Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy-drama film, starring Robin Williams (who also served as co-producer) and Sally Field and based on the novel Alias Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It was directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup. Although the film received mixed reviews during its original theatrical run, subsequent reevaluation has been more positive: the film was placed 67th in the American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies, a list of the 100 funniest movies of the 20th century, and was also rated No. 40 on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies of All Time. The original music score was composed by Howard Shore.
In 2001, a sequel titled Mrs. Doubtfire 2 began production by Bonnie Hunt. Writing for the sequel began in 2003. However, it was scrapped in December 2006, after Williams believed the script to be "useless." Production resumed in April 2014 but was permanently cancelled after Williams' death in August 2014.
Plot
Daniel Hillard is a voice actor living in California, who quits his job at an animation studio over a questionable script. Though a devoted father to his three young children, Lydia, Chris and Natalie, Daniel is not a responsible husband. When Daniel throws a boisterous birthday party for his son Chris, despite a bad report card, his wife Miranda becomes furious with him and seeks a divorce. At their first custody hearing, the judge grants Miranda custody of the children, since Daniel has neither a residence nor a job.
Daniel soon learns that Miranda intends to hire a housekeeper, and surreptitiously alters her classifieds form. He then calls Miranda several times, using his voice acting to trick her into thinking that many terrible job applicants are calling. He then calls her as a middle-aged British-accented nanny, whom he dubs "Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire". Impressed with her alleged qualifications, Miranda invites "Mrs. Doubtfire" for an interview. Daniel enlists his brother Frank, a makeup artist, and his partner Jack to transform him into the character.
After being further impressed by the interview, Miranda hires Mrs. Doubtfire. The children initially struggle to adjust to Mrs. Doubtfire's strict methods, but they soon begin to thrive, while Miranda quickly befriends "her". Daniel has to learn several skills to play the role convincingly, such as cooking and cleaning, and also improves himself. That night, Chris and Lydia learn that Mrs. Doubtfire is their father in disguise, but after the initial panic, both agree to keep it secret from Miranda and Natalie.
Daniel also takes a job at a TV station. CEO Jonathan Lundy sees Daniel clowning around with toy dinosaurs on the set of an outdated children's program on the cusp of cancellation. Impressed with Daniel's creativity, Lundy invites him to dinner in order for Daniel to pitch ideas as a new host. Miranda, meanwhile, invites Mrs. Doubtfire to a birthday dinner arranged by romantic interest Stuart Dunmire scheduled at the same time and place. Unable to reschedule either appointment, Daniel goes to the restaurant and tries to rotate between both dinners, changing in and out of the Mrs. Doubtfire costume in the restroom. He consumes several alcoholic beverages between the two tables and becomes tipsy. He forgets to change out of the Mrs. Doubtfire costume before returning to Lundy's table and dumps pepper (an ingredient Stuart is allergic to) on Stuart's order. When Lundy questions the costume, Daniel covers for his mistake by explaining that his alter ego is his idea for a television persona, impressing Lundy. At Miranda's table, Stuart starts choking on the pepper. Out of regret, Daniel, still in the Mrs. Doubtfire costume, administers the Heimlich maneuver. During the struggle, Daniel's mask peels off, revealing his identity. Horrified, Miranda storms out of the restaurant with the children.
At their next custody hearing, despite Daniel demonstrating he has a job and a suitable home, the judge is disturbed by Daniel's behavior, and grants Miranda full custody, with Daniel limited to supervised visitation once a week. Without Mrs. Doubtfire, the children become withdrawn and depressed, and Miranda admits their lives were so much better with "her". However, they are delighted when they see Daniel dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire hosting his own television program, "Euphegenia's House", which becomes a hit across several American cities. Miranda pays a visit to Daniel after he wraps up one episode. Congratulating him on his success, she admits the kids were happier with him involved and decides to make efforts to appeal the custody ruling. Later the kids are greeted by Daniel, revealed as their new babysitter, undisguised and without supervision. Miranda watches a Euphegenia's House episode where Mrs. Doubtfire answers a letter from a little girl whose parents are divorcing, saying no matter what arrangements families have, love will prevail.
Cast
- Robin Williams as Daniel Hillard / Euphegenia Doubtfire
- Sally Field as Miranda Hillard
- Lisa Jakub as Lydia "Lydie" Hillard
- Matthew Lawrence as Christopher "Chris" Hillard
- Mara Wilson as Natalie "Nattie" Hillard
- Pierce Brosnan as Stuart "Stu" Dunmeyer
- Harvey Fierstein as Frank Hillard
- Scott Capurro as Jack
- Robert Prosky as Jonathan Lundy
- Polly Holliday as Gloria Cheney
- Anne Haney as Mrs. Sellner
- Martin Mull as Justin Gregory
- William Newman as Mr. Sprinkles
- Todd Williams as Todd the Bartender
- Terry McGovern as Lou
Production
Filming
Chicago was the studio's first choice for filming. However, as two new television shows (ER and Chicago Hope) had a lease with the city during the subsequent time period, production was relocated ton San Francisco. Various locations in the city were used during filming. Parts were filmed at the studios of television station KTVU in Oakland. Street signs for the intersection near the "Painted Lady" home, Steiner and Broadway, were visible on-screen. The exact address 2640 Steiner Street 37°47′38.07″N 122°26′10.78″W became a tourist attraction for some time after the film's release. Following Robin Williams' death on August 11, 2014, the house became an impromptu memorial. All interior filming for the home took place in a Bay Area warehouse converted for soundstage usage. Williams' character Daniel Hillard lived upstairs from Danilo Bakery at 516 Green Street; his children attended a school at Filbert and Taylor.
The makeup for Mrs. Doubtfire's appearance took four hours to apply. Williams later recounted how he used to walk through San Francisco dressed in full Mrs. Doubtfire make-up and costume and on one occasion, visiting a sex shop to buy a large dildo.
The restaurant scene was filmed at Bridges Restaurant & Bar in Danville, California.
Music
Tracklisting
- "Mrs. Doubtfire" - 2:58
- "Divorce" -2:56
- "My Name Is Else Immelman - 2:55
- "Meeting Mrs. Doubtfire â€" 2:14
- "Tea Time With Mrs. Sellner" - 3:58
- "Dinner Is Served" - 2:18
- "Daniel and the Kids" - 2:29
- "Cable Cars" - 4:56
- "Bridges Restaurant" - 6:13
- "Show's Over" - 3:26
- "The Kids Need You" - 3:21
- "Figaro / Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" - 3:23
The score was composed, orchestrated, and conducted by Howard Shore. The song Robin Williams sings at the cartoon voiceover in the beginning is "Largo al factotum". Other songs featured often were chosen referencing the identity of Mrs. Doubtfire. These songs include:
- "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" performed by Aerosmith
- "Walk Like a Man" performed by The Four Seasons
- "Luck Be a Lady" performed by Frank Sinatra
- "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" performed by James Brown
Additionally, these songs were featured:
- "Jump Around" performed by House of Pain
- "Stormy Monday Blues" performed by B.B. King and Albert Collins
Reaction
Box office
The film earned $219,195,243 in the United States, along with $222,090,952 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $441,286,195. It became the second highest grossing film of 1993, behind only Jurassic Park.
Critical reception
At the time of its release, several critics compared Mrs. Doubtfire unfavorably with Some Like It Hot (1959) and others who viewed the film favorably noted its similarity to Tootsie (1982).
Mrs. Doubtfire has a "Fresh" rating of 71% with an average score of 5.8 out of 10 on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 49 reviews. On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 53 / 100, indicating "mixed or average" review, based on 16 critics.
Accolades
- 66th Academy Awards
- Best Makeup (Won)
- 51st Golden Globe Awards
- Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) (Won)
- Best Actor (Musical/Comedy) - Robin Williams (Won)
BAFTA Awards
- 1994
- Best Makeup & Hair (nominee)
American Film Institute Lists
- AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs - No. 67
- AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs:
- Dude (Looks Like a Lady) - Nominated
Cancelled sequel
In 2001, Mrs. Doubtfire 2 began being developed by Bonnie Hunt, but not until 2003 did writing begin. Robin Williams was set to return in disguise as an old nanny. Due to problems with the script, re-writing began in 2006, as Williams was unhappy with the plot, but the sequel was again "scrapped" later that year. The film was expected to be released in late 2007.
In an interview for Newsday during 2006, Williams said the movie's sequel was indefinitely scrapped. Stating his reasons, he said, "The script they had just didn't work." The sequel's story involved Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire moving close to Lydia's college, so he could keep an eye on her. Afterwards, Williams said the film's sequel was scrapped. Stating his reasons, he said, "The script didn't work." For a brief period of time, the film was classed as "stalled", but it then seemed that the project wouldn't occur, and was even removed from the IMDb website.
In December 2006, during an interview on BBC Radio 1 by DJ Edith Bowman, Williams said that if it is not going to be done right, then it's not worth doing, and that there will not be a sequel with him in it. In August 2010, Robin Williams was featured on Alan Carr: Chatty Man, and again brought up the topic of another Mrs. Doubtfire movie. He blamed the script not being right as the reason another movie wasn't shot. He claimed the script had been written three times and failed, and there was no mention of any ongoing work on the project. Furthermore, in December 2011, during an interview by Moviehole, Williams stated again that the chances of a sequel are "highly unlikely".
Future
In May 2013, Chris Columbus stated that "We're talking about a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire. We've talked about it (Robin Williams), and the studio is interested in it. The thing that fascinates me about a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire is with most actors who create an iconic charcter like Mrs. Doubtfire, when you come back and do that character, well, you're twenty years older so, you're not going to look the same. The cool thing with Mrs. Doubtfire is there's a character, there's a woman, who is actually going to look exactly as she did in 1993.
"So I look forward to seeing that trailer. I love that concept and there's no CGI. So we just need to make absolutely certain that the story is a good emotionally strong story, that there's a reason for telling it, it's not like Big Momma's House or something. It has to be as emotional and as funny." Later, on April 17, 2014, it was announced that a sequel was in development at 20th Century Fox. Williams and Chris Columbus were expected to return, and Elf screenwriter David Berenbaum was writing the script. However, following Williams' death on August 11, 2014, plans for a sequel were permanently cancelled. No one replaced Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire either.
Stage musical
The film will be turned into a stage musical for Broadway.
In popular culture
- Robin Williams as the Genie performs a spoof reprisal of his role as Mrs. Doubtfire in Aladdin and the King of Thieves when he tries to give a dejected Jasmine some moral support.
- In the How I Met Your Mother episode "The Playbook," Barney performs the role of Mrs. Doubtfire as Mrs. Stinsfire as a trick to pick up girls.
- Tobias Fünke (David Cross) dresses up as an elderly nanny named Mrs. Featherbottom in Arrested Development to get closer to his daughter, something described by the narrator as "the exact plot of Mrs. Doubtfire."
- In the Hot in Cleveland episode "Don Elka," Simon performs the role of Mrs. Doubtfire as Mrs. McCrakin as to disguises to win back his first love Joy.
- In The Simpsons episode "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious," Homer chases away an elderly nanny named Mrs. Pennyfeather, having seen Mrs. Doubtfire and thus believing her to be a man in drag. In another episode "There's Something About Marrying", Marge walks into an crossdresser named Veronica shaving, and using the toilet, humming "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", a parody of the scene where Chris discovers Mrs. Doubtfire to be Daniel.
- In an episode of Bobby's World, when Bobby's mother initially refuses to allow his uncle Ted to babysit him, Ted disguises himself as a woman named Mrs. Nouggiefire.
- In a segment of the Viewer mail #2 episode of Family Guy titled "Fatman & Robin," many of Williams' characters are referenced, including Mrs. Doubtfire, who advises Peter, "Time to lose some weight, dearie."
See also
- Avvai Shanmughi, the 1996 re-make in Indian Tamil-language
- Chachi 420, the 1998 re-make in Indian Hindi-language
- Cross-dressing in film and television
References
External links
- Mrs. Doubtfire at the Internet Movie Database
- Mrs. Doubtfire at the TCM Movie Database
- Mrs. Doubtfire at AllMovie
- Mrs. Doubtfire at Box Office Mojo