Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
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A divorced voice actor disguises himself as an elderly nanny to maintain access to his children.
The story
Freelance voice actor Daniel Hillard lives in San Francisco and is a devoted father to three children, though his workaholic wife Miranda considers him immature and unreliable. After a heated argument leads to a divorce and the loss of custody, Daniel is granted only limited visitation rights. To remain close to his children, Daniel uses his voice acting skills and elaborate makeup to pose as 'Euphegenia Doubtfire,' an elderly British nanny. He successfully secures a position in his ex-wife's home, leading to a complicated dynamic where he must maintain his disguise while navigating his new life and his children's adjustment to the new household dynamic.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After his wife Miranda grants him only limited visitation following their divorce, voice actor Daniel Hillard poses as an elderly nanny named Euphegenia Doubtfire to stay in his children's lives. While the children thrive under the nanny's care and Daniel improves his own life, he must constantly juggle his identity. The tension peaks when he attends a professional dinner and a family event simultaneously, eventually revealing his true identity to his children. After a legal battle where he is initially granted only supervised visits, the truth of his actions is revealed. The film concludes with a resolution where Miranda and Daniel agree to joint custody, and Daniel finds success as a television host performing as Mrs. Doubtfire, ultimately ensuring he can remain a constant presence in his children's lives.
- First release year
- 1993
- Runtime (minutes)
- 125
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Chris Columbus
- Writers
- Randi Mayem Singer · screenplay; Leslie Dixon · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Robin Williams · Daniel Hillard / Mrs. Doubtfire; Sally Field · Miranda Hillard; Pierce Brosnan · Stu Dunmeyer; Harvey Fierstein · Frank Hillard; Robert Prosky · Jonathan Lundy
- Genres
- comedy-drama
- Themes
- family; identity; parenting
- Tone and mood
- comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- cross-dressing; divorce; nanny
- Source material / true-story basis
- Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine
- Reception
- While critical reception was mixed, the film won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 71% · review count: 55; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Makeup · win; Golden Globe Award · Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · win
- Production trivia
- The makeup for Mrs. Doubtfire's appearance took four hours to apply.; The film was the highest-grossing cross-dressing film.; The film was the second-highest-grossing film of 1993.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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