Hello, My Name Is Doris

Hello, My Name is Doris (2015)

*** (out of 4)

Sally Field shines playing Doris, a 60-something woman who hears a motivational speaker and soon builds up the courage to go after her much younger co-worker (Max Greenfield).

HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS isn't a masterpiece but it was obviously intended to be a showcase for Field. Lets face it, the sad reality is that most great actresses can't get great roles after they reach a certain age, which is a real shame because film buffs are always robbed of seeing great performances. Field proves why she's an Oscar-winning actress with a wonderful performance in a film she pretty much carries on her own.

The film's comedy lies with Field having to act hip to things like Facebook and different sorts of music. There are some very funny moments throughout the picture but there's no question that the main draw is watching Field perform her magic. She really brings this character to life and there's no question that it's not just a one note job. She has to play different layers with this character including a couple dramatic moments that come out of no where yet the actress nails it.

Greenfield is also extremely good in his part and really brings a warmth to his character that perfectly blends with Field. The two share a terrific chemistry and certainly carry the film. HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS isn't ground-breaking in any way, shape or form but it's an entertaining little gem that shows Field hasn't lost a beat.

Doris Miller (Sally Field) has cared for her mother until her recent death. Her brother Todd (Stephen Root) and his wife Cynthia (Wendi McLendon-Covey) want her to clean out and sell her Staten Island house. Dr. Edwards (Elizabeth Reaser) is treating her hording. She falls for the much younger new co-worker John Fremont (Max Greenfield). Her best friend Roz (Tyne Daly) takes care of granddaughter Vivian (Isabella Acres) who helps Doris set up a fake Facebook profile to friend John. This leads Doris to John's favorite band as they get close. Then she discovers he has girlfriend Brooklyn Henderson (Beth Behrs).

This is a quirky indie with an unusual point of view. The light fun tone is odd at first with the premise. I kept thinking of an odd geezer hound dogging a young girl. It wouldn't work as a light comedy. However, Sally Field makes this infinitely better. She oozes charm and is full of fun. It takes a powerful sadder side trip with her hording. There are quirky turns that don't completely work for me but Sally Field is undeniable here. She is the shining star that energizes this movie.

I want to write a fair, balanced, impartial and pertinent review of this film... but it's difficult.

The problem is... it's near perfect. It is clever and inventive in it's conception, beautifully constructed and crafted in it's form, musically enchanting... and importantly... not infested with formulaic Hollywood nonsense.

The actors do everything that is expected of them, (and more in the cases of Sally Field and Tyne Daily), there is zero CGI... and the swearing is limited (and confined) to the sort of swearing real people engage in. Healthy, gutsy, robust 'effing' and blinding. Also... no swords, elves, planets or vampires intrude on the fun.

We all have our own preferences when it comes to entertainment I like my music intricate and embracing, I like my novels to be difficult to define... and I like my films to be addictive... (at least for the duration of the film). I like to know I will definitely watch it again...and that I will laugh and care the same way I did the first time around.

A truly pleasing film. I'm in my sixties too... Sally Field is 'effing' gorgeous.

This film tells the story of a older woman, who falls for a handsome and charming young man in the office. She tries to develop a relationship with him, but things are not as easy as it seems.

The story of "Hello, My Name is Doris" is really sweet. I think it is great that a romantic comedy portrays a woman that is older, tapping into a market and into hearts that have largely been neglected. Doris is lovable, happy and full of energy. John, the handsome colleague, is very charming both within and without. It is easy to see how ladies fall for him. The story is funny in a good and positive way, without being offensive or gross. It is refreshing to see a romantic comedy to rely on the charming personalities of the two leads, without having resort to low level humour. The ending makes me gasp, as it seems rather open ended! I enjoyed watching it, and I will recommend others to watch it too.

Need a feel good movie? This little sentimental but funny and ultimately emotionally satisfying film is the work of Laura Terruso (form her previous short film 'Doris & The Intern') and Michael Showalter who also directs. The story at times becomes exasperating because of the failure of the main character to step out of her old backward ways in dress and behavior and join the contemporary times, but it also s a reminder of how aging people define their world and their entrapment in it.

Doris (Sally Field) is a 60-something woman who passed up an engagement early in life to remain with her mother on Staten Island. At the opening of the film we witness the funeral of the deceased mother with the emotionally impaired Doris struggling with her brother (Stephen Root) and sister in law (Wendy McLendon-Covey) over who should get the full of junk and memories house in which Doris lives and commutes by Ferry to Manhattan every day where she works in a small tacky cubicle. Doris meets John (Max Greenfield) on the elevator and immediately feels electricity despite the fact that the very young John is not in her range of relationships. Through a series of discussions with Doris' best friend Roz (Tyne Daly) and daughter Vivian (Isabella Acres) as well as a meeting with a self-help guru (Peter Gallagher) Doris attempts to court John, even to the extent of attending a punk rock party and other failed attempts and finally has to face the fact that john is only a friend (despite many hilarious fantasies of possible love affairs).

Sally Fields is consistently terrific though her grossly absurd costumes grow tiresome and make us realize how futile is her true attempt to woo John. The film does focus on aging people and their problems assimilating with the young millennials and in the midst of this is a solid core of respect for the need of the lonely partnerless person. It just goes on a bit long. Grady Harp, June 16