The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981)    Universal/Comedy    RT: 88 minutes    Rated PG (brief language, an obscene gesture, some gunplay, scenes of domestic peril)    Director: Joel Schumacher    Screenplay: Jane Wagner    Music: Suzanne Ciani    Cinematography: Bruce Logan    Release date: January 30, 1981 (US)    Cast: Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, Justin Dana, Shelby Balik, Henry Gibson, Elizabeth Wilson, Mark Blankfield, John Glover, Maria Smith, Pamela Bellwood, Dick Wilson, Mike Douglas, Rick Baker.    Box Office: $20.2M (US)

Rating: ***

 I have clear memories of going to see the Lily Tomlin comedy The Incredible Shrinking Woman with my buddy BO on opening weekend. We both laughed our 13YO heads off at the silly story of a suburban housewife who has a most unusual reaction to household chemicals. We enjoyed the slapstick comedy and special effects without once considering its satirical look at American consumerism or its metaphoric representation of the diminishing role of housewife in modern society. It’s all in there; it’s as plain as day.

 Tomlin plays Pat Kramer, a harried housewife and frazzled mother of two bratty kids living in the bright-colored suburb of Tasty Meadows. Life there is good and a little surreal. Impossibly happy neighbors shout product endorsements instead of hello as Pat drives down the street. She has so many products in her house; she hardly has space to put away the groceries she just bought. Her husband, advertising executive Vance (Grodin, Seems Like Old Times), is always bring home their latest product for them to test out.

 One day, Pat discovers she is literally shrinking. Her jewelry falls off and her clothes no longer fit. Nosy neighbor and best friend Judith (Tomlin in a dual role) can’t even see Pat’s head as she passes her kitchen window. A series of medical tests reveal it’s due to her exposure to various chemicals contained in household products. She immediately becomes an international celebrity even appearing on Mike Douglas’ show where he introduces her with the song “Little Things Mean a Lot”. She also catches the attention of a group of mad scientists who want to use her for their own nefarious purposes.

 Directed by Joel Schumacher in his first feature film effort, The Incredible Shrinking Woman is obviously a comic take on the 1957 sci-fi classic The Incredible Shrinking Man. It’s pretty funny for the most part. Tomlin, who also reprises her Laugh-In character “Ernestine the Telephone Operator” in one scene, is a gifted comic actress. She creates a believable and sympathetic character amidst the silliness and giant sets. Grodin, in his customary deadpan manner, provides ample support as the husband trying to balance his career and upended home life. Tomlin’s Laugh-In costar Henry Gibson is underused as one of the evil doctors. Mark Blankfield (Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again) has an early role as a goofy lab assistant who helps Pat. Trivia buffs take note, the fussy supermarket manager is played by Dick Wilson, better known as Mr. Whipple on the old Charmin commercials.

 Schumacher has difficulty striking a consistent tone in The Incredible Shrinking Woman, going back and forth between cute comedy and knowing satire. He doesn’t commit to either one which results in a noticeably off-balance movie. However, he gets points for adding intelligence to the equation. Pat having to move into a dollhouse positively rings with echoes of Ibsen. As she grows smaller, people listen to her less and less. Kids can identify with this plight. Like Pat, they’re smaller than everybody else and nobody is listening.

 All these years later, I’m still impressed with the special effects, achieved mainly through process photography. At one time, The Incredible Shrinking Woman was intended as a 3D movie, but it didn’t happen. Life presents a whole new set of challenges when you’re suddenly only inches tall. The kitchen, especially the garbage disposal, is a death trap. The set design is clever and inventive. They allow for some good comic set-pieces like Pat’s escape from the bad guys’ lab on the back of a gorilla who knows sign language. He’s played by makeup artist Rick Baker who would go on to become the first winner of the Best Makeup Oscar for his work on that year’s An American Werewolf in London. The movie has a unique visual scheme highlighted by bright colors that represent the characters’ idyllic lives in this TV commercial alternate universe.

 The Incredible Shrinking Woman has a goofy side. The bad guys are buffoons and fools. The Hispanic housemaid (Smith) is an exaggerated stereotype. She watches telenovelas and dances around the kitchen to salsa music. Pat’s attempt at intimacy with her husband ends abruptly with a ride back to her dollhouse on her son’s skateboard. You can’t take it too seriously even if it does attempt to address serious themes. How seriously can you take a movie that resorts to showing the bad guys slipping on banana peels? It may not be as hilarious as it was to 13YO Movie Guy, but it’s still good for a few mindless yet knowing laughs.