CinemaSerf

Dec 28, 2023

7.0

"Danny" (Robin Williams) and wife "Miranda" (Sally Field) just can't go on any longer with their marriage. Their constant rowing and her husband finally jacking in his job as a voice-over artiste of some cigarette-based "creative differences" see her get a divorce. "Danny" adores his three kids but is only given visitation rights for a Saturday until he can prove worthy of more. He manages to get a basic job, but misses his brood terribly. When he hears that "Miranda" is seeking a housekeeper, he hits on the idea of getting his gay brother "Frank" (Harvey Fierstein) and his boyfriend - who are into prosthetics - to make him a mask and some body-altering clothes and et voilà - he is now the English (but Scottish sounding?) "Mrs Doubtfire". "Miranda" takes to her instantly - after some mischievous ground-laying work be her ex, and soon (s)he is back in the family home amongst the children (s)he loves. With court-ordered inspections of his home regularly taking place, it is only a matter of time before this wheeze is rumbled but "Danny" hopes that his employer at a television network for kids (Robert Prosky) might appreciate the character he has created, boost the flagging ratings and maybe that way he can make enough money to restore his family to him? Meantime, the wealthy and smarmy "Stuart" (Pierce Brosnan) is looming on the horizon trying to woo his way into the family's good books - an operation that "Mrs. Doubtfire" watches and abhors at first hand. She's quite a dab hand with a lime at thirty paces! For most of this, it showcases Williams' considerable skills as a mimic and comedy actor - his timing is great. The film does rather fall off a cliff for me during the last half hour in the restaurant, though, where the comedic surrenders to the slap-stick and the joke comes crumbling down leaving us in a well of cringing sentimentality that I didn't particularly enjoy. That said, it's ground-breaking cinema that illustrates just what a dad will do to to be with his children and it takes a huge great swipe at sexual stereotyping too. There's a gentle chemistry between Williams and Field and there are some lovely, vicious, one liners thrown in for us to savour. Not great, but very good.

_Mrs. Doubtfire_, part of my Robin Williams retrospective Anne Fine's novel "Alias Madame Doubtfire" was written to help children navigate the pain of divorce, offering comfort during one of life's hardest transitions. But in adapting it for the screen, director Chris Columbus and star Robin Williams created something unexpected: America's answer to Mary Poppins. Here, too, a magical nanny arrives to transform a fractured family, except this nanny is the father in disguise, and the magic isn't supernatural, it's love, patience, and the willingness to change. Thirty years later, Mrs. Doubtfire remains timeless, a film that demonstrates the breadth of Robin Williams' talent and may well be his most adorable role. Daniel Hillard is a voice actor, a devoted father, and a disaster of a husband. After losing custody of his three children in a divorce, he disguises himself as an elderly British nanny, Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire, and gets hired by his ex-wife Miranda (Sally Field) to care for the kids. What could have been mere farce becomes something deeper: a portrait of a man learning, slowly and painfully, how to be the parent his children need. Williams' performance is extraordinary, not because of the physicality — though his commitment to the role is flawless — but because he plays both Daniel and Mrs. Doubtfire as fully realized people. Daniel is manic, desperate, often selfish, but never mean-spirited. Mrs. Doubtfire is proper, competent, warm, and somehow more mature than Daniel has ever been. The film understands that the disguise isn't just a costume; it's a mirror, showing Daniel who he could be if he grew up. Williams navigates this duality with grace, making us believe in both characters. What makes Mrs. Doubtfire so satisfying is that everyone transforms. Daniel becomes a better father, not through grand gestures, but by learning the small, daily acts of care that hold a family together. Miranda softens, rediscovering joy and eventually allowing Daniel more time with the children than even the judge mandated. The kids learn to accept both parents as they are, flawed and human, and to trust that love doesn't disappear just because the family's structure has changed. By the end, no one has been fixed, exactly, but everyone has grown. The supporting cast enhances this warmth. Sally Field plays Miranda with a weariness that feels earned; she's not a shrew, just a woman who has carried too much for too long. Harvey Fierstein, the Tony-winning playwright who wrote La Cage aux Folles for Broadway (which would later inspire The Birdcage, another Williams vehicle), is delightful as Frank, Daniel's brother and accomplice in the transformation. Fierstein brings a sly, affectionate energy to the role, and his scenes with Williams crackle with warmth. Mrs. Doubtfire is a film about divorce that refuses to be cynical. It believes in second chances, in the possibility of change, in the resilience of children and the enduring power of parental love. It's also a showcase for one of cinema's greatest talents, a man who could make you laugh and break your heart in the same breath. Robin Williams gave us many unforgettable performances, but this one, silly, tender, utterly sincere, may be the one that best captures the breadth of his gift.