Mrs. Doubtfire Reviews

The first film, to our knowledge, to propose cross-dressing as a form of marriage therapy, MRS. DOUBTFIRE became one of the biggest hits of 1993, grossing over $220 million at the US box office. Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) is a San Francisco voice-over artist whose "principles" (read--New Age posturing) and "love of life" (read--infuriating childishness) prevent him from holding down a job. Daniel's naive exuberance makes him a hit with his kids, but has exhausted the patience of his wife (Sally Field), who sues for divorce and gets custody of the beloved children. In his desperation to spend more time with the extra-cute youngsters, Daniel does what any red-blooded male in his position would do: he impersonates a British nanny and lands a job taking care of his own offspring. The manifold problems of MRS. DOUBTFIRE are hardly worth listing. Daniel is so hopelessly immature, and played with such puppy-dog overkill by Williams, that it's impossible to root for him--until you meet his wife, whom Sally Field makes even less appealing. But once Williams gets into costume and can hide--as he did in ALADDIN--behind an artfullly constructed facade, he becomes hugely entertaining. He's still one of the funniest performers around, and when he gets on a roll--even if it's a sub-standard TOOTSIE role--you just don't want him to get off.