MovieMonday.com - The Incredible Shrinking Woman with Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, Henry Gibson, Elizabeth Wilson, Mark Blankfield

Techno Films

The Incredible Shrinking Woman (C-)

STARS...
Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, Henry Gibson, Elizabeth Wilson, and Mark Blankfield.

PLOT SUMMARY...
A woman, exposed to a new detergent, begins to shrink.

QUICK SCAN...
This film could be compared to "The Incredible Shrinking Man". The usually hilarious Lily Tomlin seems subdued and out of place, as the height challenged housewife. Charles Grodin is grim in the role of Tomlin's husband. The film's FX, involving the tiny Tomlin and jumbo people, animals, and props, are okay. The Music is upbeat, if hollow.

DIRECTOR: Joel Schumacher
YEAR & RATING: 1981 (PG)

BEST BETS:

Honey-I Shrunk the Kids
The Incredible Shrinking Man

SYNOPSIS...
A woman's husband spills some perfume on her. When she uses a new detergent on the stain, she begins to shrink, literally.

The woman's ongoing decrease in size brings her great fame. She is interviewed on the Mike Douglas Show. The woman ends up in the lab of scientists who intend to use the shrinking power to take over the world.

The woman escapes from the lab, with the help of a friendly ape. After shrinking down to nothing, the woman returns to normal size,and then begins to grow even larger than before.

Review:

Director Joel Schumacher's, THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN, is a lame, so called Sci-Fi comedy.

Lily Tomlin ("All of Me") is a happy wife who lives in the 'burbs' with her husband and children. When perfume is spilled on her dress, and she uses a new detergent to remove the stain out, she begins to shrink in size.

As Tomlin gets smaller and smaller, her fame grows. Her new celebrity status lands her a guest spot on the Mike Douglas Show, but does not bring her happiness.

Tomlin seems out of place as the shrinking housewife. Although she does play several characters, under Schumacher's flaccid Direction Tomlin lacks her usual energy and animation.

Charles Grodin ("Midnight Run") is grim in the role of Tomlin's husband. Grodin, who has built his reputation on low key humor, isn't funny here, merely glum.

Production Designer, Raymond A. Brandt, has come up with a candy apple color scheme, for the film's interiors and exteriors, that's supposed to be bright and fun. As lensed by Director of Photography, Bruce Logan, however, the visual result is merely depressing.

The Music, by Suzanne Ciani, tries hard to be upbeat. While a good effort, the overall effect is pretty much like the band playing as the Titanic sank.

I had no favorite scene.

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN will be slightly watchable for some Sci-Fi viewers. Tomlin fans may be disappointed by her restrained performance. THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN is incredibly weak Sci-Fi entertainment.

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The Incredible Shrinking Woman (C-)
	STARS... Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, Henry Gibson, Elizabeth Wilson, and Mark Blankfield. PLOT SUMMARY... A woman, exposed to a new detergent, begins to shrink. QUICK SCAN... This film could be compared to "The Incredible Shrinking Man". The usually hilarious Lily Tomlin seems subdued and out of place, as the height challenged housewife. Charles Grodin is grim in the role of Tomlin's husband. The film's FX, involving the tiny Tomlin and jumbo people, animals, and props, are okay. The Music is upbeat, if hollow.
DIRECTOR: Joel Schumacher YEAR & RATING: 1981 (PG) BEST BETS: Honey-I Shrunk the Kids The Incredible Shrinking Man	SYNOPSIS... A woman's husband spills some perfume on her. When she uses a new detergent on the stain, she begins to shrink, literally. The woman's ongoing decrease in size brings her great fame. She is interviewed on the Mike Douglas Show. The woman ends up in the lab of scientists who intend to use the shrinking power to take over the world. The woman escapes from the lab, with the help of a friendly ape. After shrinking down to nothing, the woman returns to normal size,and then begins to grow even larger than before.
Review: Director Joel Schumacher's, THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN, is a lame, so called Sci-Fi comedy. Lily Tomlin ("All of Me") is a happy wife who lives in the 'burbs' with her husband and children. When perfume is spilled on her dress, and she uses a new detergent to remove the stain out, she begins to shrink in size. As Tomlin gets smaller and smaller, her fame grows. Her new celebrity status lands her a guest spot on the Mike Douglas Show, but does not bring her happiness. Tomlin seems out of place as the shrinking housewife. Although she does play several characters, under Schumacher's flaccid Direction Tomlin lacks her usual energy and animation. Charles Grodin ("Midnight Run") is grim in the role of Tomlin's husband. Grodin, who has built his reputation on low key humor, isn't funny here, merely glum. Production Designer, Raymond A. Brandt, has come up with a candy apple color scheme, for the film's interiors and exteriors, that's supposed to be bright and fun. As lensed by Director of Photography, Bruce Logan, however, the visual result is merely depressing. The Music, by Suzanne Ciani, tries hard to be upbeat. While a good effort, the overall effect is pretty much like the band playing as the Titanic sank. I had no favorite scene. THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN will be slightly watchable for some Sci-Fi viewers. Tomlin fans may be disappointed by her restrained performance. THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN is incredibly weak Sci-Fi entertainment. MovieMonday.com * Super Star Index * Award Winners * CelebrityFrame.com