Review: Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Released in November of 1993, Mrs. Doubtfire would go on to become the second highest grossing movie of the year, and if you ask me, it was all because of one person: Robin Williams. In the 90s, this guy could do no wrong. Whether or not his films were worth seeing, they were seen. As one of his best-known pictures, Mrs. Doubtfire is an example of a good Robin Williams movie, worthy of all the money it made.

After his wife asks him for a divorce, unemployed Daniel Hillard gets to spend no more than one night a week with his kids. Devastated that his former wife, Miranda, is looking to higher a nanny, even though he would like to look after the kids, Daniel decides to impersonate a 60 year old British women called Mrs. Doubtfire in hopes of getting the job himself. As Doubtfire, Daniel is highered as the kids' nanny, but this only seems to create more problems for him.

"My first day as a woman and I'm already having hot flashes."

Mrs. Doubtfire is quite a long movie, with a runtime of 125 minutes. As I've stated in previous posts, I do not believe that movies, under most circumstances, need to run past the 2 hour mark, especially if the film in question is a comedy, and Mrs. Doubtfire is no exception. Nevertheless, I do really like the film, and it doesn't feel like it runs over 2 hours.

Williams is wonderful as Mrs. Doubtfire. I don't need to tell you that he has great comic timing, but as a woman, it seems even more precise, and far more sarcastic. Sally Field doesn't exactly light up the screen in this film, but I don't think she's supposed to. She comes across as unlikable, and I felt little sympathy for the character, but I believe that that was intentional, so that we would feel more sympathy for Daniel. I'd also like to mention Harvey Fierstein, who is hilarious as Daniel's brother Frank, and little Mara Wilson, who plays Natalie, Daniel's adorable, youngest child, in her film debut.

"We've come to this planet looking for intelligent life. Oops, we made a mistake."

Mrs. Doubtfire is a fun film, not to be taken seriously. It's the type of movie you watch when you're looking for an easy-going, highly enjoyable film experience. I really like Mrs. Doubtfire. 8/10

Trivia: In real life, Robin Williams divorced his wife, Valerie Velardi, in order to marry their son's nanny, Marsha Garces. In Mrs. Doubtfire, Williams divorces his wife and becomes his children's nanny. 

- Vixtastr43