‘Mrs Doubtfire’ was a beloved childhood favourite of mine. But even the classics have issues

Robin Williams’s deft balance of comedy and drama found a perfect outlet in the movie, but does it hold up 30 years later?

The following article features spoilers for Mrs Doubtfire, but come on, it’s been 30 years! 

The dearly missed Robin Williams was known for his comedic improv and quick sense of wit.

I first saw him in movies like A Night at the Museum and Jumanji. But his most memorable performance – where his impeccable comic skills and nuanced gift for drama are celebrated equally - is Mrs Doubtfire.

As a teenager, I loved the thrills and emotions of the beloved movie, and the story has lingered with me all these years.

The 1993 film is based on a book from 1987, and Mrs Doubtfire was a slyly subversive movie that took aim at the social mores of the time. But 30 years later, does it hold up?

The story revolves around Daniel (Robin Williams), Miranda Hillard (Sally Field), and their three children. Miranda is the rock of the family and holds down a steady job as an architect, while Daniel works as a freelance voice actor with an unsteady career. Daniel quits a job after a disagreement over a script. He comes home to throw a wild birthday party for their 12-year-old son Chris (Matthew Lawrence), who Miranda had been punishing for receiving a bad report card.

This is the final straw for Miranda, and she files for a divorce. When the court sees that Daniel has no stable source of income, it grants Miranda sole custody of his children.

Being a doting father, Daniel finds a job to try to meet the requirements needed to win joint custody. When Miranda puts out an ad for a housekeeper, Daniel applies while cross-dressing as an elderly British woman in a desperate attempt to stay in touch with his kids.

As a young audience, we often go with the flow of the story and can often overlook specific issues. But now, as a young adult with a firmer sense of scope and responsibility, I had to ask myself – was Daniel a doting father trying any way he could to see his children, or is he something of a sociopath who ignores boundaries and gaslights and manipulates his ex-wife in trying to wrangle custody of his children?

Think about it – the main issues come about because Daniel doesn’t take adulthood seriously. I mean, being an adult can suck, and sometimes you want the world to do things your way. But, when you’re well into middle age with a wife and three children, it might just be time to roll up your sleeves and give your wife a hand with the income and chores. Now that he is a father and husband, his life is no longer only about the things he wants to do. Instead, he goes behind his partner’s back and undermines her wishes while deceiving her. No wonder Miranda lost it.

Then there’s the finances. The whole fiasco kicks off when Daniel leaves his job out of a moral obligation. It’s good to consider morality in your work, but an adult also has to worry about where the money comes from. The court rules against him mainly because he is unstable and irresponsible with his finances. And what’s the first thing he does after that? Blow thousands of dollars in cash to buy perfectly moulded cosmetic masks that are not reusable. Let’s not even talk about the pink tax. Why would you ever want to buy expensive clothes for an elaborate ruse? That’s just a commitment to deception.

And Miranda could do with a harsh reality check and a good lawyer. While there was no restraining order forcibly keeping Daniel from his kids, Miranda did have sole custody, meaning she could determine where and when Daniel could meet them.

A reasonable adult would wait to discuss the situation with his ex-wife, but Daniel immediately jumps to fraud. And that doesn’t even cover his almost attempted murder of Miranda’s new partner, which he does out of sheer spite. The movie may have chosen to forget that plot beat, but I sure didn’t.

That final heartbreaking court scene where Daniel loses custody of his children is a perfectly reasonable decision by the judge. Frankly, the man deserves a drink. Daniel pleaded insanity for his ridiculous decision to pose as his kids’ nanny! His behaviour is almost indistinguishable from that of a sociopath. It makes me want to yell at Miranda to get a hold of herself and get those children to therapy! She could probably use some herself - because who can't recognise their husband of over a decade just because he’s in costume?

But, at the end of the day, as funny and bizarre as I find these fictional machinations, I can’t admire the movie’s core messages – every family is different. Not all families have to stay the same. Mrs Doubtfire was released when divorce wasn’t as common and normalised the idea that sometimes things have to change.

Looking back at it now, some of the issues Daniel showcases in the film explain why it might be best for him, Miranda, and the kids if they continue their separation. When you can’t contribute positively to your children's lives, it might be better to love them from a distance. And, well, they do say that distance makes the heart grow fonder.

This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.