"Mrs. Doubtfire" has a lot in common with "Tootsie", another cross-dressing comedy from around a decade earlier. Like Michael Dorsey, the character played by Dustin Hoffman in that film, the hero Daniel Hillard is an out-of-work actor who spends much of the movie pretending to be a woman. Their motives for female impersonation, however, are different. Michael, unable to find work as an actor, thinks that he will have more success if he becomes an actress. Daniel has recently been though a harrowing divorce from his wife Miranda, who has been awarded custody of their three children. Although Daniel loves his children deeply, he only has limited visitation rights, so in order to spend more time with them he uses his acting skills to disguise himself as a 60-year-old British nanny, whom he names Euphegenia Doubtfire. In his new persona he applies for, and obtains, a job as Miranda's housekeeper.
(Mrs Doubtfire is referred to in the script as "English", but her accent is definitely Scottish. Her surname, in the context of the film, was taken from a newspaper headline reading "Police doubt fire was accidental", but it does appear to be a genuine one. The name "Euphegenia", probably a portmanteau of "Euphemia" and "Iphigenia", seems to be Daniel's own invention).
"Tootsie" was (among other things) a satire on sexist attitudes in the workplace. "Mrs Doubtfire" is (among other things) an analysis of gender roles in late twentieth-century society and a critique of American divorce law. Most contested child-custody cases end with custody being given to the mother, largely because of the assumption that women are the caring, nurturing sex and that the father's role is to act as the family breadwinner, a role which, it is assumed, can be performed just as well by an absent father as by a present one. Feminists have been strangely reluctant to criticise this assumption, even though it rests upon "woman's place is in the home" stereotypes which, in other contexts, they would be the first to denounce as outdated.
There is a good deal of satire in the film at the expense of the American court system and the way in which it handles matrimonial cases. The social worker appointed by the Court to report on the child custody issue is a particular figure of fun. In Britain, social workers are often caricatured as right-on politically correct liberals. In America, to judge from the film, it would seem that they are ultra-conservative old ladies who still think that they are living in the 1950s.
"Mrs Doubtfire" also questions some of our basic assumptions about the sexes. Daniel is not very successful in his career, although he clearly has talent as an actor. It is Miranda, a successful businesswoman, who is the family's main breadwinner. Yet it is Daniel who comes across as the more caring and empathetic in his relationship with the children. Although Miranda means well she is too distant and preoccupied with her business to have much time for them. After her divorce much she is forced to delegate much of their care to the supposed "Mrs Doubtfire"- care which before the divorce would have been undertaken by their father. Daniel's main fault as a father was that he has been too indulgent with his children and has failed to discipline them. Paradoxically, it is only when he adopts a feminine personality that he is able to become a firm father-figure.
The obvious temptation would have been to have turned the film into a sentimental comedy of remarriage by making Miranda's new boyfriend Stuart (played by a pre-Bond Pierce Brosnan) an obvious villain and by having Daniel and Miranda living together again by the end of the film, much to the delight of their children. This temptation was, however, resisted, and I think that was the right decision. The film bravely acknowledges that love does not always conquer all and that not all marriages are made in heaven; it ends, however, with a plea to parents to put the interests of their children first, even when their won relationship is breaking down.
It would, however, be wrong to analyse this film solely in terms of social issues. It is, first and foremost, a comedy, and a very successful one. Daniel and his alter ego Mrs Doubtfire are both played by Robin Williams, probably the ideal actor for the role because of his talent as a mimic and his ability to do all sorts of comic voices. Largely because of Williams's talents, the film is one of the funniest American movies of the nineties, with some brilliantly conceived and acted scenes, including his voice-overs for the "Pudgy the Parrot" cartoons, the anarchic birthday party he throws for his son and just about everything he does in his "Doubtfire" persona. Along with "Good Morning, Vietnam", "Dead Poets Society" and "One Hour Photo" this is one of Williams's greatest films. It is certainly his funniest performance. 9/10
(Mrs Doubtfire is referred to in the script as "English", but her accent is definitely Scottish. Her surname, in the context of the film, was taken from a newspaper headline reading "Police doubt fire was accidental", but it does appear to be a genuine one. The name "Euphegenia", probably a portmanteau of "Euphemia" and "Iphigenia", seems to be Daniel's own invention).
"Tootsie" was (among other things) a satire on sexist attitudes in the workplace. "Mrs Doubtfire" is (among other things) an analysis of gender roles in late twentieth-century society and a critique of American divorce law. Most contested child-custody cases end with custody being given to the mother, largely because of the assumption that women are the caring, nurturing sex and that the father's role is to act as the family breadwinner, a role which, it is assumed, can be performed just as well by an absent father as by a present one. Feminists have been strangely reluctant to criticise this assumption, even though it rests upon "woman's place is in the home" stereotypes which, in other contexts, they would be the first to denounce as outdated.
There is a good deal of satire in the film at the expense of the American court system and the way in which it handles matrimonial cases. The social worker appointed by the Court to report on the child custody issue is a particular figure of fun. In Britain, social workers are often caricatured as right-on politically correct liberals. In America, to judge from the film, it would seem that they are ultra-conservative old ladies who still think that they are living in the 1950s.
"Mrs Doubtfire" also questions some of our basic assumptions about the sexes. Daniel is not very successful in his career, although he clearly has talent as an actor. It is Miranda, a successful businesswoman, who is the family's main breadwinner. Yet it is Daniel who comes across as the more caring and empathetic in his relationship with the children. Although Miranda means well she is too distant and preoccupied with her business to have much time for them. After her divorce much she is forced to delegate much of their care to the supposed "Mrs Doubtfire"- care which before the divorce would have been undertaken by their father. Daniel's main fault as a father was that he has been too indulgent with his children and has failed to discipline them. Paradoxically, it is only when he adopts a feminine personality that he is able to become a firm father-figure.
The obvious temptation would have been to have turned the film into a sentimental comedy of remarriage by making Miranda's new boyfriend Stuart (played by a pre-Bond Pierce Brosnan) an obvious villain and by having Daniel and Miranda living together again by the end of the film, much to the delight of their children. This temptation was, however, resisted, and I think that was the right decision. The film bravely acknowledges that love does not always conquer all and that not all marriages are made in heaven; it ends, however, with a plea to parents to put the interests of their children first, even when their won relationship is breaking down.
It would, however, be wrong to analyse this film solely in terms of social issues. It is, first and foremost, a comedy, and a very successful one. Daniel and his alter ego Mrs Doubtfire are both played by Robin Williams, probably the ideal actor for the role because of his talent as a mimic and his ability to do all sorts of comic voices. Largely because of Williams's talents, the film is one of the funniest American movies of the nineties, with some brilliantly conceived and acted scenes, including his voice-overs for the "Pudgy the Parrot" cartoons, the anarchic birthday party he throws for his son and just about everything he does in his "Doubtfire" persona. Along with "Good Morning, Vietnam", "Dead Poets Society" and "One Hour Photo" this is one of Williams's greatest films. It is certainly his funniest performance. 9/10