Hello, My Name is Doris

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Michael Showalter/Starring: Sally Field, Tyne Daly, Max Greenfield, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Reaser, Stephen Root, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Peter Gallagher

Sally Field is an infrequent sight on movie screens these days but when she does appear, she is memorable. She acquitted herself very well in Spielberg's Lincoln and has again in the recent Hello, My Name is Doris; director Michael Showalter's new comedy. Field is an old hat at comedy; having honed her talent on T.V. in shows like Gidget and The Flying Nun. She brings her quirky charm to her new role, which helps brighten the story considerably. Though Showalter's film is unassuming, it manages to be fun and surprisingly entertaining.

Sally Field plays Doris Miller; a dowdy, aging, unmarried woman who toils at a job as a data-entry clerk in a Brooklynese company where she is surrounded by younger, hipper co-workers. Unlike her colleagues, who reside in the trendy borough to the south, Doris ferries to work from her home on the less-hip Staten Island; a fact that isn't lost on at least one of her co-workers.

Doris spends her days with her close friend Roz (Tyne Daly, who makes a small part crackle) and resisting her brother Todd's efforts to clear their deceased mother's house of accumulated junk, which she stubbornly refuses to shed. Doris finds herself at odds with Todd's wife Cynthia (Wendi McLendon-Covey), who is more insistent about the junk-removal. The situation becomes problematic; prompting Todd to force his sister to see a therapist about her pack-rat problem.

But for Doris, a more significant development unfolds at her job. A young and handsome, newly-transferred employee in upper-management named John Fremont(Max Greenfield) makes Doris' acquaintance in the elevator on his first day, where they find themselves pressed awkwardly against each other. During his introduction to the staff, he surprises Doris and the young employees when he mentions meeting her in the elevator. Thrilled about John's recollection, Doris begins fantasizing about romantic encounters between them; only to be jarred back to reality at inopportune times.

Smitten by his charms, Doris and Roz's grand-daughter invent a Facebook persona to find out more about him, including his favorite band. Doris buys a CD of the band and casually leaves it lying on her desk for John to see, which he does. Thrilled that John notices it, she buys a ticket for their concert in Brooklyn. She also surprises her brother and sister-in-law the day of the concert when she abruptly excuses herself from a dinner to catch a ferry to see the band. Of course she runs into John at the show, and his ecstatic response at seeing Doris only intensifies her attraction and her hopes of romancing him. The story takes a fantastic, barely plausible turn when the band notices Doris in the audience and ask to meet her after the show. Enchanted by her colorful concert-wear and her unique sense of style, they invite her to be on the cover for their new CD.

As Doris falls further for John, she ignores the possibility that his interest in her could be strictly platonic though Roz, more attuned to reality, warns her; afraid her friend may be hurt.

During the course of the story, we learn more about Doris' past. We learn the company decided to keep her after it merged with another company. We also learn of a broken engagement to a man who moved to Flagstaff, expecting her to follow, only to find Doris was unable to leave her mother alone. The scene where she shares this story with John is quite touching.

Later we learn that she sacrificed college and a life to care for her mother while her brother pursued his ambitions. This sore spot in their relationship is addressed during a scene where Doris, her therapist Dr. Edwards (Elizabeth Reaser), Todd and Cynthia gather to deal with the clutter in Doris' mother's house. Though the doctor's efforts to assist in sorting the junk are helpful, Cynthia's impatience brings the already combustible situation to a head; causing Doris to explode. She forces everyone out but not before mentioning her sacrifices for personal happiness to her brother.
The junk Doris intends to hold onto is a pretty handy metaphor for the anger and disappointment of her past from which she refuses to free herself.

Doris experiences a painful setback in her pursuit of John when she discovers he is seeing a young, blonde beauty. Following them one night as they stroll the city, she finds she is unable to avoid running into them. John introduces her to his girlfriend, who immediately takes to Doris; inviting her to a social knitting circle. Doris' passion for John culminates during a Thanksgiving dinner for his friends when she finally expresses her feelings for him. What follows seems inevitable and unsurprising and it precedes some radical change in her life. In the end, Doris realizes she must make amends to Roz, who she has forsaken in her fantastic flights of romance.

Showalter's story is mainly about Doris' awakening and her search for self-affirmation. In earlier scenes, she becomes enchanted with the advice of self-help guru Willy Williams (Peter Gallagher, perfectly cast for the role), who dispenses motivational advice she takes to heart. One of Williams' go-to self-help gems finds utility when he insists impossible is really a contraction of I'm-Possible.

In the final scene, the audience is tricked one last time into believing one of her fantasies is real, but a ambiguous moment thereafter renders the story and her life open to possibilities. In the end, she comes to realize her friendship with Roz is all-sustaining.

Showalter's film isn't great and I feel I've seen some of it elsewhere but works on its own modest terms. Some of it is overwrought and overstated. Doris' look is a little too dowdy and matronly to be real (particularly her horn-rimmed glasses). But Sally Field makes us care about Doris. She has had her disappointments and one failed relationship but she isn't pathetic or needy.

Hello, My Name is Doris is a pleasing indie flick that is small but not small-minded. Sally Field is a joy to watch;giving one of her better comedic performances in some time. Many of her roles in the last decade or so have been very serious but here she reminds us that her roots are in comedy. Her Doris is not to be pitied but liked. It is safe to say I feel the same for the film.