Log in / Sign up
 
    Share this page

    Mrs. Doubtfire

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    For a lot of people in their 20s and 30s, “Mrs. Doubtfire” is a classic film, a Robin Williams drama-comedy they grew up on. But how does it hold up? It’s the story of Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams), a talent voice actor and voice father of three. His irresponsible behavior finally drives his wife Miranda (Sally Field) to divorce him. Having recently walked out of his job at the studio and not owning a suitable home, custody of their three children Lydia (Lisa Jakub), Chris (Matthew Lawrence) and Natalie (Mara Wilson) is granted to Miranda. Infuriated by his limited time with the kids and his wife’s reluctance to let him take care of them, he hatches a scheme: with the help of his brother’s makeup skills, he responds to his ex-wife’s classified ad and poses as “Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire”.

    Robin Williams is a talented imitator and here, he gets to show off plenty. Before he creates Mrs. Doubtfire, he uses his voice acting skills to respond to the ad in a way that will make Miranda desperate. It’s very funny to see the man at his best. It makes me wonder how many takes they had to do as he ad-libbed. I bet people on-set kept cracking up and ruining the takes. Numerous times throughout, the script calls for Williams to create outrageous characters and show off his natural comedic skills without it feeling forced. Mrs. Doubtfire has plenty of snappy dialogue, particularly when she’s dealing with Miranda’s new boyfriend (played by Pierce Brosnan) Even when you know that this is a middle-aged man that’s saying all of this dialogue and not a seemingly sweet old lady, it’s still hilarious.

    There’s a nice balance between the characters too. While Daniel is bold and often cartoonish, everyone else plays their roles very straight, making what could have been a ridiculous film feel mostly grounded in reality. This actually brings me to one of the problems I had with the film. Most of it feels genuine. It’s not through some goofy misunderstanding that Daniel loses custody of his children, it’s because he’s (at the beginning at least) not exactly the kind of person that would be fit to take care of three kids by himself. While his ex-wife Miranda is somewhat being unfair, you never get the feeling that she’s doing it deliberately. There’s no real “villain” in the film. Even her new boyfriend Stuart seems genuinely like a nice guy. There’s no subplot about Daniel discovering that he’s having an affair and trying to drop hints to his ex or anything like that. My problem is that there are a few key scenes when the movie resembles a broad farce more than a mostly-realistic comedy. It’s the scene where Mrs. Doubtfire and Daniel are both invited to the same fancy restaurant, on the same night, at the same time. For some reason, he accepts both invitations. Yes, the scene is funny and it works thanks to the talented cast. In fact, I would go on to say that some of the film’s best dialogue is in this scene but when it started, I was squirming thinking “This movie is smarter than this setup and so is Daniel. Why wouldn’t this talented liar be able to come up with a reason why he wouldn’t be able to make his wife’s birthday dinner? Doesn’t he realize that the reason he lost his kids in the first place was because of goofy behavior like this and that landing this job is a real opportunity? ”

    There are other, small moments like this here and there but it’s nothing that really hinders the film too much. I’m bringing it up to show you that I’m coming from an objective viewpoint, weighing the good and the bad. I would’ve preferred for the film. I think some of the bigger scenes feel like they were inserted to serve Williams’ career, not to further the characters. It could have worked both ways and it works mostly here too, but it could have been better.

    “Mrs. Doubtfire” still holds up after the years. Yes as an adult there will be a few parts where you won’t buy the movie’s logic but the story is sweet and the character of Mrs. Doubtfire is so well put together that you will find it charming. Most of the cross-dressing comedies you can get your hands on are bad, but not this one. Thanks to a smart script that doesn’t talk down to its audience and some very funny moments, “Mrs. Doubtfire” overcomes its flaws. (On VHS, December 4, 2013)

    8
    HelpfulNot helpful  Reply
    adamwatchesmovies@  5.10.2016 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

    Show all reviews for this movie
    Note: The movie review posted on this page reflects a personal opinion of one user. We are not responsible for its content.

    Did you see ''Mrs. Doubtfire''?

    There is a problem with your e-mail address and we are unable to communicate with you. Please go to My Account to update your email.

    How do you rate this movie?

    Select stars from 1 to 10.
    10 - A masterpiece, go, see it now
    9 - Excellent movie, a must see
    8 - Great movie, don't miss it
    7 - Good movie, worth seeing
    6 - Not bad, could be much better
    5 - So so, okay if you don't pay
    4 - Not good, even if you don't pay
    3 - Poor movie, not recommended
    2 - Very bad, forget about it
    1 - Worst ever, avoid at all costs

    Please explain. Write your comment here:

    Please choose a username to sign your comments. Only letters, digits, dash - or period. Minimum 4 characters.

    Your age and sex:

    We publish all comments, except abusive, at our discretion.