From it’s release THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN has divided audiences. Some people loved the satire of consumerism and Science fiction and some people didn’t. I know the films reception kind of short circuited Lily Tomlin’s attempt at being a leading actress.
The film has housewife Tomlin beginning to shrink as a result of being exposed to everyday chemicals. As she shrinks she becomes a celebrity. Some mad scientists kidnap her hoping to find away to shrink humanity.
While the film made money, the film was a critical disaster. Critics hated it. While the critical opinion has changed over the years the film has remained a footnote in everyone’s career.
I saw it in a packed theater the opening weekend and I thought it was just okay. I thought, and still do, it was trying to do too much. I think it sacrifices laughs for making a point. I’m also not a fan of the look of the film. It has muted images with pastel colors, and it just feels wrong. I mean really wrong. It feels like an odd dream or as if we are watching a film that was damaged.
While the film made money I don’t think it really helped anyone’s career, though director Joel Schumacher skated on to a great career afterward (BATMAN AND ROBIN among others).
The question you are probably asking is why is this in this series of Turkeys if it made money. The reason is it’s a lost film of sorts. Time and tide pushed it aside. It’s a film no one really talks about, or even really likes, I mean it’s okay, but that’s as far as it goes. In its way it’s a cinematic misfire. It was loaded into theaters, made a noise when the trigger was pulled and then went nowhere.
Is it worth seeing? As a footnote for everyone involved, but I would be hard pressed to give you a reason beyond that, it isn’t really funny, and its points were obvious even 40 years ago.
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