It’s still hard to believe it, but it’s been ten years sinceRobin Williamspassed away. While he is still so badly missed and always will be, the acting legend left behind a vast body of work to remember him by. Williams could do it all. With his wild energy, he made us laugh like no other actor, from his days inMork and MindyandGood Morning, Vietnam, to so many more comedies impossible to keep track of. He was a phenomenal dramatic actor as well, most notably inGood Will Hunting,for which he won an Oscar. He could also be the frightening villain when he wanted to get out of his comfort zone,as seen with his turn inOne Hour Photo.
It can be hard to name yourfavorite Robin Williams performance, but for many, it’s 1993’sMrs. Doubtfire. Playinga divorced man who wants to see his children so badly that he dresses up like a nanny to be part of their lives, Robin showed off his comedic genius yet again, but he also gave a heartbreaking performance of a lonely man in the middle of a divorce, as his wife, played bySally Field, leaves him.Mrs. Doubtfirehas a heartwarming ending, but the original intention was to do something else until Williams stepped in and refused for the best possible reason.
Mrs. Doubtfire
After a bitter divorce, an actor disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife.
‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ Is Robin Williams' Best Performance
Robin Williams was a legend long beforeMrs. Doubtfirein 1993. He first rose to fame nearly two decades before as one of the top stand-up comedians, known for his wild antics and ability to adlib. He became a household name in 1978 as the lovable alien Mork in the sitcomMork and Mindy, withPam Dawberplaying Mindy. Williams could do anything,being wildly over-the-top and full of electrified life inPopeyeandHook, or more grounded in films likeThe World According to GarpandDead Poets Society. InMrs. Doubtfire, he could be both.
Mrs. Doubtfireis directed byChris Columbus, who was coming off a giant hit just a few years earlier withHome Alone. Based on the English young adult novelMadame DoubtfirebyAnne Fine,Mrs. Doubtfireis a seemingly lighter movie with some very heavy themes.Williams plays a voice actor named Daniel Hilliard, and this choice of professional allows Robin to get some easy laughs in early scenes. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, Miranda (Field),and his three children, Lydia (Lisa Jakub), Chris (Matthew Lawrence), and Natalie (Mara Wilson). Daniel is a man even more childish than his kids, and sick of his behavior, Miranda asks for a divorce. The lively Daniel quickly falls away with this news, and we get to see Robin break our hearts as, without a good paying job, he loses custody of his kids. Unable to bear only seeing his son and daughters on the weekend, he decides to use his talents to pull off quite the scheme. Going by the name Mrs. Doubtfire,Daniel puts on some sophisticated makeup, along with a bodysuit, creates the voice of an elderly British woman, and applies to be the children’s nanny. He gets the job, and now he can see his kids every day, but how long can he keep the scheme going?
‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ Has a Bittersweet Ending
Mrs. Doubtfireis filled with hilariousphysical comedy from Robin Williams, but there is so much pain behind the laughs. Daniel might be getting to see his kids more often now, butit’s as the guise of someone else. He can’t be who he really is with his kids, but must live a lie that can come crashing down at any moment. On top of everything else,Miranda begins dating another man, and not just any man, but a hunk of a man played byPierce Brosnannamed Stu. Daniel hates him, and as Mrs. Doubtfire, he lets his feelings for the new man show through many passive-aggressive moments. Daniel’s hatred for Stu ends up being his downfall. His kids have discovered their father’s secret identity earlier, and although they’re at first scared and angry about the lie, they love their father so much that they go along with it. In the third act, however, Daniel spikes Stu’s meal with cayenne pepper, which causes Miranda’s new beau to choke. When Daniel gives him the Heimlich maneuver,the prosthetics tear and Daniel is exposed.
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Miranda doesn’t have a happy reaction to this. She is upset like any normal person would be, and storms out with her children. At a later custody hearing,Miranda is given full custody of her kids, but she’s not shown to be joyful about this. She’s just as crushed as everyone else, because her kids love their dad, and even though Mrs. Doubtfire was a lie, their lives were better with her. Some good comes to Daniel’s life as Mrs. Doubtfire becomes a character in a children’s television show, but he is still broken-hearted. Unable to follow the court order, Miranda sees the lengths Daniel went to for his family and decides to let him have joint custody. It’s a happier ending, but still a realistic one, as Daniel and Miranda close the film apart.
Robin Williams Pulled From His Own Life When He Changed the Ending
Hollywood would normally have taken a plot like this and had the parents get back together and fall in love again for a happily ever after. That’s exactly what was intended forMrs. Doubtfiretoo, until Robin Williams stepped up and put a stop to it. In a 2018 biography about Williams,simply titledRobin, written byDave Itzkoff, the author wrote that director Chris Columbus said of the script that, “The biggest problem was Daniel Hillard and Miranda got back together at the end of the picture.”
Studio execs wanted the feel good ending,but Robin Williams pushed back. The actor had gone through his own divorce in 1988 from his wife of ten years, Valeri Velardi. He had two kids with her and knew how hard raising children through such a difficult time could be. The happily ever after ending could actually be harmful instead of sweet, becauseif a young child of divorce watched it, they might think their parents would get back together, too. Itzkoff wrote that Robins said:
“That’s the one fantasy most psychiatrists will tell you is perpetuated by children of divorce who are in therapy—and it’s the one thing that professionals don’t want to perpetuate. They’ll ask kids, ‘Ever have a memory of your mom and dad together?’ The kids say no, but it’s the grand concept. ‘They’re together.’ Sold to you by Norman Rockwell.”
The ending we got might not have been as happy, but it was real.Miranda has been shown to be done with Danielsince the very beginning ofMrs. Doubtfire, soit would have made no sense for her to suddenly have feelings for him again at the end, especially after he lied to her in such a big way. Things have changed in how she sees him as a father and a needed member of the family, but nothing has changed between them and who they are as people. Instead,Mrs. Doubtfireends with the character on her television show and, with Miranda watching at home, reading a letter from a young girl about her parents getting a divorce. She wants to know if she can get her parents back together. Mrs. Doubtfire looks into the camera and tells the girl that parents can be much better people, and much better parents sometimeswhen they’re not together fighting. “Sometimes they get back together, and sometimes they don’t, dear. And if they don’t, don’t blame yourself. Just because they don’t love each other anymore doesn’t mean they don’t love you.” She speaks of the different kinds of families we can have, adding, “If there’s love, dear, those are the ties that bind, and you’ll have a family in your heart forever.”
Mrs. Doubtfireis available to watch on Disney+ in the U.S.
WATCH ON DISNEY+
