Other reviewers have delved into the troubling aspects of the movie such as the Robin Williams' character's dysfunctional behaviors and his seemingly sudden success in TV. Both are hard to swallow, but it's a movie and movies don't have to be realistic in every detail. There is one aspect of Mrs. Doubtfire, however, that I find deeply troubling as it demonstrates an inequity that often exists in our society and that should be recognized as detrimental rather than being immortalized in film.
We all recall how strict the judge was in curtailing Robin Williams' contact with his children and yet, at the end of the movie when he reunites with them and the kids wonder if it's legal, he tells them to ask their mother and she says she took care of it by talking to the judge. I wanted to throw something at the screen!! How and why could a judge's ruling have been reversed merely because a woman had a conversation with him about her ex-husband's visitation rights?? Neither parent should be in the position to wield that much sway or power with a simple wave of her (or his) hand over whether to grant, restrict, or deny the rights of their children's other parent. (By the way, I'm a father who had custody of his two kids as they grew up and who went out of his way to ensure their mother's ease of access and visitation.) I've seen too many kids and too many families damaged and victimized when one parent or the courts use access as a weapon or bargaining chip. It was happening in 1993 when this movie was made and it's still happening today over 20 years later. It needs to stop!
We all recall how strict the judge was in curtailing Robin Williams' contact with his children and yet, at the end of the movie when he reunites with them and the kids wonder if it's legal, he tells them to ask their mother and she says she took care of it by talking to the judge. I wanted to throw something at the screen!! How and why could a judge's ruling have been reversed merely because a woman had a conversation with him about her ex-husband's visitation rights?? Neither parent should be in the position to wield that much sway or power with a simple wave of her (or his) hand over whether to grant, restrict, or deny the rights of their children's other parent. (By the way, I'm a father who had custody of his two kids as they grew up and who went out of his way to ensure their mother's ease of access and visitation.) I've seen too many kids and too many families damaged and victimized when one parent or the courts use access as a weapon or bargaining chip. It was happening in 1993 when this movie was made and it's still happening today over 20 years later. It needs to stop!