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Mrs. Doubtfire

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Mrs. Doubtfire
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChris Columbus
Screenplay byRandi Mayem Singer
Leslie Dixon
Produced byMarsha Garces Williams
Robin Williams
Mark Radcliffe
StarringRobin Williams
Sally Field
Lisa Jakub
Matthew Lawrence
Mara Wilson
Pierce Brosnan
Harvey Fierstein
CinematographyDonald McAlpine
Edited byRaja Gosnell
Music byHoward Shore
Production
company
Blue Wolf Productions
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • November 24, 1993 (1993-11-24)
Running time
125 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25,000,000[1]
Box office$441,286,195[1]

Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy 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.[2] 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, but was repeatedly scrapped since Williams believed the script to be useless. However, in 2014, the sequel re-began production, only to be cancelled after Williams' death.

Plot

Daniel Hillard is a voice actor living in California, who quits his job at an animation studio following a disagreement over a questionable script. He is a devoted father to his three children Lydia, Chris, and Natalie. However, Daniel is not a very responsible husband, and when he throws a rousing birthday party for Chris, his wife Miranda takes it a sign Daniel is too immature and seeks a divorce. At their first custody hearing, the judge grants Miranda custody of the children, since Daniel has neither residence nor job.

Daniel soon learns that Miranda intends to hire a housekeeper to care of the children. Seeing this as a chance to spend more time with his kids; surreptitiously alters her classifieds form. Daniel calls Miranda several times, using his voice acting to trick her into thinking that many lousy job applicants are calling. He then calls her as an elderly Scottish-accented nanny, whom he dubs "Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire". Impressed with her alleged qualifications, Miranda invites "Mrs. Doubtfire" for an interview. Daniel enlists his gay brother Frank, a makeup artist, and Frank's 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, while Miranda quickly befriends "her". Daniel, who had to learn several skills, improves himself and his apartment as well. One day Chris and Lydia learn that Mrs. Doubtfire is their father in disguise, but Daniel tells them that he wears the costume so he can see his children every day. Glad that he is back with them, both agree to keep it secret from Miranda and Natalie.

Daniel also has 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 that is on the cusp of cancellation. Impressed with Daniel's ingenuity, Lundy invites him to dinner in order for Daniel to pitch ideas as the 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 new television persona. Impressed, Lundy agrees that is a good character. At Miranda's table, Stuart starts choking on the pepper. Out of regret, Daniel, still in the Mrs. Doubtfire costume, administers the Heimlich maneuver on Stuart. 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 unorthodox behavior, and grants Miranda full custody of the children, with Daniel limited to supervised visitation once a week. Without Mrs. Doubtfire, the children again are withdrawn and depressed, and Miranda admits that 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 and looks like it will be aired on networks throughout 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 is making efforts to appeal the custody ruling. Later the kids are greeted by Daniel, now undisguised and without supervision, who takes them out for the day. 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 living arrangements families have; love will prevail.

Cast

Production

Filming

The San Francisco house used for exterior shots of the film, taken a few days after Robin Williams' death. A fan-made tribute to Williams can be seen at its front steps.

Chicago was the studio's first choice for filming. However, two new television shows (ER and Chicago Hope) had a lease with the city around the same time period, and the production team eventually went with San Francisco. Various locations in the city were used for filming. Parts were shot at the studios of television station KTVU in Oakland. The 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 / 37.7939083°N 122.4363278°W / 37.7939083; -122.4363278 became a tourist attraction for some time after the film's release.[3] Following Robin Williams' death on August 11, 2014, the house became an impromptu memorial.[4] Though the film's home exteriors were impressive, its interiors were all shot in a warehouse in the Bay Area that was turned into a soundstage. Williams' character Daniel Hillard lived upstairs from Danilo Bakery at 516 Green St. and his children attended a school at Filbert and Taylor.

The makeup for Mrs. Doubtfire's appearance took 4 hours to apply.[5] Since the film was released, Williams has recounted on several occasions 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.[6]

The restaurant scene was filmed in an actual upscale restaurant called Bridges Restaurant & Bar in downtown Danville, California, which is still in operation, as of August 2024.

Music

Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]

Tracklisting

  1. "Mrs. Doubtfire" - 2:58
  2. "Divorce" -2:56
  3. "My Name Is Else Immelman - 2:55
  4. "Meeting Mrs. Doubtfire – 2:14
  5. "Tea Time With Mrs. Sellner" - 3:58
  6. "Dinner Is Served" - 2:18
  7. "Daniel and the Kids" - 2:29
  8. "Cable Cars" - 4:56
  9. "Bridges Restaurant" - 6:13
  10. "Show's Over" - 3:26
  11. "The Kids Need You" - 3:21
  12. "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:

Additionally, these songs were featured:

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.[1] It became the second highest grossing film of 1993, behind only Jurassic Park.[8][9]

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).[10]

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.[11][12] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 53 / 100, indicating "mixed or average" review, based on 16 critics.[13]

Accolades

BAFTA Awards

American Film Institute Lists

Sequel

In 2001, Mrs. Doubtfire 2 began being developed by Bonnie Hunt. 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.[15] 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."[16]

As of April 17, 2014, 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.[17] However, following Williams' death on August 11, 2014, plans for a sequel were cancelled.[18] However, it is possible that most presumed filming scenes from Mrs. Doubtfire 2 could have occurred when Williams was alive and could possibly be released as a dedicated film to Williams.

See also

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References

  1. ^ a b c "Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Awards for Mrs. Doubtfire. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
  3. ^ Shot on This Site, William A. Gordon, Citadel, 1995, p.39.
  4. ^ "Robin Williams memorial grows outside 'Mrs. Doubtfire' house"
  5. ^ Jessica Probus. "The Actual Makeup From "Mrs. Doubtfire" Was Even More Intense Than You Realized". Buzzfeed.com. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
  6. ^ Christopher Hooton (2014-08-12). "Robin Williams, dressed as Mrs Doubtfire, walks into a sex shop… - News - Films". The Independent. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
  7. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Mrs. Doubtfire (Original Soundtrack Album) - Howard Shore". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  8. ^ Fox, David J. (1994-02-01). "Mrs. Doubtfire' Still the Champ". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  9. ^ Fox, David J. (1994-01-04). "Mrs. Doubtfire Takes the Holiday". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  10. ^ "Papa's Got A Brand New Drag". Newsweek. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  11. ^ "Review at Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  12. ^ "Go behind the scenes with 'Mrs. Doubtfire'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-14.
  13. ^ "Mrs. Doubtfire—Metacritic". Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  14. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  15. ^ "Williams Rejects Mrs. Doubtfire Sequel". WorstPreviews.com. 2006-12-07. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  16. ^ Brunton, Richard (December 5, 2006). "Williams says no Mrs Doubtfire 2". Filmstalker. Retrieved February 6, 2007.
  17. ^ Kit, Borys (April 16, 2014). "'Mrs. Doubtfire' Sequel in the Works at Fox 2000 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  18. ^ Sperling, Nicole (August 11, 2014). "Robin Williams leaves behind four upcoming films". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  19. ^ The Robin Williams Fansite: Aladdin and the King of Thieves - "Fun Facts". Retrieved 12-01-2013.
  20. ^ Anthony's Film Review: Aladdin and the King of Thieves. Retrieved 12-01-2013.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
1993 		Succeeded by
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