Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

8/10

Starring

Robin Williams

Sally Field

Pierce Brosnan

Harvey Fierstein

Directed by Chris Columbus

When you think back to movies like Mrs Doubtfire, you just have to appreciate it. The movie seems like something that will not work. I recall when my cousin got the film from the video store I did not seat to see it then because of the plot in the 90s and recall seeing it much later in the 2000s and I was amazed.

The movie is funny, good and the make-up is fantastic which went on to win Best Makeup at the Academy Awards. The movie has the late Robin Williams at his best, his character is hard to forget and the movie director Chris Columbus did a fantastic job of not letting the comedy overwhelm the sentimentality of the film. The movie is not overwhelmed by the challenges of the parents, but showcases the difficulty of being divorced, trying to get on with your life after the divorce and the challenge on the children.

The movie is based on a 1987 book Madame Doubtfire by author Anne Fine. The plot introduces us to voice actor Daniel (Williams) who according to his wife, Miranda (Sally Fields) is irresponsible. He just quit his job and she was tired of him and filed for a divorce.

The divorce was hard on Daniel who loves their three children immensely and will do anything for them. Regardless, the court gives sole custody of the children to Miranda. Daniel can only get shared custody if he finds a job and a residence. Daniel immediately gets a job as a clerk at a TV Station and gets an apartment. He still wanted to be with his children everyday so when he saw that Miranda was searching for a housekeeper, he got an idea.

Daniel went to his brother a makeup artist and they came up with the Mrs Doubtfire persona, with costume, including a prosthetic mask to make him look like an older woman.

He got the job after a successful interview and now Daniel was close to his kids as he wants.

Problem came when he finds out that Miranda has started seeing someone else and his children also feel there is more to this housekeeper than just a sweet face.

Seeing it again now the movie reminds me of some movies which came out before it, Some Like It Hot (1959) and Tootsie (1982). Some Like It Hot is better, but I like it more than I did Tootsie.

Other than the Academy Award, this movie also won Golden Globes for Best Picture and Best Actor for Robin Williams. The movie has a good critical rating and it was a huge box office hit, based on a $25 million budget it made over $440 million.

That amount of turnover for a movie even now twenty-seven years later, that kind of turnover is massive and will warrant a sequel. The problem is getting Williams to commit to a script. Since 2001 he has reject many script even though he was tuned to the idea of a sequel. When he finally committed to doing one with this here director in 2014, his death that same year put an end to that plan.

The movie is also rated 67 in the American Film Institute list of 100 Years...100 Laughs. And it is still watchable again today.