Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
*** (out of 4)
When his wife (Sally Field) divorces him and the courts take his children away except for one day a week, an actor/father (Robin Williams) decides to dress us as the elderly Mrs. Doubtfire so that he can be the family maid and spend more time with the children. I remember seeing this hit a couple times when it was originally released in theaters but it's been quite a while between viewings but I was pleasantly surprised to see how well the film held up. There are still many, many problems in the film but the main goal here was to be a showcase for Williams and it's certainly that. The highlights are certainly Williams going all out and delivering a marvelous performance not only as Mrs. Doubtfire but also as the father. I thought Williams did a very good job at handling the role of the struggling father even if the screenplay lets the film down with a few of these dramatic moments that I'll talk about later. Williams handles every situation wonderfully well but there's no doubt the real genius comes in the role of Doubtfire. The way he plays this character isn't simply him in a fat suit and make up but instead he really delivers a true performance and makes this character feel real and not just some put on. I think Williams perfectly nails this character so well that one could pass it off as a real English woman. He perfectly handles all the comedy scenes and that includes two sequences that rank as some of the best screwball moments of the decade. There are two sequences where he must go back and forth between the father role and that of Doubtfire and these scenes get the biggest laughs of the movie. This is especially true towards the end of the film when he has to spend time with the family as Doubtfire as well as impress a hopeful boss as the father. Field and Pierce Brosnan turn in fine supporting work but there's no question that the film belongs to Williams. I think there are a few major flaws with the film, which includes the biggest and that's the final twenty-minutes of the film when we enter some rather very dark moments including a very distasteful courtroom scene where Williams' character's mental issues are questioned. This was just way too dark for all the laughs that preceded it. The actual ending is one you'd expect but even it doesn't work out overly well. With that said, this is still one of the better, mainstream comedies of the 90s and Williams performance makes it a must see.
*** (out of 4)
When his wife (Sally Field) divorces him and the courts take his children away except for one day a week, an actor/father (Robin Williams) decides to dress us as the elderly Mrs. Doubtfire so that he can be the family maid and spend more time with the children. I remember seeing this hit a couple times when it was originally released in theaters but it's been quite a while between viewings but I was pleasantly surprised to see how well the film held up. There are still many, many problems in the film but the main goal here was to be a showcase for Williams and it's certainly that. The highlights are certainly Williams going all out and delivering a marvelous performance not only as Mrs. Doubtfire but also as the father. I thought Williams did a very good job at handling the role of the struggling father even if the screenplay lets the film down with a few of these dramatic moments that I'll talk about later. Williams handles every situation wonderfully well but there's no doubt the real genius comes in the role of Doubtfire. The way he plays this character isn't simply him in a fat suit and make up but instead he really delivers a true performance and makes this character feel real and not just some put on. I think Williams perfectly nails this character so well that one could pass it off as a real English woman. He perfectly handles all the comedy scenes and that includes two sequences that rank as some of the best screwball moments of the decade. There are two sequences where he must go back and forth between the father role and that of Doubtfire and these scenes get the biggest laughs of the movie. This is especially true towards the end of the film when he has to spend time with the family as Doubtfire as well as impress a hopeful boss as the father. Field and Pierce Brosnan turn in fine supporting work but there's no question that the film belongs to Williams. I think there are a few major flaws with the film, which includes the biggest and that's the final twenty-minutes of the film when we enter some rather very dark moments including a very distasteful courtroom scene where Williams' character's mental issues are questioned. This was just way too dark for all the laughs that preceded it. The actual ending is one you'd expect but even it doesn't work out overly well. With that said, this is still one of the better, mainstream comedies of the 90s and Williams performance makes it a must see.