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"MRS. DOUBTFIRE" (1993) (Robin Williams, Sally Field) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Minor Moderate None None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None None Moderate Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Minor Heavy Moderate Minor QUICK TAKE: Comedy: Hoping to save his marriage and get his family back together again, a nearly divorced man gets back into his house by posing as their dowdy British housekeeper. PLOT: Daniel Hillard (ROBIN WILLIAMS) would seem to have it all -- a talent for doing voice-over acting, a pretty and successful wife, Miranda (SALLY FIELD) and three good kids, teenager Lydia (LISA JAKUB), 12-year-old Chris (MATTHEW LAWRENCE) and 5-year-old Natalie (MARA WILSON). Yet, he can't seem to hold onto a job and that, coupled with the fact that Miranda no longer loves him, is leading them toward a divorce. It gets worse when a court hearing grants Miranda full custody with Daniel only getting Saturday visitation rights. His only remedy is to prove to court liaison Mrs. Sellner (ANNE HANEY) that he can find and keep a job and create a stable home setting. Desperate to be with his kids, Daniel takes advantage of Miranda's desire to hire a housekeeper. Changing the number in her ad to keep away all other candidates and then using his gay brother and makeup artist Frank (HARVEY FIERSTEIN) to turn him into an older woman, Daniel shows up at his former home as Mrs. Doubtfire, a dowdy British housekeeper. While the kids initially don't like her, Miranda does and hires her, unknowingly allowing Daniel back into her home. Keeping his identity secret from her and the kids, he also tries to undermine Miranda's growing attraction to her former college flame, Stu (PIERCE BROSNAN), a successful businessman who's looking to settle down. After getting a job at a local TV station run by Mr. Lundy (ROBERT PROSKY) who's looking for some new on-air talent, Daniel -- who's constantly alternating between his identities -- tries to balance his various quests, including bringing his family back together. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? The film has been something of a hit among kids, so it's a fair bet that they might, particularly if they're a fan of Williams. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For some sexual references. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: ROBIN WILLIAMS plays an unemployed vocal actor who's despondent over losing custody of his three kids to his wife who wants a divorce for him. In response, he poses as their new but dowdy British housekeeper to be back in their lives. He tells various white lies, uses some profanity (and drops various double entendres) and drinks in one scene to the point of being tipsy. SALLY FIELD plays his successful designer wife who's tired of him and wants a divorce. She uses some profanity and finds herself falling for Stu. PIERCE BROSNAN plays her former beau who comes back into her life as a successful businessman who wants to settle down with her. LISA JAKUB plays Daniel and Miranda's teenage daughter who isn't happy with her parents' pending divorce. MATTHEW LAWRENCE plays her 12-year-old brother who blames himself for that. MARA WILSON plays their 5-year-old sister who wants her mom and dad to be back together again. ROBERT PROSKY plays a TV station owner and manager who wants Daniel to be his new on-air talent. He drinks quite a bit in one scene. ANNE HANEY plays the court liaison assigned to make sure Daniel is complying with a court order. HARVEY FIERSTEIN plays Daniel's gay brother who uses his makeup expertise to turn Daniel into Mrs. Doubtfire. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this comedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 2 "s" words and various slang terms for male genitalia, while other expletives and colorful phrases are present. Various scenes include sexually related dialogue (more suggestive than explicit), including references and/or slang for intercourse, foreplay, genitalia, sex toys, strippers and more, while some shapely young women are briefly seen in small bikinis. Some characters have bad attitudes, including a husband wife toward each other as they're going through a divorce and custody battle for their kids (who see/hear their parents acting that way). Some characters drink (a few quite a bit in one scene), a few briefly smoke, and a minor bit of violence occurs. Some brief crude humor is present, as are various instances of behavior (verbal and physical) that some kids may want to imitate. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Miranda states that Stu just wants to go out and have drinks, adding that she'll just have club soda. Mrs. Doubtfire states that her (made up) husband was killed by the drink, clarifying that by saying he was hit by a Guinness truck. Mrs. Doubtfire guzzles down a beer and asks for another. Miscellaneous people have drinks from a bar. Stu asks Mrs. Doubtfire if she wants something to drink at a restaurant and she replies she'd like a chardonnay. Stu and Mrs. Doubtfire have wine, with Miranda later having some as well in a restaurant where miscellaneous people drink (and we see a waiter carrying a tray of drinks). Mr. Lundy asks if Daniel is going to have a drink, with the latter saying he'll have the same as Mr. Lundy. Mr. Lundy states he's having a double scotch on the rocks and tells the waiter to bring Daniel two of them so that he can catch up (in drinking). Moments later, we see several empty glasses on their table and they then have more. Later, and when back with Miranda and the others, Daniel (dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire) appears tipsy and falls to the floor when trying to sit down. Later, Mr. Lundy and Daniel have more drinks. BLOOD/GORE As Daniel changes clothes in a bathroom stall, the camera passes by several feet with pants around them in other stalls (but no other body function related material is present). Daniel (as Mrs. Doubtfire) grabs his crotch as he heads for the bathroom. Chris then walks in on him (dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire) and sees him urinating standing up (we see the urine stream). When lying about taking some medication, Mrs. Doubtfire excuses herself to the bathroom by stating that she can't take it orally. Mrs. Doubtfire's fake teeth fall into her glass of wine (some may find that gross). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Daniel and Miranda have bad attitudes toward each other during their moments of marital discord. Some viewers might not like Daniel imitating Ronald Reagan and making a crack about only having half a brain. Daniel secretly changes the phone numbers listed in Miranda's classified ad for a housekeeper. He then proceeds to make various mock applicant calls, all to make her nervous and more likely to hire him in the guise of Mrs. Doubtfire (and so that he can be close to his kids). Miranda starts to badmouth Daniel in front of her kids and Mrs. Doubtfire, but the latter calls her on that and she stops. Daniel tells various white lies to various people to keep up his Mrs. Doubtfire ruse. As Daniel tries to figure out how to cover his face so that a court liaison doesn't realize he and Mrs. Doubtfire are the same, he starts to put a towel over his face and then states, "I'm not a Muslim." Lydia initially has a bad and defiant attitude toward Mrs. Doubtfire, but later apologizes and is friendly to her. A miscellaneous guy tries to snatch Mrs. Doubtfire's purse while passing by on the street, but Daniel yanks it back from him. After Chris and Lydia discover that Mrs. Doubtfire is really their dad, they agree to keep that secret from everyone else. Knowing that Stu is allergic to spicy food, Daniel sneaks into the kitchen and adds a lot of pepper to his dish. That causes Stu to react after the first bite and he then starts to choke on a shrimp (which Mrs. Doubtfire pops out via the Heimlich maneuver). FRIGHTENING SCENES None. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Oh sh*t," "No sh*t," "Friggin," "Where the hell are you going?" "I'm not taking any crap from you," "Piss off, Lou" (said like Porky Pig), "Whazzup?" "What the hell is going on around here?" "Bitch" (how Frank playfully refers to his partner), "Lots of luck, smart ass," "How is the old battle ax?" "Jeez," "Poor dolt," "(The/You) Bastard," "Shut up," "Oh, my little ankle-biters," "My little nose miners," "Back off, asshole," "You're gonna get it in the balls," "It's a pain in the padded ass," "Idiot," "Get your ass to the truck," "Fan-bloody-tastic," "Loser," "I'll get the frock out of here," "Pissed," "He's such a stud muffin," "Be back in a flush," "I had to piss like a race horse," "I killed the bastard" and "Oh you wicked, wicked monkey." All of the various voices that Daniel and Mrs. Doubtfire do could be enticing for some kids to imitate. Daniel, Chris and Lydia dance on a table during Chris' birthday party, while various younger kids jump up and down on other furniture. Cross-dressing for laughs. Daniel dips his face into a meringue pie (leaving it covered in cream) to disguise his face from another person. During a musical montage, Daniel dances around the room with a vacuum cleaner and then a broom. He does the latter like a rocker with a guitar, including holding it between his legs like a guitar in a symbolically phallic way. Mrs. Doubtfire quickly gives Stu "the finger" out the window as the latter walks away (and doesn't see the gesture). Mrs. Doubtfire lets out a loud belch after guzzling down a beer. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 2 "s" words, 6 bits of slang/double entendres for male genitals ("sub," "weasel," "porpoise," "bone," "baloney" and "c*ck" used in "cocktail"), 4 asses (1 used with "hole"), 4 damns, 2 hells, 1 crap, 9 uses of "Oh God," 6 each of "God" and "Oh my God," 3 of "G-damn," 2 of "Jesus" and 1 use of "My God." SEX/NUDITY Daniel tells Chris that he has a surprise for his birthday, prompting the 12-year-old to ask, "A stripper?" When Daniel implies it isn't, the son enthusiastically asks, "Two strippers?" prompting a hearty response of approval from his dad (but not meaning that the guess is correct). While doing an array of voices, Daniel jokingly imitates someone by saying, "I want you in the worst way" and while doing James Bond he says, "I want to undo that bow and get to know you." Daniel mocks what he thinks is Miranda placing a personal ad and he uses various standard abbreviations doing so, ending with "into light B&D" (meaning bondage and domination). During a montage of being made up into test versions of women, Daniel says that he met a Cuban man and that every night is like the Bay of Pigs. Daniel races to get out of his Mrs. Doubtfire getup and we see him in his bra as well as his non-explicit, flesh colored body suit (that shows breast like objects on it). Some young boys across the way spot and laugh at the sight of him. As he's undressing, the film has him making various double entendres about keeping his court liaison "abreast," that there are "two new developments" and that things are "blossoming." Daniel tells another person that Mrs. Doubtfire is his half sister who was the "fruit of their passions" (meaning her parents). Daniel nearly loses control of his bike while watching a shapely younger woman pass by. Trying to put down Stu, Mrs. Doubtfire states that purchasing a big car means compensating for smaller genitals. Posing as Mrs. Doubtfire, Daniel asks Miranda if she can't see the lust in Stu's eyes (when he wants to go out on a date), and that Miranda should let her sheets cool down before bringing someone else into her bed. Miranda then asks Mrs. Doubtfire how long it was before she felt desire following her (made-up) husband's death, and Mrs. Doubtfire says it never did and that the only answer for Miranda is celibacy. After Chris and Lydia discover that Mrs. Doubtfire is really a man, Lydia threatens to hit the guy in the "balls" and then asks Chris if the man has them and he replies that he does along with everything else (not yet realizing that it's their dad in drag). Daniel, posing as Mrs. Doubtfire and discussing Daniel with Miranda, asks how he was on a scale of one to ten (meaning sex). Miranda replies, "That part was always okay," with Mrs. Doubtfire asking "Just okay?" Mrs. Doubtfire then jokes that her late husband's idea of foreplay was saying her name followed by "Brace yourself." We see miscellaneous young and shapely women in small bikinis at a pool. Daniel (forgetting that he's dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire) leers at one and then offers to pay for her drink, making the young woman uncomfortable. Seeing Stu enter the pool off a high dive, Mrs. Doubtfire jokes that she hopes he was wearing protection (for hitting the water at that speed). Later, Mrs. Doubtfire looks down at his normal bathing suit and says that by the look of him (Stu) the water must be cold. When Miranda asks Mrs. Doubtfire her decision between a red and black dress for dinner with Stu, Mrs. Doubtfire says that both cry harlot, that the red one is what a street walker would wear and that both say, "I'm easy." He then adds (referring to Stu), "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free." After Stu has given Miranda an expensive gift, Mrs. Doubtfire gets him alone for a moment and comments about that by saying that with a gift like that, the giver wants more than a piece of her heart. He/she states that it's a bit of a going down payment. When Stu acts a bit surprised, Mrs. Doubtfire continues on with a barrage of innuendo and double entendres, including "Sink the sub," "Hide the weasel," "Park the porpoise," "A bit of the old humpty dumpty," "Little Jack horny," "The horizontal mambo," "The bone dancer," "Rumple foreskin," "Baloney bop" and "A bit of the old cunning linguistics." When Stu continues to act surprised, Mrs. Doubtfire asks if she's being too graphic and then says that she hopes Stu is up for some competition, stating that Miranda has a power tool in the bedroom. She states that it's Miranda's personal jackhammer, that she could break the sidewalk with the thing, and that when she uses it the lights dim like in a prison movie. She then adds that she's surprised Miranda hasn't chipped her teeth and hopes that Stu brings the "cocktail sauce." She then adds that Miranda has "the crabs," adding that she doesn't mean the Dungeners. When Mr. Lundy asks why Daniel smells of perfume and is wearing lipstick (following an incomplete costume change), Daniel lies and says that he ran into an old girlfriend who couldn't keep her hands off him. Mr. Lundy then says that he has the stretch limo outside and wonders if Daniel's girlfriend has a girlfriend. Daniel then jokes that it's the '90s (a lesbian reference), but Mr. Lundy then clarifies that he means for him. SMOKING Daniel does voice over for a cartoon where a talking cat slams a huge cigarette into a small bird's mouth. He starts to smoke it, but Daniel then voices coughing sounds (that end up getting him fired). Four technicians who are supervising his work smoke. When asked whether they want smoking or non-smoking at a restaurant, Mrs. Doubtfire quickly chimes in that she wants smoking, stating that it's because she used to smoke and inhaling some nicotine helps curb her desire (but Daniel is really saying that so that they sit on the opposite side of the restaurant from Mr. Lundy). TENSE FAMILY SCENES The kids see and then hear their parents loudly arguing. Miranda states that it's over, that they've been trying to work things out for 14 years, that it's too late and that she wants a divorce (after Daniel says the fact that they love each other is something they have in common, although her silent response shows she doesn't feel that same way). We see custody proceedings in a courtroom where Miranda is granted full custody and Daniel only gets Saturday visitation rights. The kids watch and then say good-bye as Daniel moves out of their home, with Chris stating it's his fault (due to having a birthday and resultant party -- but Daniel makes it clear that's not the cause). While having a rare dinner at his place, Daniel asks the kids, "How is the old battle ax?" He then jokes about her getting a disease that Chris tells Natalie causes perpetual diarrhea, drying up and then dying. That unsettles Natalie and prompts her to ask her dad, "Why would you want mommy to die?" and Daniel replies that he doesn't. Miranda then shows up early for the kids and the parents get into an argument in front of them. Another custody hearing goes worse for Daniel as he learns that he can only see his kids one day a week, but this time under supervision. There's still some marital discord between Daniel and Miranda (he's bitter over the court decision), but they put that behind them for the sake of their kids and she allows him to be their caretaker in the afternoons. Mrs. Doubtfire reads a letter on TV from a girl about her parents being split (which may just be about his family in the abstract). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Divorce and/or parents who don't get along, etc. Frank is Daniel's gay brother (no sexual content is seen, but there's no doubt about the way he and his partner are portrayed). While mocking applicant calls for the position of Miranda's housekeeper, Daniel (using a different voice) says that "she" doesn't work with the males as she used to be one. Daniel asks Frank if he can make him a woman (meaning with makeup), prompting Frank to reply jokingly that he's made him so happy. A reference is made to Uncle Frank and Aunt Jack. VIOLENCE Mrs. Doubtfire yanks out the hood ornament from Stu's expensive car. As Stu walks away from an outdoor bar, Mrs. Doubtfire throws a lemon or lime and hits him on the back of the head, blaming it on some unseen disgruntled worker. Daniel accidentally bangs his clothed crotch into a half-wall in a restaurant, prompting him to wince in pain and walk along with his hands at his crotch. Reviewed January 3, 2005 / Posted January 17, 2005