Mrs. Doubtfire

Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Chris Columbus and written by Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon, based on the 1987 novel, Madame Doubtfire, by Anne Fine. Robin Williams, who also served as a producer, stars with Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein and Robert Prosky. It follows a recently divorced actor who disguises himself as an elderly female housekeeper to be able to interact with his children. The film addresses themes of divorce, separation, and the effect that they have on a family.

Mrs. Doubtfire
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Chris Columbus
Screenplay by	Randi Mayem Singer Leslie Dixon
Based on	Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine
Produced by	Marsha Garces Williams Robin Williams Mark Radcliffe
Starring	Robin Williams Sally Field Pierce Brosnan Harvey Fierstein Robert Prosky
Cinematography	Donald McAlpine
Edited by	Raja Gosnell
Music by	Howard Shore
Production companies	20th Century Fox Blue Wolf Productions
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	November 24, 1993 (1993-11-24)
Running time	120 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$25 million
Box office	$441.3 million

The film was released in the United States by 20th Century Fox on November 24, 1993. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Williams was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

The film grossed $441.3 million on a $25 million budget, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 1993. Although the film received mixed reviews on release, its reception and popularity have since improved considerably, being placed 67th in the American Film Institute's "AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs" list and 40th on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies of All Time" list. The original music score was composed by Howard Shore.

Daniel Hillard, a freelance voice actor living in San Francisco, is a devoted father to his three children — 14-year-old Lydia, 12-year-old Chris, and 5-year-old Natalie — although his work-obsessed interior designer wife, Miranda, considers him immature and unreliable. After quitting his job following a disagreement over a morally questionable script featuring a children's cartoon in which a character smokes a cigarette, Daniel returns home to throw Chris a chaotic birthday party, despite Miranda's objections due to Chris's poor grades. In the ensuing argument, Miranda admits that she wants a divorce. She is granted sole custody of the children, with Daniel having visitation rights every Saturday due to his unemployed and homeless status; shared custody is contingent on Daniel finding a steady job and suitable residence within three months.

Daniel secures an apartment and a job as a shipping clerk at a TV station. When he learns that Miranda is seeking a housekeeper, Daniel secretly alters her classified ad form, then calls her using his voice acting skills to pose as a series of undesirable applicants before finally calling as "Euphegenia Doubtfire", an elderly British nanny with strong credentials. Impressed, Miranda invites Mrs. Doubtfire for an interview. Daniel's brother, Frank, a makeup artist, and his partner, Jack, help Daniel appear as an old woman through the use of makeup and prosthetics.

Miranda hires Mrs. Doubtfire following a successful interview. The children initially struggle under her authority, but soon come around and thrive, while Miranda becomes more easygoing and closer with the kids. Daniel further improves himself as well, becoming more responsible, learning several household skills, and earning Miranda's respect. However, Miranda puts more trust in Mrs. Doubtfire than in Daniel, and cannot bring herself to dismiss her. Miranda also begins seeing an old boyfriend, Stu, much to Daniel's chagrin. One night, Chris catches Mrs. Doubtfire standing while urinating and frantically instructs Lydia to call the police. Panicked, Daniel reveals the truth; Lydia and Chris agree to keep his secret so that they can keep spending time with him.

One day, the station's CEO, Jonathan Lundy, sees Daniel playing with props on the set of a recently canceled children's show. Impressed by his voice acting, humor, and imagination, Lundy invites Daniel to dinner to discuss plans for a new show. The meeting turns out to be at the same place and time as a planned birthday dinner for Miranda, to which Mrs. Doubtfire is invited. Daniel spends the night changing in and out of the Mrs. Doubtfire costume so that he can attend both events. Intoxicated, Daniel accidentally returns to Lundy in costume, but he explains it by claiming that Mrs. Doubtfire is his idea for the new show's host. After learning of Stu's pepper allergy, Daniel sneaks into the kitchen and seasons Stu's food with powdered cayenne. When Stu begins choking, Daniel guiltily administers the Heimlich maneuver, which causes the prosthetic mask to slip off and expose his identity. Horrified and outraged, Miranda leaves with the kids.

At their next custody hearing, Daniel points out that he has met the judge's requirements ahead of schedule, and explains that his actions were done out of love for his children and begs to still be allowed to see them. The judge, finding his behavior disturbing and unorthodox, dismisses his words as another ruse, grants Miranda full custody of the kids, and further restricts Daniel's rights to supervised visits. This devastates Daniel, the children, and even Miranda, who realizes that her bitterness toward Daniel has been hurting the whole family. Without Mrs. Doubtfire, Miranda and the kids become miserable, acknowledging how much she improved their lives. They discover that Mrs. Doubtfire is hosting the new children's show, Euphegenia's House, which becomes a nationwide hit.

One day, Miranda visits Daniel on set and admits that things were better when he was involved with the family. She arranges joint custody, allowing Daniel to take the kids daily after school. As Daniel leaves for the day with the kids, Miranda watches an episode of Euphegenia's House, in which Mrs. Doubtfire answers a letter from a young girl whose parents have separated, telling her that no matter what arrangements that families have, love will prevail.

• Robin Williams as Daniel Hillard / Mrs. Doubtfire
• Sally Field as Miranda Hillard
• Pierce Brosnan as Stu
• Harvey Fierstein as Frank
• Polly Holliday as Gloria
• Lisa Jakub as Lydia Hillard
• Matthew Lawrence as Christopher Hillard
• Mara Wilson as Natalie Hillard
• Robert Prosky as Mr. Lundy
• Anne Haney as Mrs. Sellner
• Scott Capurro as Jack
• Martin Mull as Justin Gregory
• William Newman as Mr. Sprinkles

Casting

Blake Lively unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Natalie Hillard.

Warren Beatty was Anne Fine’s first choice for the role of Daniel Hillard / Mrs. Doubtfire.

Tim Allen was offered the roles of Daniel Hillard and Stu, but turned both of them down.

 

Production of the film was in San Francisco. Various locations in the city were used during filming. Parts were filmed at the studios of television station KTVU in Oakland. Street signs for the intersection near the "Painted Lady" home, Steiner, and Broadway, were visible onscreen.

The exact address, 2640 Steiner Street, became a tourist attraction for some time after the film's release. Following Williams's death on August 11, 2014, the house became an impromptu memorial. All interior filming for the home took place in a Bay Area warehouse, converted for soundstage usage. Williams's character, Daniel Hillard, lived upstairs from Danilo Bakery at 516 Green Street; his children attended a school at Filbert and Taylor.

The makeup for Mrs. Doubtfire's appearance took four hours to apply. Williams later recounted how he used to walk through San Francisco dressed in full makeup and costume as Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire, and on one occasion, visiting a sex shop to buy a large dildo and other toys. Director Chris Columbus stated in a 2015 interview that they shot with multiple cameras at once, like shooting a documentary, to capture the cast members' reaction to Williams's improvisation. The restaurant scene was filmed at Bridges Restaurant & Bar in Danville, California.

The score was composed, orchestrated and conducted by Howard Shore.

The film was released in the United States on November 24, 1993, and was rated PG-13.

When the film was released in the United Kingdom in January 1994, it received a certificate of 12, which, at the time, completely refused access to children under age 12 at cinemas (the 12A certificate did not exist until 2002). This resulted in cinemas requesting their local authorities to override the decision of the British Board of Film Classification, after having to turn down disappointed families. In February 1994, The Independent reported that the censors refused to give the film a U or PG certificate, and gave it a 12 instead, which was due to 20th Century Fox refusing to remove three controversial lines.

After the film's distributors requested the BBFC to reconsider, a compromise was reached, and the film was rerated PG, with just one of the proposed three cuts implemented, involving the removal of thirteen seconds featuring sexual innuendo (the other two cuts would have removed just some of the innuendo), and it was rereleased in May 1994. The cut version was also used in subsequent VHS and DVD releases in the United Kingdom. In November 2012, the distributors resubmitted the uncut version to the BBFC, and the 12 certificate was reinstated for home video, along with a 12A certificate for cinema release in 2014. On March 4, 2013, the uncut version was released on Blu-ray and downloads in the United Kingdom.

In early 2021, several web articles claimed that there was an NC-17 cut of the film featuring extraordinarily vulgar ad libs by Robin Williams. However, the claim was debunked by director Chris Columbus and star Mara Wilson, with Columbus stating that Williams did film enough outtakes to make an R-rated version, but that an NC-17 rating was absurd. Wilson previously denied the claims of an NC-17 version of the film in 2016 in her memoir, Where Are They Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame.

Deleted scenes

Over 30 minutes of scenes were omitted from the final cut of the film, some of which were featured in the 2008 DVD release of Mrs. Doubtfire called the "Behind-the-Seams Edition". If the scenes had been included, the film would have run for 157 minutes. These include an entire subplot featuring Daniel's conflict with his nosy neighbor, Gloria Chaney (Polly Holliday), in which, after Daniel dresses as Mrs. Doubtfire, he fools Gloria into killing her flowers by spraying dog urine on them, and a final confrontation in which Gloria sees Daniel in his Mrs. Doubtfire bodycostume but without the face mask. There is also an extended scene at Bridges restaurant. In 2016, three scenes from the 2008 DVD release, which were also included in the 2013 Blu-ray release, gained media attention to much fanfare and praise for Robin Williams. These included a scene in which Daniel and Miranda fight at Lydia's spelling bee competition, and a confrontation scene with Miranda after Daniel's identity is revealed at the restaurant. He recovers and comes back home to the family.

Box office

Mrs. Doubtfire collected $20.4 million during its three-day opening weekend. Within its first five days of release, it generated a total gross of $27.5 million. The film earned $219,195,243 in the United States and Canada, and $222,090,952 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $441,286,195, making it Fox's highest-grossing film internationally at the time, and the highest-grossing cross-dressing film. It became the second-highest-grossing film of 1993, behind Jurassic Park. Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 52.6 million tickets in the US. It had a record opening for Fox in the United Kingdom, with $5.8 million in 6 days (and the third-best in the country, after Jurassic Park and Bram Stoker's Dracula), and went on to gross $30.1 million, a Fox record. It had the second-biggest opening in Italy, behind Jurassic Park, with $2.9 million, and also grossed a record for Fox in Italy, with $15.6 million. It had record openings for Fox in France (with an opening week gross of $4.8 million, and a total of $23 million), Belgium, Hungary and Denmark. It grossed $29.6 million in Germany. The film was number one at the Australian box office and Japanese box office for nine consecutive weeks.

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).

On Rotten Tomatoes, Mrs. Doubtfire has a rating of 70%, based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 5.90/10. The site's critical reception reads: "On paper, Mrs. Doubtfire might seem excessively broad or sentimental, but Robin Williams shines so brightly in the title role that the end result is difficult to resist." On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 53 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on a scale of A+ to F.

Accolades

In 2000, the American Film Institute placed the film on its 100 Years...100 Laughs list, where it was ranked #67.

In 2001, Bonnie Hunt began to develop Mrs. Doubtfire 2. Anne Fine had not written a follow-up to Alias Madame Doubtfire, and writing for the sequel did not begin until 2003. Robin Williams was set to return in disguise as the eponymous Mrs. Doubtfire. Rewriting began in 2006 because Williams was unhappy with the plot in the new script. The film had been anticipated for release in late 2007, but following further script problems, the sequel was scrapped in December 2006.

In 2006, in a Newsday interview, Williams said that the sequel was indefinitely scrapped, stating his reasons:

The script they had just didn't work. The sequel's story involved Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire moving close to Lydia's college, so he could keep an eye on her.

Also, in December that year, during an interview on BBC Radio 1 by DJ Edith Bowman, Williams said that if it was not going to be done right, then it was not worth doing, and that there would not be a sequel with him in it.

In August 2010, on Alan Carr: Chatty Man, Williams again brought up the topic of a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire. He blamed the script not being right as the reason why a sequel was not made. He claimed that the script had been written three times and failed, and there was no mention of any ongoing work on the project. Furthermore, in December 2011, during an interview by Moviehole, Williams again stated that the chances of a sequel are "highly unlikely".

In 2011, Williams said:

They could never write it. They kept trying and it doesn't work... because at the end of the first one they reveal who [Mrs. Doubtfire] is. So it ends up being her for five minutes and then she transitions into some old Russian woman. They so far can't crack it.

In 2014, Chris Columbus stated, in turn:

We're talking about a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire. We've [he and Williams] talked about it, and the studio is interested in it. The thing that fascinates me about a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire is with most actors who create an iconic character like Mrs. Doubtfire, when you come back and do that character, well, you're twenty years older so, you're not going to look the same. The cool thing with Mrs. Doubtfire is there's a character, there's a woman, who is actually going to look exactly as she did in 1993.

In April 2014, a sequel was announced to be in development at 20th Century Fox. Williams and Columbus were expected to return, and Elf screenwriter, David Berenbaum, was hired to write the script. Initial reception to the announcement was mixed, with some people fearing that the sequel would revive certain misgivings about the transgender community and set the LGBTQ awareness progress back two and a half decades, especially after an image of the character was used to mock the trans community at a medical insurance coverage reform in 2013. Matthew Lawrence, Lisa Jakub and Pierce Brosnan had expressed interest in reprising their respective characters for the sequel. However, Mara Wilson, who played Natalie Hillard in the original film, expressed no interest in returning for the sequel. Following Williams's death in August 2014, plans for a sequel were put on hold, then again canceled.

In August 2014, shortly after Robin Williams's death, it was revealed that Williams had grown weary working on film sets because it tended to take him away from his family for extended periods of time, and he signed on for the sequel "purely out of necessity". In August 2015, Chris Columbus revealed that the sequel came to be after someone came up with a very interesting idea, and that his conversation with Williams about the subject was the last time he ever talked to the actor. In December 2021, Columbus stated that a sequel is impossible without Robin Williams's involvement.

Theatrical producer Kevin McCollum spoke in 2013 about the film's musical prospects, noting that the plot was "tailored for Broadway audiences". Following a 2015 plan going on hiatus, McCollum assembled a different creative team in 2018: Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick composing the score, with John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick writing the book, and Tony Award-winner Jerry Zaks directing. The musical, Mrs. Doubtfire, premiered in Seattle at the 5th Avenue Theatre on December 13, 2019. The production transferred to Broadway, with previews beginning March 9, 2020, at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. All Broadway productions were suspended three days later due to the coronavirus pandemic. Eventually, Mrs. Doubtfire resumed previews on October 21, 2021, and officially opened on December 5, 2021.

• Cross-dressing in film and television
• Avvai Shanmughi, the 1996 Indian Tamil-language film that was inspired by Mrs. Doubtfire
• Chachi 420, the 1997 Indian Hindi-language remake of Avvai Shanmughi
• Kauda Bole Alice, the 2000 Sri Lankan Sinhala-language remake