{"id":29588,"date":"2013-02-06T11:56:50","date_gmt":"2013-02-06T18:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29588"},"modified":"2020-12-21T12:53:58","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T19:53:58","slug":"incredible-shrinking-woman-the-1981","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29588","title":{"rendered":"Incredible Shrinking Woman, The (1981)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;To my family, I&#8217;d become a doll &#8212; and to our dog, a chew-stick.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Poster-191x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"191\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-29592\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Poster-191x300.jpg 191w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Poster-81x128.jpg 81w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Poster.jpg 481w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAfter exposure to a multitude of household chemicals, a housewife (Lily Tomlin) begins shrinking, much to the horror of her husband (Charles Grodin) and two kids (Shelby Balik and Justin Dana). Meanwhile, her husband&#8217;s boss (Ned Beatty) conspires with her doctors (Henry Gibson and Elizabeth Wilson) and the leaders (Tom Keller, Jim McMullan, and Pamela Bellwood) of a secret organization to capture Tomlin and use her blood as part of a plan for world domination.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Fantasy<\/li>\n<li>Lily Tomlin Films<\/li>\n<li>Living Nightmare<\/li>\n<li>Ned Beatty Films<\/li>\n<li>Science Fiction<\/li>\n<li>World Domination<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nJoel Schumacher made his directorial debut helming this reasonably entertaining &#8212; though clearly inferior &#8212; comedic follow-up to the 1957 sci-fi classic <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=16204\"><em>The Incredible Shrinking Man<\/em> (1957)<\/a> (based on <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Shrinking_Man\">Richard Matheson&#8217;s novel <em>The Shrinking Man<\/em><\/a>). In this modernized version of Matheson&#8217;s story (scripted by Tomlin&#8217;s long-time collaborator and parter, Jane Wagner), the protagonist is a woman instead of a man, and the proposed culprit for her situation &#8212; a deluge of household chemicals:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Contaminants.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Contaminants.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"688\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29599\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Contaminants.png 688w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Contaminants-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Contaminants-300x167.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 688px) 100vw, 688px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p> &#8212; plays upon newfound societal fears about <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Contaminants.png\">environmental contaminants<\/a>. Unfortunately, Tomlin is a bit too bland in the title role as a happily married housewife faced with the ultimate nightmare:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Tomlin1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Tomlin1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"688\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29593\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Tomlin1.png 688w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Tomlin1-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Tomlin1-300x167.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 688px) 100vw, 688px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>(though she has fun in a secondary role playing a helpful neighbor named Judith Beasley), and the screenplay misses out on ripe opportunities for more incisive social commentary &#8212; either about the contested role of housewives in a male-dominated society, or the escalating presence of unknown chemicals in our everyday lives. Sadly, the film eventually devolves into a silly world-domination subplot involving &#8212; sigh &#8212; a captive humanoid gorilla (famed makeup artist Rick Baker in a suit), rather than allowing Tomlin&#8217;s character to sink ever further into the horrors of increasing diminution (as is handled so effectively in the original film). However, while <em>The Incredible Shrinking Woman<\/em> is certainly no classic, the special effects are nicely handled, and it&#8217;s enjoyably loopy enough to merit a look by curious film fanatics. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lily Tomlin as Judith Beasley<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Tomlin2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Tomlin2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"688\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Tomlin2.png 688w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Tomlin2-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Tomlin2-300x167.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 688px) 100vw, 688px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Impressive special effects and sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Effects1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Effects1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"688\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29590\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Effects1.png 688w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Effects1-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Effects1-300x167.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 688px) 100vw, 688px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Effects2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Effects2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"688\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-29591\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Effects2.png 688w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Effects2-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Incredible-Shrinking-Woman-Effects2-300x167.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 688px) 100vw, 688px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though film fanatics may be curious to check it out given its connection to Jack Arnold&#8217;s 1957 classic (and Matheson&#8217;s novel). <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0082558\/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1981\/01\/30\/movies\/lily-tomlin-shrinking-woman.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/the-incredible-shrinking-woman-1981\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/sciencefiction\/incredible-shrinking-woman-1981.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/the-incredible-shrinking-woman\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;To my family, I&#8217;d become a doll &#8212; and to our dog, a chew-stick.&#8221; Synopsis: After exposure to a multitude of household chemicals, a housewife (Lily Tomlin) begins shrinking, much to the horror of her husband (Charles Grodin) and two kids (Shelby Balik and Justin Dana). Meanwhile, her husband&#8217;s boss (Ned Beatty) conspires with her doctors (Henry Gibson and Elizabeth Wilson) and the leaders (Tom Keller, Jim McMullan, and Pamela Bellwood) of a secret organization to capture Tomlin and use&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=29588\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29588"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58803,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29588\/revisions\/58803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}