I was so excited when my parents first got cable television in the early 1980s. I remember HBO repeating several movies over and over again. In addition to Poltergeist and Meatballs, I loved watching the Lily Tomlin film, The Incredible Shrinking Woman. Seriously, when I was about ten years old, this sci-fi comedy was one of my favorites.
The Incredible Shrinking Woman was loosely based on the 1957 science fiction classic The Incredible Shrinking Man and was filled with messages of anti-consumerism. Pat Kramer (Lily Tomlin) is a stay-at-home mom to two bratty kids (played by Justin Dana and Shelby Balik -- I found Justin on Facebook, both child stars haven't done much since the movie). Pat, the wife of a successful advertising agency executive, lives with her family and their Spanish-speaking housekeeper in a lovely home filled with colorful pinks, greens, blues, yellows -- this movie has great early 1980s design and style.
The Incredible Shrinking Woman focuses on Pat's transformation after she's exposed to a dangerous concoction of household products. She shockingly goes from a normal sized woman to the size of a Smurf -- I loved when she moved into the doll house! Pat begins to become a media attraction and is soon kidnapped by a group of evil scientists. She escapes with the help of a sweet, smart and savvy gorilla named Sydney and I honestly do not remember the ending...
I haven't seen this film in thirty years and think I may ask my husband to add it to our Netflix queue. Here is a clip from The Incredible Shrinking Woman - enjoy!
