To be frank with you, I am a rather socially awkward person, but even I shake my head as observing the heroine of Michael Showalter’s 2015 film “Hello, My Name Is Doris”. Besides being quite socially awkward, she is also seriously delusional at times in her clumsy quest for love, but the movie somehow does not lose its empathy and understanding on her at all – even as she makes several big wrong choices along the story.  

At the beginning, we see how things have recently been difficult for the titular character played by Sally Fields. For many years, Doris Miller has lived with his ailing mother in their house, but now her mother passed away, and she does not know what to do about the rest of her life. While she has steadily earned her living as an accountant in some company located in New York City, there are not many people in her daily social life, and her house has been full of many different stuffs she and her mother kept for many years. Her brother suggests that she should sell the house and then make a new start for herself, but she is not willing to do that even after meeting a therapist recommended by him.

And then there comes an unexpected change at her workplace. A younger guy named John Fremont is introduced to Doris and her co-workers as a new employee to work with, and, what do you know, Doris is surprised to find herself quite smitten with him right from their first encounter. Even though she is much older than this dude, she believes that she can win his heart somehow, and we get amused a bit as she has occasional moments of delusion associated with her crush on him.

Now this sounds rather disturbing, but the screenplay by Showalter and his co-writer Laura Terruso, which is based on Terruso’s short film of the same name, did a good job of balancing its story and heroine between humor and gravitas. We laugh as she attempts to get closer to John via her fake Facebook account thanks to a little help from the granddaughter of a close friend of hers, but then we come to care more about her as getting to know more about how static and frustrating her life has been for many years. She has surely longed for some changes in her life, but she does not know well how to bring real changes into her life as a woman rather hopelessly stuck in a rather unhealthy mindset, and there is a poignant moment when she is reminded more of her old personal issues later in the story.

Meanwhile, it becomes quite apparent to us that John is not very serious about Doris even after Doris manages to befriend him a bit more. While he is nice and friendly to her when she approaches to him at a concert of his favorite band, he simply regards her as a co-worker to socialize with, and Doris is certainly devastated when he later turns out to be in a romantic relationship with some young woman at present.   

Nevertheless, the movie avoids making John look obtuse or superficial at all as paying some attention to his sincerity and kindness. Besides remaining genuinely cordial to Doris, he is really serious about his relationship with that young lady, and we naturally wince when Doris subsequently makes an unwise impulsive choice which considerably affects John and his girlfriend’s relationship.

And we also get to know about several figures surrounding Doris. While he may be selfish to some degree, Doris’ brother sincerely cares about his sister’s welfare, and so do Doris’ close friend, who simply regards Doris’ romantic pursuit as a part of her belated personal growth. There eventually comes a point when Doris lets her down a lot, but then she willingly becomes someone to lean on for Doris nonetheless because, well, that is what a true friend should do.

Needless to say, Field’s colorfully likable performance is crucial in making the film work. While never overlooking how silly and absurd her character is, Field illustrates her character’s personality and humanity with a lot of care and sensitivity, and she also embodies well the bountiful spirit hidden behind her character’s introverted appearance. Once she feels more comfortable with expressing herself and her feelings, Doris makes some big forward steps for herself as shown from a hilarious scene involved with John’s favorite band, and we come to root for her character more than before.

Showalter also assembles a bunch of good performers to support Field’s solid performance. As the object of her character’s desire, Max Greenfield holds his own place well next to Field, and he is particularly good when his character and Doris come to have a little honest conversation around the end of the story. Beth Behrs, Tyne Daly, Stephen Root, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Isabella Acres, Elizabeth Reaser, and Peter Gallagher are also well-cast in their respective supporting parts, and you may be also delighted by the appearance of Natasha Lyonne and Kumail Nanjiani, who would become more familiar to us after this film.

In conclusion, “Hello, My Name Is Doris” is a small but amiable comedy film which also works as the belated coming-of-age drama of its oddball heroine. As a guy who made a fair share of mistakes as struggling to interact with others around me during last four decades, I understood and then empathized more with Doris during my viewing, and I was eventually touched as observing a significant sign of improvement from her. That change is a bit late for her, but it is never too late for any of us to change and then grow up a little as long as we are still alive, isn’t it?