Why can’t a woman be more like a man dressed like a
woman?
Rita Kempley said in her review, “"Mrs.
Doubtfire," a kind of "Charley's Aunt" with voguish family
values, skirts the issue with hairy-legged hilarity and hug-a-bug-ability.”
Produced by Robin Williams and his at that time wife, Marsha Graces Williams,
the movie is mainly a showcase of Williams’ comic genius, but it also has one
or two stuff to say about raising children – the stuff you see in cereal commercials.
Williams, at the height of his mad form, goes through
his various familiar impressions – Gandhi to Tweety Bird to Barbra Streisand –
before focusing on his nanny protagonist. Kempley compared, “He's downright
irresistible as the redoubtable old housekeeper, who appears to be the love
child of Mary Poppins and Hulk Hogan's "Mr. Nanny."”
Based on the book Alias Madame Doubtfire by
Anne Fine, the film is about Daniel Hillard (Williams), a childlike voice actor
who loves his three kids so much (Lisa Jakub, Matthew Lawrence, and Mara
Wilson). These qualities that commend him to them – a sweet craziness and a carefree
type of fun – prevent him from being a good husband to Miranda, played by Sally
Field, a hardworking mom who divorces him and wins custody of the kids.
Not wanting to be separated from his children for even
a day, Daniel disguises himself as the old-fashioned Mrs. Doubtfire and his
hired on as Miranda’s housekeeper. Kempley said, “Of course, nobody in her
right mind would be fooled, but that is, of course, Victor/Victoria's Secret --
the essence of both the movie's heart and its howls.”
Daniel, taken into his wife’s confidence as Mrs.
Doubtfire, learns what she really thought of him: “I just didn’t like who I was
with him.” Meanwhile, Daniel, as an old British lady, attracts the attention of
a bus driver, played by Sydney Walker, who is not the least uninterested when
seeing Mrs. Doubtfire’s hairy knee: “I like that Mediterranean look. It’s
natural, healthy.”
Kempley noted, “Inevitably, our hero has the
all-too-familiar problems with high heels and purse snatchers, but these
prerequisites of cross-dressing are quickly dispensed with. Daniel, you see,
has had lessons from professionals -- not to mention the blessing of genuine
gay people.” This disguise came with the help of his makeup artist brother (Harvey
Fierstein) and his boyfriend (Scott Capurro).
Kempley said, “As "Uncle Frank and Aunt
Jack," they are very much a part of this movie family, an inclusive
organism that extends finally to Miranda's new boyfriend (Pierce Brosnan), who
like Mom herself is little more than a dandy foil for the hero.” Others include
the late Robert Prosky as the old station manager who helps Daniel toward a
happy ending and the late Anne Haney as the court liaison who investigates
Daniel’s living conditions.
Kempley noted, “The most thankless role belongs to
Field, who is career mom as scapegoat for the downfall of civilization. But
Field perseveres, recalling Cinderella's buddies, the cartoon bluebirds.” When
Williams gets to improvise the heartstrings tugging speech at the end where, as
Mrs. Doubtfire, he tells the one about there being all kinds of families and that’s
ok – Field gets to the heart of the matter. “Mrs. Doubtfire brought out the
best in (the children) and in you,” she says. “And you,” he replies.
Kempley noted, “In "Tootsie," Dustin Hoffman
found that he was actually nicer in a dress too -- which in no way explains why
women remain basically unchanged when clad in pantsuits. But that is not the
point. Maybe there is no point, except to laugh while absorbing the goopy
propaganda. And you will laugh till your ribs ache -- not because director
Chris Columbus of the "Home Alone" movies has a gift for farce, which
he does, but because Williams is to funny what the Energizer Bunny is to
batteries.” He just kept going nonstop.
I remember seeing commercials for this movie when it
was advertised that it was airing one night. All of us sat and watched the
entire movie that night. We own the VHS and I remember laughing nonstop at this
movie because it was that funny. I can’t remember if this was the very first
Robin Williams movie I saw or if it was one of the first. I think “Aladdin” was
the first Williams movie I saw, but I can’t remember. Still, this movie is one
that everyone should see. It is currently streaming on Netflix and Disney+, so
you should see it. This is one that shouldn’t be missed by anyone. When Williams
calls Field as the various applicants for the housekeeper, that was downright
hilarious. Both Williams and Field probably understood the subject matter of
the movie, both who had gone through divorces prior to this film, which I can also
understand, as I am going through that currently, which is almost finalized. Thankfully,
I don’t have children, or that would have been exactly as the film portrayed
it. I read somewhere that Matthew Lawrence saw how depressed Williams was in
his trailer between takes, and he was able to see how depressed comedians get,
especially with the most gifted one we ever had in Williams. The serious
moments were really needed and they helped the movie out, especially when they
made you feel the same emotions. Originally, they were going to end the film
with Daniel and Miranda getting back together, but they changed that because it
would have given children of divorced parents false hope that they’re parents
would eventually get back together, which doesn’t always happen. See this
movie, as it is one of the best comedies ever made with some realistic stuff in
here that people will be able to relate to it.
Next week, I will be looking at one of the worst
animated movies in “Pierce Brosnan Month.”
