Robin Williams was a man unlike any other because his acting and improv skills were seemingly unmatched by almost any other actor. If you were to ask me what my personal favorite Robin Williams role is, I would directly guide you over to Mrs. Doubtfire a movie that makes full use of his talents while telling a story with heart humor and above all great character development. Director Chris Columbus comes forward after directing the first two Home Alone movies and his pairing with the great late comedian brings us a film that is like lighting in a bottle.
Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) is a struggling voice actor who quits a job after a dispute. Later, he throws an out-of-control birthday party for his kids against his wife Miranda's wishes. Daniel and Miranda (Sally Field) have a falling out with each other after Miranda busts the party which unfortunately ends with Miranda wanting a divorce from Daniel which breaks his heart. When the judge decrees that Daniel may only see his kids once a month, Daniel, wanting to spend more time with his kids disguises himself as an elderly British woman called Mrs. Doubtfire who is hired to be a housekeeper for Miranda and the kids. Though he gets to spend more time with the children, Daniel also learns a thing or two about becoming a better and responsible person as well as learning more about why Miranda divorced Daniel in the first place
The story may seem unrealistic at points as there are times when reality can get the best of the premise, but much like director Chris Columbus’s last film Home Alone, it’s less about how real the situations are and more about making the characters and story feel grounded in an emotional sense rather than a realistic one. The film does work itself into a liar revealed type story where you know a character will eventually slip up and reveal the truth. Any other family movie would execute this plot poorly but the film throws in enough new material and layers to keep the story fresh and engaging. The comedy is great and there are a lot of quotable moments that I found myself laughing at. The main star Robin Williams Improvised most of his line deliveries and actions making the comedy feel much more unpredictable and randomly funny when it needs to be. Yes, I admit that sometimes the story will go into places that may seem unrealistic by today’s standard, but i never cared because the film knew it needed to focus on the characters and how to make me emotionally invested in their journey. The one thing that I congratulate this movie on is handling the concept of Divorce which is talked about in a real matter and does not shy away from the reality of a couple falling out of love with each other which makes it hard on the children. There are plenty of scenes where characters talk with each other about the divorce situation and they don’t throw in jokes or inappropriate dialogue when doing it. The ending of the movie is possibly the best example of handling the reality of divorce. Without giving too much away, the film recognizes that there are plenty of children who do have divorced parents. the ending may not be the 100% happy ending but it gives an assurance to the audience that things will be alright at the end which is real and very heartwarming. This is comedy at its finest because it definitely makes you laugh, but also makes you think which is what any great movie should do no matter what the genre.
The characters are fun and enjoyable and some of them have great complexity that makes them more than just one-note performances. Robin Willams’s character Daniel Hillard is flawed but ultimately charming as he is given a chance to flex his improv and voice acting skills at the same time. As Daniel, he does the usual funny things you’d expect a Robin Willams performance to have but as Mrs. Doubtfire, he becomes a different person and Robin is so talented and so quick worded that he makes the Mrs. Doubtfire character come to life. Sally Field plays Miranda Hillard who at first seems like a stubborn ex-wife but as the film plays on we get to see that there was more to the divorce than Daniel and we as the audience initially thought, making her a character that could have so easily been villainized but the film is clever enough to make sure that we can understand her side of the argument as well as Daniels. Speaking of villainizing, Pierce Brosand plays Stu who is Miranda's new boyfriend who could have so easily been a jerk, but the movie portrays his character as a legit kind and caring figure and they don’t in any way make either he or Daniel look like mean-spirited characters. The kid characters are very good and some of them did go on to other projects but they are well handled and very well acted as they find themselves in a very unfamiliar situation. A lot of these characters do bring comedy (Especially Robin Williams) but they also bring heart and genuine emotions that make them more interesting than they had any right to be.
The Cinemotogrpy was mostly shot in San Francisco, so you can expect to see lots of shots that show off the interesting landmarks and convinces of the San Francisco area. Some of the highlights of the cinematography scenery include the shots of the interior and exterior of the Hillard house and the climax at Bridges restaurant which is a real place. The most impressive thing visual-wise is basically the main highlight of the movie is the Mrs. Doubtfire makeup which is so good that it won an Oscar for Best Makeup at the 66th academy awards and it's not hard to see why that’s the case. The makeup looks so seamless that half the time I can’t even tell that Robin Willams is under there which is a true testament to how talented the makeup department is in creating a convincing disguise. There are also little details in the evolution of clothing in the characters such as how Sally Fields' character Miranda starts with wearing tight and formal clothing but slowly but surely becomes more informal and more casual which is a nice attention to detail. There is great attention to detail when doing the cinematography and every time I watch this movie I always find something new to appreciate on a visual level.
The music was composed by Howard Shore who is the same composer who did the music for Big and the Lord of the Rings movies. Like his score in Big, the melodies are very light and charming, and even when some of the tracks are ripped from previous scenes, they thankfully don’t get tiresome even if it would be great to hear more original tracks to go along with the more frequently used ones. There are also copyrighted songs that are utilized very well such as “Dude Looks Like a Lady” and “Luck be a Lady” which are made to coincide with a scene in the movie instead of being a pandered advertisement. The compositional score and added copyrighted songs work great alongside each other and this, in turn, makes for an interesting experience.
Despite getting a mixed reception from critics at the time, Mrs. Doubtfire has become a staple in ’90s family entertainment and has captured the hearts of so many people young and old. I still love this movie even if reality can get the best of it sometimes. Chris Columbus talks to audiences about divorce in entertaining but also heartfelt ways that show that just because divorce is a reality it doesn’t mean that you can’t find a way to live with it in a balanced matter. This is my favorite movie from Chris Columbus as it makes great use of comedy, character development, stunning cinematography, and of course, utilizing Robin Williams tablets to the max. If you haven’t watched this movie yet I would recommend you do so. It's a great movie to laugh along with but also to feel emotionally connected with as well.
(Final Grade: A)