Hello, My Name is Doris

It doesn't take much for ditzy 60-ish Doris Miller (Sally Field) to fall in love. So when her company's handsome young art director takes the trouble to gently straighten her lopsided eyeglasses in a crowded elevator, she is smitten. His name is John Fremont (Max Greenfield), and he has recently arrived in Manhattan from Malibu. Commuting each day to her tiny office cubicle from the cluttered Staten Island home she once shared with her late mother, timid Doris fantasizes about being with John, which propels her into stalker mode, much to the chagrin of her feisty best friend (Tyne Daly), whose teenage granddaughter (Isabella Acres) introduces Doris to Facebook's social media. And that is how Doris learns that John's favorite electronic band is playing at a nearby club and she ends up at a rock concert with him. Stumbling around in a bright yellow outfit, Doris attracts the attention of the band's photographer, who gets her to pose for the hipster cover of the band's next album. Meanwhile, aware of Doris's hoarder instincts and emotional instability, her brother (Stephen Root) and his callous wife (Wendi McLendon-Covey) urge her to consider selling the family home, an idea that Doris adamantly rejects, despite gentle prodding from a hoarder-specializing therapist (Elizabeth Reaser). Always appealing Peter Gallagher shows up as a smarmy motivational speaker, and Beth Behrs is likeable as clueless John's age-appropriate girlfriend. Based on Doris & the Intern, a 2011 short film by Laura Terruso, Hello, My Name Is Doris is somewhat confusingly directed by Michael Showalter, who relishes Doris's eccentricity, unwisely encouraging Field to risk one ridiculous mortification after another. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Michael Showalter, and deleted and extended scenes—including an alternate opening (25 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)