Mrs Doubtfire and the making of Daniel Hillard.

This is actually my favourite joke in the movie!

There comes a point in anyone’s life where they have to step up to the responsibilities in a way that they have not before. For Daniel, this point arrived when he discovered that his idolised image of family and marriage did not meet the reality that his wife, Miranda, saw. As the final straw came and Miranda returned home to find the utter mess that Daniel laughed off, she saw that he was unfit to be her husband. Their personalities, his comic and hers serious, were proof that opposites may attract but similar values are what makes the marriage work.

So, naturally Daniel did what any man still fighting for his wife and family would do. He became a Scottish pensioner called Mrs Doubtfire! The hip hop, bee bop, dance till you drop fun Grandma figure who could not only babysit the children whilst in this disguise, as Daniel only had limited access through the courts but find work as a tv presenter. She/he was the warm but funny presence that appeals to the child in all of us.

I’ve seen this movie many times and it never gets old. Robin was not only a genius at comedy, he could deliver a poignant and beautiful performance as a man trying to do the right thing but going about it in his typically misguided way. He’s kind of like the underdog that you can’t help but root for because the love he has for his children and the level of commitment that he put into that side of the relationship, was absolutely awesome.

Now, the movie has attracted criticism because we kind of do laugh at the fact that this hairy and stocky dude is dressed up as a woman. However, this was actually the plot of the book that Mrs Doubtfire was based on. Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine.  Having read some of her other work as a child, I recall that she focused on family and relationships in her stories. So even with the antics of seeing a he dressed as a she peeing as a he, to paraphrase the son in the movie, it is not actually a story about cross dressing or transsexualism. It is a story about a man, a husband and father, being the victim of harsh legal system that restricts his access to the children that he dotes on and having to find a way to be there for them.

It isn’t just Daniel who loves his children, they love and adore him also. The dad they could talk to, the one who made the littlest feel like a princess and a creative personality that makes every day interesting. Although he was not so good at curbing his own creativity, he was still an authoritative father. Not neglectful or overly lenient.

As the movie continues and Daniel accepts that Miranda has moved on, he does also. In becoming Mrs Doubtfire, Daniel Hilliard becomes a man who understands the woman he was married to for years, for the first time. He sees things clearly and along with Miranda they come to a more honest and better way to co parent their beloved children.