Sally Field Shines in “Doris”

By Skip Sheffield

Sally Field, we like you, we really like you. Even at age 69 we still like you.

Sally has a role tailor-made for her in “Hello, My Name is Doris.” The original story is by Laura Terruso with screenplay by Terruso and director Michael Showalter (“Wet Hot American Summer”).

Since her mother died, Doris Miller (Sally Field) has lived alone is a clutter-filled Staten Island house. Every weekday she catches the Staten Island Ferry to her job as an accountant in Manhattan. Two things happen to change Doris’ dull routine. First she attends a motivational speech given by a charming lecturer (Peter Gallagher) who urges everyone to “take big risks.” Doris has always quietly shied away from risks, but when a handsome young executive is transferred from Malibu, Doris is smitten with this California-cool dude named John Fremont (Max Greenfield).

It is hard to imagine any actress other than Sally Field with the ability to pull off kooky, dowdy, adorable and yes sexy in varying degrees. When Doris, at the urging of the 13-year-old granddaughter (Isabella Acres) of her best friend Roz (Tyne Daly), fabricates a fake Facebook account to learn more about what John Fremont likes, we think yeah, happens every day. When she shows up at a concert by John’s favorite electronica music group, we admire her pluck. When the group takes a shine to Doris we think, OK, maybe, but when they decide to do a photo shoot of her for their next album, we think wait a minute!

Doris, who does have active fantasies, does come back down to Earth. John has an attractive, age-appropriate girlfriend Brooklyn (Beth Behrs) who is also a professional singer. Doris exposes a darker side of her nature when she does something not very nice. It also shows she is human.

I am probably not the most impartial judge of Sally Field. Shucks I have had a crush on her since I first saw her as “Gidget,” back in 1965. I see her as poster girl for sexy senior citizens everywhere and hey, she is only a year older than me.

Three stars