Mrs. Doubtfire and the Ending That Let the Parents Stay Divorced
Daniel Hillard gets more time with his children at the end of Mrs. Doubtfire, but his marriage to Miranda remains over. She invites him to care for them after school, allowing their relationship with their father to continue within a changed family arrangement. That ending was a deliberate change during the production of the 1993 film. An earlier script reunited the couple, but director Chris Columbus was uncomfortable with that resolution. Columbus participated in three months of rewrites. Sally Field played Miranda, opposite Robin Williams as Daniel.
The story begins with an actor who objects to his cartoon dialogue. Daniel is dubbing a cartoon in San Francisco when he objects to a character encouraging smoking and goes off script. After quitting, he collects his children from school and throws a chaotic birthday party for his son Chris. Miranda returns from work to a home overrun by children, music, and a hired petting zoo. Their argument brings her to the decision to seek a divorce. Miranda co-owns an interior design firm and is the family's breadwinner. Daniel moves in with Frank and Jack after the argument.
During custody proceedings, Miranda receives sole custody, while Daniel is given Saturday visits and time to improve his circumstances. He finds work at a television studio through the court liaison. When Miranda needs a nanny, he changes the telephone number on her proposed advertisement and calls in a series of unsuitable voices. Then he offers the reassuring voice of Mrs. Doubtfire, an older British woman with supposed experience caring for another family. Miranda hires the applicant without knowing who is speaking. His new job is in the shipping department, and the judge gives him three months to establish suitable living and working circumstances.
His brother Frank and Frank's partner Jack help construct the disguise with wigs, makeup, and latex masks. Inside the household, Mrs. Doubtfire imposes homework and chores, then wins the children over through reading, soccer, and help with schoolwork. Daniel learns to manage domestic responsibilities along with the performance. The children do better at school, and Miranda finds the house clean when she returns. Lydia and Chris eventually discover who their nanny is, and Daniel asks them to keep the secret. Chris discovers the secret after Daniel fails to lock the bathroom door. He and Lydia confront the nanny with a tennis racket.
The two identities collide at a restaurant. Daniel's television boss wants to discuss a children's show over dinner, while Miranda's birthday celebration with Stuart Dunmeyer and the children takes place at the same venue. Daniel changes back and forth between himself and the nanny as he moves between tables. Daniel recklessly causes a medical emergency for Stuart. He then intervenes to help, but the disguise comes off. The custody judge later limits him to supervised visits. The meal takes place at Bridges Restaurant. Lundy hears Daniel propose a children's show featuring the nanny and welcomes the idea.
The family misses the nanny when replacement applicants fail to fit. Then Mrs. Doubtfire appears on television, where Daniel has turned the character into a children's-show host. Miranda sees the children's response and invites Daniel back to provide care after school. The performer has found a public role for a character once hidden inside the household. On his program, he explains that families take different forms and that love can connect people who live in separate homes. Pierce Brosnan played Stuart, Harvey Fierstein played Frank, and Scott Capurro played Jack. Robert Prosky took the role of Mr. Lundy.
The adaptation began with Anne Fine's novel Alias Madame Doubtfire, published in 1988. Marsha Garces Williams read the book and saw its comic possibilities for Robin Williams, who became a producer as well as the leading actor. Columbus encouraged improvisation among the cast, with alternate takes later included in a home-video release. The opening cartoon was created by Chuck Jones, who designed, directed, and produced Pudgie the Parrot. Jones made two versions of the cartoon. The version outside the feature used more cartoon-like backgrounds reflecting his own style.
Making that disguise required a demanding daily process. The face consisted of eight overlapping foam-latex appliances based on a photograph of a woman from the forties. Application took three to four-and-a-half hours, and removal another hour. With long periods of shooting in makeup, Williams could work fifteen-hour days, while fresh appliances were made weekly to prevent shrinkage. The film won the Academy Award for Best Makeup. Costume designer Marit Allen reported that the character wore the largest possible dress size, and crew members called the costumed Williams "Mrs. D" because of the transformation's realism.
- Mrs. Doubtfire: AFI Catalog — catalog.afi.com
- Mrs. Doubtfire: 20th Century Studios — family.20thcenturystudios.com
- Mrs. Doubtfire awards: AlloCine — www.allocine.fr