Mrs. Doubtfire
So I'm pretty sure we've all seen this movie. It was one of the most popular films of 1993, coming just behind Jurassic Park. (I was 8 when it came out.) It's probably Robin Williams' best comedy and it's just all-around got a great cast. It has never left the list of my top fifty favorite movies since I saw it, either. I guess we all know the story of the film, but in the slightest chance someone doesn't, the plot's very simple. The Hillards (played by Robin Williams and Sally Field), do not have a great marriage. Mr. Hillard is a voice-actor for cartoons and Mrs. Hillard is an interior decorator at a big company. They have 3 kids that include a teenage daughter (Lisa Jakub), a 12 year old son (Matthew Lawrence), and a 5 year old daughter (Mara Wilson). After years of growing apart, Mrs. Hillard files for divorce. Mrs. Hillard gets custody of the kids and Mr. Hillard tries to find a way to see them. He decides to dress like an old Scottish woman and become their nanny. He's hired, and everyone loves the job he's doing. Hilarious hijinks ensue!
Yeah, it's not too original, especially if you know it's based on a young adult book that came out in 1987 called Alias Madame Doubtfire. Also the whole "guy dresses in drag to get ahead" thing had already been done before to great effect in 1982's Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman and in 1959's Some Like It Hot. Both films were, or course critical darlings, and thus some critics beat up on Mrs. Doubtfire when it came out. It's still only got a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, I like it just as well as those former two films, which I very much recommend as well, by the way. I find Mrs. Doubtfire to be funnier than those two films, but I'll agree, it's probably not technically the better film.
It's hard to explain comedy or why you like a certain comedy. I'd seen comedies by time I was 8 years old, and I'm not speaking of just the animated Disney films of the day or kids movies. And you know a lot of the jokes in this movie went over my head. There are jokes in here for every age group. The dirtier jokes just fly over kids' heads, as they did mine at the time. I was mainly laughing at Robin Williams' impersonations and the physical comedy. Heck, those are still what get the biggest laughs out of me. The sexual references and humor I didn't really get until I was 13 or 14. And hey, the stuff I used to laugh at were still funny too! The movie actually got better as I got older! That rarely happens, my friends. How many times have you gone back to a movie you used to like as a kid, and realized that it sucks? It's happened a few times to me. (Don't ask me why I used to like The Smurfs and The Magic Flute.) It's a very fortunate circumstance when you find a movie you loved since you first saw it, and it just gets better and better as you grow older.
Sadly, I cannot post a youtube clip for this film, as there aren't any good ones available. 20th Century Fox apparently is very censor-happy for this film on youtube. Also, sorry if this blog post was short. I have a hard time explaining my views on comedy, and as such there's very little comedy on this list. Let's just say that this is one movie I want to eventually show my kids if I have any.
I've decided to post a little hint about tomorrow's installment. It's a drama, and it includes a lot of music... that's all I'm sayin'.
Love this one!
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