on tight!
I thought it was good
stephencassidy24 June 2001
Maybe its because I remember seeing this movie on TV so often when I was younger that I still think its hilarious. Its not the best comedy, but some scenes are really funny in a cheesy, early '80s sort of way. Lily Tomlins smile could brighten up any film, and this was directed by Joel Schumacher. I never could figure out why the cinematography in some scenes is so soft, and he actually employs some of the same visuals he would use in later movies. I like how her entire neighborhood seems to be living in a commercial ("Pat, its BoatSheen!") and I think her narration is particularly funny. Give it a chance, don't expect much, and enjoy it for the character actors in bit parts.
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