Reviewed by Allie Schembra
Two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner Sally Field (Norma Rae, 1979;Places in the Heart, 1984) leads an all-star ensemble cast in the hysterical late-life coming-of-age-story Hello My Name is Doris. Field stars as Doris, a quirky sixty-something woman who takes a chance on love with a (much) younger co-worker. “Certified Fresh” by critics on Rotten Tomatoes and recipient of the Audience Award Winner at SXSW Film Festival, the charming comedy also stars Max Greenfield (“New Girl”), Beth Behrs (“2 Broke Girls”), Wendi McLendon-Covey (“The Goldbergs”), Stephen Root (Office Space), Elizabeth Reaser (Twilight franchise), with Natasha Lyonne (“Orange is the New Black”), Tyne Daly (“Cagney & Lacey”) and musician Jack Antonoff. After a lifetime of being overlooked and ignored, Doris (Sally Field) finds her world turned upside down by a handsome new coworker (Max Greenfield) and a self-help guru that inspires her to take a chance on love. Hello, My Name Is Doris is a witty and compassionate late-life coming-of-age story that will make you cheer and want to say, "I'm Possible!"
Film (4 out of 5 stars)
In Hello, My Name is Doris, Sally Field is at her best, portraying Doris, a lonely woman, who lives with her mother and is on the brink of becoming a harder. Doris works as an accountant and after her mother dies, Doris is left alone in her house and worried about becoming a “crazy cat lady.” Her only friend, Roz, her brother, and her sister-in-law are concerned about the hoarding and her brother sends her to a therapist who specializes in hoarding, but Doris resists the offers of help.
As Doris muddles through life, a handsome young man, John, starts working at her office and she quickly develops a crush on him. Doris’ imagination runs away with her and she finds herself in awkward predicaments when her day dreams affect her interaction with her coworkers. Doris’ crush on John continues to grow and Doris does everything she can to find things in common with him, including pretending to like his favorite band. Doris bumps into John at the concert and somehow the two of them manage to find themselves invited backstage, where Doris’ life begins changing and she starts living the life she always wanted… one with friends and invitations to parties and fun.
With Doris’ life changing, her relationship with Roz changes as well. Roz’s granddaughter encourages Doris and Doris is also encouraged by a Tony Robbins-type life coach who tells her she’s possible. That she can do whatever she sets her mind to and wants. This gives Doris the courage to tell John that she has feelings for him, but after he rejects her, she retaliates by anonymously posting on his Facebook page and breaking up him and his girlfriend. As a result, Doris takes her life into her own hands and calls the therapist, starts decluttering her home, quits her job and starts a new life. Because of her adventures, Doris has gained the confidence to live the life she always wanted and take control of her future.
Hello, My name is Doris is sweet, heartwarming and funny. Sally Field is so great as the quirky Doris. I can’t imagine any other actress in the role. She really brought Doris to life and made her so relatable. Tyne Daly is hilarious as Roz, Doris’ best friend. They have such a great relationship and call each other out on everything. But then things go bad, no matter what, Roz is there for Doris. The story itself was so sweet and innocent. I really felt for Doris and I am really happy that the movie ended the way that it did because while I was watching, I kept expecting everything to go completely wrong and while it did, it wasn’t super sad and depressing. It was funny, light-hearted and really entertaining.
Video (4 out of 5 stars)
The 1080p High Definition presentation of Hello, My Name is Doris is really good. The picture is clear and smooth and the colors are bold and bright. Doris wears a lot of “interesting” clothing that is bright and definitely out of style. The color palette works perfectly with the clothing and the background images.
Audio (3 1/2 out of 5 stars)
Hell, My Name is Doris is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is pretty good. The dialogue was clear and concise and there were no volume issues. Audio is also available in French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, and Spanish Dolby Digital. Subtitles in English, English SDH, French and Spanish are also available if needed.
Extras (1 1/2 out of 5 stars)
Where the story, the video and the audio all worked well, the special features were a bit lacking. I had hoped for a bit more and was disappointed when there wasn’t.
- Director commentary with Michael Showalter
- Deleted and extended scenes (25:05) -- 16 deleted and extended scenes from throughout the movie. Available individually or as a play all.
Hello, My Name is Doris is a really good movie. It’s funny and heart-warming and I enjoyed the story. I’ve already recommended it to another person and I know there will be many additional viewings. Hello, My Name is Doris has the potential to become a classic Sally Field movie.
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