Hello, My Name Is Doris is a charming and funny film from Wet Hot American Summer Writer Michael Showalter. It doesn’t appear to have high aspirations, but is fully enjoyable thanks to a stand-out performance from Sally Field.
Field stars as the title character, Doris. An awkward woman in her 60s living on Staten Island, her world is shattered when her mother dies. They were both hoarders, a habit her brother Todd (Stephen Root) and his wife (Wendi McCleney-Covey) hopes to kill. But Doris can’t imagine getting rid of such cherished memories.
Meanwhile, a new man comes into Doris’ life. John (Max Greenfield) now works at her office and, despite a three-decade age gap, she begins fantasizing about a relationship with him. This pushes her to go in new directions, exploring music she’s never heard before and wearing new clothes. She even creates a fake Facebook page to stalk him. Of course, Max sees their relationship as just something friendly, but Doris is hoping for more.
It sounds a bit absurd to see a movie about an older woman chasing after a man, but Doris is no Mrs. Robinson. She oogles John from afar and when she’s finally ready to make her intentions obvious, it’s devastating when it doesn’t turn out as she hoped.
What makes the film work is Sally Field’s performance as Doris. The whole movie revolves around her, of course and Showalter has to figure out how to make her look desperate without making fun of the character. We’re not supposed to laugh at Doris, but with her. Showalter struggles with this at the beginning, but once Field gets to handle the more emotional material, it’s clear that we are inside the character, not outside and judging her.
Doris’ world is also well-defined. There aren’t too many characters here, so each one of them brings a set of strengths to the table. Olympia Dukakis is a bit cartoonish, but funny as Sally’s best friend. Greenfield, who we are used to seeing as Schmidt on New Girl, gets to show off a bit of his dramatic chops. There’s also Beth Behrs of 2 Broke Girls as Brooklyn, John’s girlfriend, and Orange is the New Black’s Natasha Lyonne as one of Doris’ co-workers.
Hello, My Name Is Doris is a bit too light to be some kind of serious awards contender, but it’s not something Field made for another late-career nomination. She’s in her element, and the gulf between comedy and drama here isn’t too extreme. Showalter, who based the screenplay on a short film by Laura Terruso, has a clear admiration for his star and not only uses her for the best, but provides her with a wonderfully challenging role.
image of ‘Hello, My Name is Doris’ crew at SXSW by Daniel S Levine