Mrs. Doubtfire

About Mrs. Doubtfire

Mrs. Doubtfire (or Madame Doubtfire) is a 1993 comedy film 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, and was also rated #39 on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies Of All Time.

The story takes place in San Francisco. Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams), an out-of-work voice actor (who quit his job over his objections to showing cartoon characters smoking cigarettes) with extraordinary imitative skills, whose interior decorator spouse Miranda Hillard (Sally Field) has reached the end of her patience with their marriage due to his irresponsibility. The breaking point is a birthday party Daniel throws for their twelve year old son Christopher behind Miranda's back (not allowed by Miranda because of Christopher's bad report card), which includes a petting zoo and twenty children running around the Hillard household. Since Daniel has no steady source of income (as Miranda was the main breadwinner of the family), Miranda gets primary custody of their three children (fourteen-year-old Lydia, twelve-year-old Chris and five-year-old Natalie) and Daniel has visitation rights limited to Saturday evenings. The news is crushing to Daniel, who adores his children.

When Daniel learns Miranda intends to place an advertisement for a housekeeper, he requests to pick them up from school and spend time with them. The children are receptive, but Miranda nixes the idea. Daniel sabotages the ad Miranda wrote, changing the phone number, so that he is the only applicant. He calls Miranda several times, disguising his voice while pretending to be an unsuitable applicant (a mundane rocker, a German man apparently sex-changed to female, a redneck, and a Spaniard). He finally presents the perfect applicant: a 60 year old widow from London with years of experience, giving the name "Mrs. Doubtfire" after reading the news headline "Police Doubt Fire Was Accidental". With the cosmetics skills of his brother (Harvey Fierstein), a makeup artist, his brother's partner, and his own acting talent, Daniel goes to the Hillard residence as Euphegenia Doubtfire. He uses his knowledge of his family's passions, bringing up storytelling to his youngest daughter Natalie and soccer to Chris, and so is quickly offered the job. As Mrs. Doubtfire, Daniel is able to see his children every day, giving him the opportunity to be the firm father figure that he wasn't formerly. He initially has the children doing chores and homework, but still finds time to join them in their favorite activities, including reading stories, soccer, and bike rides. The difference shows in the children, and Miranda remarks that something about Mrs. Doubtfire is very familiar.