In Memory of Robin Williams - Mrs. Doubtfire

This edition, I will be wrapping up my In Memory Robin Williams series with two more film selections. This review will be for the still popular 1993 comedy “Mrs. Doubtfire.” The 1993 Robin Williams comedy grossed $441.3 million worldwide on a $25 million budget.

Daniel Hillard, a divorced actor, disguises himself, as a female housekeeper named Mrs. Doubtfire to spend time with his children after losing custody.

He takes the job as their nanny and navigates the challenges of maintaining his dual identity while dealing with his ex-wife’s new boyfriend and his own evolving role as a parent.

I really couldn’t wrap my Robin Williams review series without re-visiting one of his most popular films ever! I have seen “Mrs. Doubtfire” countless times over the years and this movie is still really humorous and heartwarming.

The 1993 movie delivers quite a few hysterical moments and you can tell that Williams added his well known improvisational skills to make the comedic moments even better. One of my favorite moments is when Daniel (Robin Williams) keeps on calling his soon to be ex-wife about the nanny position with different voices is always hysterical.

Another favorite hilarious moment is when the social worker is talking with Daniel/Mrs. Doubtfire and the “facial cream” (actually cake frosting) begins to melt. This entire scene was actually improvised by Williams due to the frosting melting because of the studio lights above the set.

Now, while “Mrs. Doubtfire” easily delivers a lot of comedic moments, there are also some that can be a little emotional. Throughout the movie, we get to see how the parents’ separation and soon divorce is affecting the children which can be rather heart-breaking.

There’s also a couple scenes between Daniel/Doubtfire and Miranda where Miranda has some heartfelt discussions about her perspective on their marriage and some of the struggles she had been facing. And, during those discussions, Daniel begins to gain a deeper understanding of some of the issues they had.

“Mrs. Doubtfire” is a popular movie that continues to be enjoyed by many for its humor and heartwarming moments. This 1993 movie also dives into the topic of divorce which can be a difficult subject for some families.

Trivia: Director Chris Colombus was amazed how far Williams took his performance.

First, he played each scene as scripted two or three times, and then was allowed to improvise, or “playing” as Williams called it. Columbus allowed Williams a lot of improvisation, because that was where the movie’s funniest material came from. Also according to the director, Williams improvised so much that there were PG, PG-13 and R rated edits of the movie.

MPA: Rated PG-13 for some sexual references   (runtime 125 minutes)

You can currently stream “Mrs. Doubtfire” on Hulu/Disney Plus or rent it through various PVOD rental services.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3euGQ7-brs4

• According to one biography, Robin Williams decided to test out the believability of his Mrs. Doubtfire character during filming by going as Mrs. Doubtfire into an adult bookstore and making a purchase. He was able to do so without being recognized.

• Chris Columbus would use two or three cameras at a time when shooting Robin Williams' scenes, uncertain of what the famously improvisational actor would come up with. Columbus viewed shooting these scenes as if he were making a documentary.

• During the scene when Mrs. Sellner comes to inspect Daniel's apartment and Daniel/Mrs. Doubtfire is serving her tea, the icing on his/her face is melting off. This was not intentional. The heat from the set lights melted the icing on his face and Robin Williams improvised the bulk of that scene.

• Chris Columbus was amazed how far Robin Williams took his performance. First, he played each scene as scripted two to three times, and then was allowed to improvise, or "playing" as Williams called it. Columbus allowed Williams a lot of improvisation, because that was where the film's funniest material came from; in fact, Columbus called it magical at times.

• Although Robin Williams and Sally Field got along well during the making of the film, Field said in an interview that Williams would be frustrated because he tried so hard to get her to break out of character during scenes but Field remained professional and never did so. She described Williams as a "wonderful person", but found working with him to be exhausting simply because he had so much energy and wanted different takes constantly to try different improvisations for the film. Still Field has continued to speak very highly of Williams and found making the film fun and was one of many celebrities who grieved Williams death publicly online in 2014.

• During the restaurant scene when Mrs. Doubtfire's teeth fell into the wine glass, the cast didn't know Robin Williams would do that, and their reactions on film were genuine, mirroring the shock of the crew.

• Talk of a sequel began in 2003, with a script being written by Bonnie Hunt. Robin Williams was set to return in disguise as an old nanny like in the first movie. Due to problems with the script, re-writing began in early 2006 as Williams was allegedly unhappy with the plot. The film was expected to be released in late 2007, but following further script problems, the sequel was declared "scrapped" in mid 2006. The sequel's story was originally said to involve Williams, as Mrs. Doubtfire, moving close to his daughter's college, so he could keep an eye on her. Serious discussions regarding the sequel re-ignited in April 2014, with an announcement that Williams and Chris Columbus would be teaming up with Fox 2000 Pictures to produce the sequel. Williams' sudden death just four months later ultimately sealed the project's fate once and for all. No one replaced him either.