The Incredible Shrinking Woman

The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) is a sci-fi comedy you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Joel Schumacher before his blockbuster years. Suburban housewife Pat Kramer breathes in a strange cocktail of household chemicals one morning, and her body starts to shrink — slowly at first, then by the inch.

Lily Tomlin carries the film as Pat, whose ordinary life falls apart around her. Her clothes swallow her, her kids stop taking her seriously, and the doctors have no answers. Worse, a shadowy cabal sees an opportunity: kidnap the shrinking woman, study her, and learn to miniaturize all of humanity. Charles Grodin and Ned Beatty round out the cast.

Underneath the gags sits a sharp early-eighties jab at consumer culture, advertising and gadget obsession. The makeup and effects came from Rick Baker, who would go on to win the Oscar for makeup more than anyone in the field. It's a treat if you like oddball vintage sci-fi that keeps its sense of humor. Stream The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) online on iFILM.