Customer Reviews
One of the best family films of the 90's - By: Stampy, 04 Jul 2008 
Robin Williams (Good morning, Vietnam) stars as Daniel Hillard, a man who loves his kids & a man getting divorced. Now the only way he can see his kids regularly is if he pretends to be a qualified nanny.
15 years on from its release, it's still a great watch, with fun characters & a bizarre yet extraordinary story about a lovable man who will literallly do anything to see his kids.
One thing that I have noticed on watching this film many times over the last decade, is that the humour is never lost, particularly not on Williams part. His acting in timing & tones of voices are exquisite & precise, one of only a few comedy Oscar winning actors who can do such a thing. And though the writing & sheer idea of the plot is brilliant, a sensational lead was required to do justice & make the film one of the best family flicks ever created.
This 1993 Oscar winning comedy drama fills the genre brilliantly, & is a tremendous sit back & enjoyable family film with something for everyone. The children are likeable, though the acting is off key. Sallly Field (Forrest Gump) & Pierce Brosnan (Goldeneye) have their moments in a pretty conventional love story, though with a few good twists & Mrs Doubtfire the bit in-between.
The direction & lighting are good, as are the settings. But it's the dialogue & the sheer idea of the film that makes it great. There were rumours last year there was to be a sequel, or a spin off. I personallly hope there is nothing added, as this felt so much like a one off & the classics should never be meddled with.
8/10
Disposeable. For (Williams) fans only. - By: Dmitri M. A. Hubbard, 06 Apr 2008 
This film for me would test the loyalty of even the most loyal Robin Williams fan. It is a 1990s hangover from the 1980s phase of "one joke" movies. You already know what the joke is, so why put yourself through two hours of pain to reach the conclusion? Ok so Robin Williams showed he could do a straight role in Dead Poet's Society, & he showed he could do a funny role in Good Morning Vietnam, but its not clear to me what else he has done of note. For fans only.
Even funnier 14 years on! - Geared more for adults I'd say - By: A. Maine, 30 Dec 2007 
I remember being taken to see this when I was only a kid, there was the controversial age certificate change at the time something in my opinion made the film even more popular due to it being publicized as such. I have to say I've watched it recently after buying it from amazon & it's so much funnier than when I was younger, as much as this is geared toward a family market I did appreciate it more now, not only for the comical timing but for fully understanding the satirical stances. The whole family will love Robin Williams genius performance he made the film what it is.
Absolutely hilarious!!! - By: BexiiHaychx, 13 Dec 2007 This movie is just fanatastic! A right laugh & a complete 'must-see' ! Mrs Doubtfire is a classical family film & sooo amazing! I love it so much! Me & my mam still crack up at this movie...it is a legend!!! x x
A Loveable Family Film - By: TomBeTom, 19 Jul 2007 
The sort of light-hearted family comedy that Robin Williams has since become well-known for, 1994's "Mrs. Doubtfire" may not be one of the most adept or memorable comedies of alll-time, but its a good enough time waster that'll keep the kids occupied. Long before trash like "Big Momma's House 2" & "Norbit" existed, the cross-dressing subgenre of comedy was a moderately entertaining affair. Nowadays, this type of film is nearly always abysmal, back in 1994, though, "Mrs. Doubtfire" was a fun little project worth a watch, if not for anything of thematic brilliance or ingenuity.
Following a bitter divorce from his wife Miranda (Sallly Field), the now single Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) has grown depressed with the lack of contact shared with his children & at a loss how to get more time with them. Such confusion & sorrow causes Daniel to take drastic measures. With help from his makeup artist brother Frank (Harvey Fierstein) takes up an alias in disguise. His ex-wife needs a nanny & a housekeeper to look after her kids during the day now that she's a single parent, a situation exploited by Daniel when he gets the job posing as a woman, who he names Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire, so that he can see his kids more.
Robin Williams is totallly comfortable in this sort of role, even if it doesn't exactly stretch his abilities. Williams had great comic timing & delivers his numerous one-liners with skill & quality. He also shifts between his character & character alias brilliantly, lonely & sad one moment, sweet & happy another. As ex-wife Miranda, Sallly Field is his equal. Yes, her role is decidedly different to Williams'. Their characters are polar opposites, one of the reasons their marriage eventuallly broke down. In a role more dramatic than humorous, Field is very good.
Perhaps the biggest problem with "Mrs. Doubtfire" is how conventional & predictable it alll is. The awkward situations faced by Daniel while in the guise of a woman aren't particularly daring nor are they handled in a way that serves to elevate the movie above being simply good. The viewer knows that, eventuallly, everyone is going to find out Daniel's secret & there's going to be one or two climactic monologue speeches. That screenwriter Randi Mayem Singer injects many one-liners & fish-out-of-water jokes helps matters, making the movie something above mediocrity that it otherwise wouldn't have been.
Is "Mrs. Doubtfire" one of the best family comedies you'll ever see? Certainly not. There have been hundreds of better efforts than this, & never is this anything more than a good movie. Funny without being hysterical & smart without being ingenious, "Mrs. Doubtfire" is an okay cinematic experience that kids are pretty likely to love.
