Film

The Incredible Shrinking Woman

Name: The Incredible Shrinking Woman
Genre: Comedy, Family, Science Fiction
Released: 1981
Cast: Lily Tomlin, Charles Grodin, Ned Beatty, Henry Gibson, Elizabeth Wilson

Science fiction
Comedy
Light-hearted

Lily Tomlin shrinks to six inches tall after a chemical accident, turning domestic chaos into sci-fi comedy. It's bright, silly, and weirdly touching—a film that treats its absurd premise with genuine heart. Perfect for anyone who loves practical effects, '80s oddity, or comedies where the joke is kindness, not cruelty.

TMDb rating

2.7

If you liked this

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids1989

Rick Moranis discovers his shrink ray works too well, and the film mines comedy and adventure from scale—tiny people navigating a suburban backyard as jungle. A spiritual cousin with better special effects and genuine family warmth.

But It leans heavier on action-adventure than comedy, and the tone can slip toward saccharine. The shrinking is treated as a problem to solve, not a premise to explore.

Gremlins1984

Joe Dante's creature feature wraps chaos and dark humor around a small-town setting. Like Shrinking Woman, it finds genuine menace in the surreal, respects its own logic, and never forgets to be fun.

But The gremlins themselves are destructive and occasionally grotesque. If you need chaos to stay whimsical rather than genuinely destructive, this gets too mean.

Brazil1985

Terry Gilliam's dystopian comedy is wildly inventive and visually stunning—a film that treats an absurd world with complete seriousness. Both films marry sci-fi concept to emotional truth without apologizing for either.

But It's bleak, surreal, and deliberately frustrating. The plot resists easy follow-through, and the ending divides viewers. Nothing like Shrinking Woman's warmth.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Incredible Shrinking Woman

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Phantom of the Paradise1974

Both films treat their sci-fi/fantasy premise as a vehicle for real emotional stakes, not a joke—and both have the courage to stay strange.

Brian De Palma's cult rock opera about art, obsession, and transformation. Like Shrinking Woman, it's a genre picture (musical-horror-satire) that refuses to apologize for its strangeness and treats its weirdness as complete emotional truth. Both films trust the audience to accept the premise and feel through it.

But It's genuinely unsettling and grotesque in ways Shrinking Woman never is. The tone shifts violently, and the film can feel airless. Not comfortable viewing.

The Parent Trap1961

Disney's split-screen twin comedy showcases technical ingenuity in service of a heartfelt story. Like Tomlin's film, it uses its gimmick to ask what family really means.

But It's earnest and sometimes cloying by modern standards. The romantic subplot feels dated, and some of the humor hasn't aged well.

Splash1984

A mermaid romance that works because it never winks—it treats the impossible as perfectly normal. Both films share that deadpan acceptance of the bizarre.

But The romantic plot takes over, and the film becomes conventional. Mermaid-as-love-interest plays into tired dynamics.

Innerspace1987

Joe Dante again, this time shrinking a pilot inside a businessman's body. Chaotic, colorful, and packed with practical effects and genuine affection for its characters.

But It's frantic to the point of exhaustion. The plot tangles, and the humor relies heavily on slapstick that doesn't always land.

Twilight Zone: The Movie1983

Four directors, four Twilight Zone stories, each one a perfect sci-fi/comedy/horror bite. Close in spirit to Shrinking Woman's willingness to blend tones and treat premise as everything.

But Uneven. One segment is brilliant, others misfire. You're committed to four stories whether you like them all or not.

Big1988

Tom Hanks wakes up adult in a child's body; the film mines comedy from scale and grows into something genuinely moving. Like Tomlin's film, it uses physical transformation to ask what matters.

But The romance subplot softens the premise. It tilts toward sentiment, and the satirical edge dulls as the film goes on.

Zathura: A Space Adventure2005

A magical board game shrinks and transforms a house into a space odyssey. It honors its own logic, delivers visual invention, and cares about the kids at its center.

But It's heavy on CGI and lighter on charm. The pacing stumbles, and the climax feels rushed compared to its setup.

The Secret of NIMH1982

Both refuse to laugh at their premises or their characters. Both trust animation/practical effects to ground emotional truth. Both centered on a parent protecting their family against the impossible.

Don Bluth's animated feature about a mouse's desperate quest to save her family. Animated, urgent, visually stunning—it approaches the absurd (intelligent rats, time travel) with genuine stakes and tenderness. Shrinking Woman's DNA but in animation, and far darker.

But It's genuinely scary for young viewers. The animation is beautiful but sometimes grotesque, and the pacing is relentless. Not the comfort watch you might expect.

Mon Oncle1958

Both find comedy in the failure of technology to improve daily life. Both use scale (Shrinking Woman literal, Tati spatial) to interrogate how we actually live. Both have a gentle, melancholic heart beneath the laughs.

Jacques Tati's silent-comedy masterpiece about a man navigating a hyper-modern villa. Like Shrinking Woman, it finds comedy and pathos in domestic space and technology, treats absurdity deadpan, and believes humor lives in observation. Shot in vivid color and almost wordless—a completely different era and sensibility, but the same DNA.

But It's very slow. The humor is physical and architectural, not verbal. If you need jokes explained or plot to move, this will test your patience.