Parents' Guide to

Hello, My Name Is Doris

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Sally Field gives a fabulous performance in quirky romcom.

Movie R 2016 95 minutes
Hello, My Name Is Doris Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

age 15+

It's okay to be different!

This movie just changed my whole outlook on life and possibilities...."You only live once"..... Live, love and laugh my friends, because we all only get one chance at life....Make every second count!

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Field is a dream in this tender-hearted dramedy about a lonely 60-something woman with a fierce sense of style but no sense of how to start a relationship with a man half her age. As the quirky titular character, Field is in basically every scene of the film, and she's utterly riveting as a (to quote another character) "weird, but in a good way" Staten Islander who has a couple of lifelong friends but is otherwise rootless after the death of her mentally ill mother. From her love of romance novels and the wistful way she stares at real-life couples, it's obvious that Doris longs for love -- something her character has missed out on for nearly all of her adult life. New Girl star Greenfield is perfectly cast as John, the object of her affection and attention. He's got the kind of sparkly smile and bedroom eyes necessary to make Doris swoon, but he's also not so beautiful that he seems unapproachable.

Directed by Michael Showalter, the movie explores why Doris, with her cat's-eye glasses and '50s outfits, is an ideal match for the kind of young Brooklyn hipsters who make their living creating artisanal fare and working in an LGBT preschool. Yes, the hipster cliches are stereotypical, but they're still funny. The story is full of sweet sequences that beautifully depict how Doris' girlish enthusiasm for John brings her out of her shell, even though the situation begins to seriously concern Roz (Daly also gives a wonderful performance). One particularly effective scene takes place at a concert that could be straight out of HBO's Girls. John's favorite electropop artist is playing, so Doris shows up. Dressed in all neon, she ends up delighting the Millennials with her "fierce" outfit and age-defying (if feigned...) love of a group that caters to the under-30 crowd. Field, who's 69, is luminous as Doris, proving that a tremendous actress can shine at any age if given the opportunity.

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