Hello, My Name is Doris — Blue Fairy Film Blog

Honestly I had no idea how much I would love this movie. Hello, My Name is Doris is such a sweet, thoughtful, well-acted film, which isn’t to say that most indies aren’t, but generally when the main character is older it isn’t handled well. Most indies are made by younger filmmakers who don’t understand the nuances and complexities of a longer lived life. Michael Showalter (Stella) directed and co-wrote this film, and it showcases a maturity and breadth of understanding that reflects a new side to the comedian. What makes this a film worth watching is the incomparable performance of Sally Field, who is, as ever, a truly wondrous actress.

The film follows the life of Doris (Field), a sixty-some year old woman whose mother has just died, leaving her in a hoarder’s nest of a house on Long Island. Doris does data entry at a firm that has radically shifted to a youth perspective, and during this time of grieving Doris finds that she can start her life over. In keeping with this epiphany she becomes infatuated with new co-worker John (Greenfield) and starts to pursue him. Field’s performance as Doris is simply joyful. She is a woman who is beginning again, blissfully innocent to the world around her, and yet she has suffered for decades, as she gave up her life to take care of her mother. Doris has her own style of dress, and is eccentric, yet playfully curious of what could be.

While Doris finds herself enamored of John, she’s also dealing with the implosion of her life. She and her brother (Root) don’t see eye to eye on what to do with her home, she has issues with letting things go, and throughout the film she deals with these issues in leaps, and then slow strides. She both knows the irksome truth about aging, yet deals with it in varied ways, both embracing it and finding herself the subject of consternation and concern. Doris is a great character, and it’s refreshing to hear her story. So few films are made about women who are older, and when they are they’re usually put into neat little categories without much ado. Sally Field is an incredible, Oscar winning actress, who has taken on various roles in her forty plus years’ career. If she chooses to become the go-to indie actress for films such as this, I am all for it. I’ve missed her wit and grace, and above all her fearless moxie, and I’m hopeful there is much more to come.