The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981)

A film with a strong message of precaution, cloaked in campy comedy!

I remember first seeing the movie when I was very young, and hadn’t seen it again until about a week ago. I’m in my 20s, so it was already considerably a classic by the time I saw it anyway. I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed the movie. And, it may well be that I enjoyed it more as an older person than I did when I was a kid. Because I can understand some of the humor that would have went straight over my head all those years ago. And thinking about it these days, I would say that that is the real beauty of the film — that it manages to be both naughty and nice, in a very subtle, understated way.

I also loved that it had a campy, yet natural appearance about it. So many highlights and undertones of the film, like an abstract painting. I especially love the way the beginning scenes of the film establishes the setting as a part of worry free America, dreamy suburbia, it put me on cloud nine just watching the first scenes! You got the sense that Pat Kramer lead a very happy-go-lucky life, that her and her husband weren’t overly romantic nor were they overly serious or in a rut. They just had fun with each other and loved each other. I also got the sense that the children (albeit a little spoiled) were allowed to be children. And although the message was supposed to be one of inverted idealism, the way I experienced those scenes as the viewer was bliss! So, I commend the film for not being too “on the nose” about its message, while still getting the point across.

It wasn’t a preachy sort of film, but there was definitely a moral to it. To me, the moral seems to be a cautionary tale against the dangers of greed and materialism. But, what I love about the way the film presents it is that it doesn’t make materialism seem all bad. On the contrary, you get the sense that life is indeed easier with certain items on hand, and a certain way of being. So, when considering the moral of the story along with the easy breezy feeling that the viewer gets in the opening scenes of the film, the message seems to be one of precaution, but not prohibition. Because nowhere in the film did they say that TV and perfume or any of that stuff was bad. In fact, they didn’t even really imply it. Furthermore, they sort of embraced it at certain points!

So, yes, I like the film for being moral but not preachy. It seems to say “There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun. There’s nothing wrong with taking it easy. Just don’t overdo it.” And for me, the cherry on top was the gorilla. Even though it was silly, cause the gorilla seemed to represent the idea that animals deserve equal respect and care against those dangers too.

I highly recommend this film for all comedy lovers, and for enthusiasts of 1970s and 1980s cinema. It is quite a gem of its time— and yet, because of the continuing relevance of its message, has managed to be also *timeless*.