Post by StevePulaski on Aug 26, 2014 21:36:12 GMT -5
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Robin Williams, accompanied by just a smidge of makeup, as Mrs. Doubtfire.
Rating: ★★★½
I wouldn't have wanted to be the executive or the ambitious screenwriter to stand before a table of men, whose combined salary probably totals more than I'd make in my life times five, to pitch the idea for Mrs. Doubtfire, illustrating its thematic significance and the wonderful opportunities that could flourish inside such a preposterous screenplay. Just describing the film in a coherent sense is difficult, but imagine convincing the ignorant that this film winds up being incredibly moving, even tearjerking, as it persists on, dealing with real characters in a realistic situation in a totally unrealistic way.
To put it simply, this is the best film I have seen about a serious topic like divorce taken in a family-friendly manner that is great for all ages, but doesn't compromise its ideas or themes in order to be safe and digestible for the youngest viewer. The youngest viewer, think four, who belongs to two parents, or one at a time, with visitations from the other on the weekends, would likely have no trouble connecting to this film and its concept. Not to mention, the film is actually hilarious in addition to being contemplative, heartbreaking, and genuinely moving. This balancing act screenwriters Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon pull off is nothing shy of extraordinary and, dare I say, should've come in serious consideration for a nomination during Oscar season in 1993.
The film concerns Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams), a man of high-energy and great charm, who works as a voice actor in San Francisco, however, recently unemployed. He is married to the lovely, but short-fused Miranda (Sally Field), and lives with their three children, two girls and a boy, and his marriage is already on rocky waters without the threat of job loss coming into play. The back-breaking straw comes when Daniel throws his son a birthday party, complete with a petting zoo and camaraderie from neighborhood kids, after Miranda prevented their son from throwing a party after getting in trouble. Miranda wants a divorce, but Daniel is far too attached to his children, and his children far too attached to him.
Daniel is now living with his brother, a professional makeup artist, prohibited from seeing his children unless on a Saturday for a three-month period where employment and domestic stability must be reached in order for a custody extension. Upon finding out his wife is searching for a babysitter for the kids, with numerous applications already filled out, Daniel tampers with the applications so he can phone-in for the ambitious clients and ruin their chances at an interview. He, himself, makes a call to his wife, posing as "Mrs. Doubtfire," a loving English nanny, who has ample amount of experience working with the youngest kids and wants to provide fun but discipline for the Hillard kids. Daniel gets into costume, thanks to his brother, which involves a full-body suit, a massive brazier, and loads of makeup, and becomes the nanny he profiled over the phone, much to the delight of Miranda. With his newfound disguise, he manages to still see his children on a daily basis - obviously, though, in a different form - and still tries to be a part of their life.
However, the film isn't solely about a man's desperation to see his kids and the fact that he loves them dearly and they love him. While that's certainly a part of this film, the film's about a man's transformation into adulthood in a childish and hugely questionable way. That's the irony of the story; a man is growing up by doing the most immature thing imaginable. Yet, while Daniel is draped in loads of makeup and elderly woman garb, he becomes more of a disciplinary figure, a more organized and grounded man of his word, changing his philosophy and tightening his own leash, while still remaining fun-loving and shapeless to some degree.
On top of that, Singer and Dixon wisely make all the kids generally happy characters, never attaching pessimistic or needlessly dramatic stigma to one, ruining the father-children relationship or corrupting the idea that this is a wholesome family burdened by a sad state of affairs. With this, there is infinitely more relatability for audiences, seeing that it's not the fact that the father isn't involved, or the mother isn't capable, or the kids are too much to handle, but the circumstances bestowed upon the family are just a tough slice of life, where the love and romance has soured, and one can't deal with the others traits and vice-versa. With that in mind, there's no wonder why I hear this film being so relatable and helpful for those undergoing divorce or being children of divorce.
The idea of a father, devoted and caring, being prevented to see his kids other than one day a week is a tough circumstance and this film doesn't sugarcoat it in the slightest. It shows one man's commitment to raising healthy kids in the most unlikely way ever. As sad as this film can be, however, make no mistake, for it is hilarious all the more. Williams' quick-witted brand of comedy delivers in every possible way, and just when you think Williams' manic energy is going to prevent for deeper emotions to come through, he blindsides by delivering a powerful monologue or showcasing complex emotions in a way that is crowdpleasing and simply wonderful in every sense. Placed alongside Fields, who was only destined to be mentioned significantly less than Williams given his star-power, he is only complimented by her believably-acted portrayal as a mother doing an understandable thing to try and better herself and her children. Singer and Dixon infuse enough comedy in the film for it to be a laugh-riot quite frequently, but enough believable family drama, profiling those loud and sometimes vicious arguments our parents often get into, and those frustrating marital ruts we see our parents in, for there to be serious emotional resonance inside the most unlikely screenplay.
Mrs. Doubtfire is a wonderful family film, uproariously funny, heartbreaking, but honesty and consistently wholesome even in its most manic or mildly crude state. It'd be blatantly wrong to say the film isn't a tad messy or all-over-the place, but such is life, and with this great of a screenplay and such strong performances from everyone involved, I hardly minded. The film is a glorious gem that touches the spirit of what it means to be human, imperfectly so.
Starring: Robin Williams, Sally Fields, and Pierce Brosnan. Directed by: Chris Columbus.