Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Let me start off my review by saying that (in my opinion) this movie is really not as funny as people make it out to be. It is a decently enjoyable Robin Williams comedy, there are a few jokes that miss their mark, and the film’s heart is definitely in the right place, but the film is uneven and falters quite a bit. The film follows Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams), an out-of-luck actor on a bad day. He just lost his job, his son’s birthday party is a complete disaster, and his wife decides to divorce him. Due to him not having a good source of income, custody is handed over to his wife, and he is only allowed to see his kids on the weekends. This kills Daniel, and in order for him to be able to spend more time with his kids, he dresses up as a housekeeper named Mrs. Doubtfire who works for their family. What follows is a bunch of decently clever jokes, mistaken identity, him forgetting to change back into Daniel, ect. The stuff in this film isn’t bad, it’s just extremely tedious. You can only go so far with some jokes, and the film knows it, so it just walks right onto the next one, whether the transition is organic or not. Now, if there is one thing in the film I can praise 100%, it would be Robin William’s performance. I have seen Robin Williams do some of the dumbest shticks in films before (Flubber, Hook, Jack…), but here, he plays the role brilliantly. You can see the emotion on his face. This is the same actor that won an Oscar for Good Will Hunting, I can tell you that much. In the end, Mrs. Doubtfire is just an average comedy. There’s nothing bad about it, nothing to turn people away. The film’s fault is that it just seems a bit too uninspired at times.
7.5/10