‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ 30th anniversary: Beloved Oscar-winning comedy divided critics

One of the most beloved comedies of 1993 is “Mrs. Doubtfire,” starring Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan and Harvey Fierstein. Directed by Chris Columbus, the film tells the story of an actor who, following a bitter divorce from his wife, disguises himself as an older female housekeeper to spend time with his kids. Released three decades ago in November 1993, “Mrs. Doubtfire” was a huge box office success, grossing $441 million worldwide on a $25 million budget. Read on for our tribute to the “Mrs. Doubtfire” 30th anniversary.

The nation’s critics were divided on “Mrs. Doubtfire,” with some loving it and others flat-out panning it. Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times gave the movie thumbs down, saying, “It’s not as amusing as the premise, and there were long stretches when I’d had quite enough.” In addition, David Denby in New York Magazine wrote, “Much of it feels synthetic and crude, more the result of engineering than inspiration.” However, Rita Kembley adored the film, saying, “You will laugh till your ribs ache because Williams is to funny what the Energizer Bunny is to batteries.” And Janet Maslin wrote in the New York Times, “The dress, the mask and Mrs. Doubtfire’s gentility are inherently limiting, but nothing holds Williams back when he’s on a roll.”

With “Mrs. Doubtfire” released to at least some positive notices as well as major box office in late 1993, was the movie going to be a major awards player in early 1994? Many voting bodies thumb their noses at comedies, so the road to Oscar nominations was going to be a long and bumpy one. However, “Mrs. Doubtfire” did better that awards season than you might think, winning a couple of Golden Globes and winning an Academy Award. The film also won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Comedy Motion Picture as well as Favorite Movie Actor for Williams at the Kids Choice Awards and Best Comedic Performance for Williams at the MTV Movie Awards.

At the time, there was no Critics Choice Awards or Screen Actors Guild Awards, so the biggest precursor to the Oscars was the Golden Globe Awards, which nominated “Mrs. Doubtfire” in two categories — Best Comedy Actor for Williams and Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. In the acting category, Williams was up against Johnny Depp for “Benny & Joon,” Tom Hanks for “Sleepless in Seattle,” Kevin Kline for “Dave” and Colm Meaney for “The Snapper.” With Hanks already the Best Actor favorite that season in the drama category for “Philadelphia,” Williams essentially had zero competition in picking up this prize. In his speech, he thanked his director Columbus by saying, “He’s so young, he’s amazing, and he also has that great parade in New York, he’s incredible.”

In Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, “Mrs. Doubtfire” competed with “Dave,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Strictly Ballroom.” Again, “Mrs. Doubtfire” didn’t have much competition here, with “Sleepless in Seattle” probably in second place given its popularity in 1993 with critics and at the box office, but it had opened back in the summer, and “Mrs. Doubtfire” was fresh in everyone’s minds when Golden Globe voting took place at the end of the year. Williams’ wife at the time, Marsha Garces Williams accepted the trophy, having been a producer on the film, who thanked Robin for “bringing Mrs. Doubtfire so completely to life and for wearing those high heels and enduring those 4 a.m. wake-up calls.”

Sadly, these two big wins at the Golden Globes for “Mrs. Doubtfire” didn’t lead to Oscar nominations in any of the top eight categories, the film missing in Best Picture and Williams missing in Best Actor. However, the movie did make it into one category at both the BAFTA Awards and the Academy Awards — Best Makeup. “Mrs. Doubtfire” lost in the category at BAFTA to “Orlando,” but at the Oscars, it won over two drama heavyweights, “Philadelphia” and “Schindler’s List.” Val Kilmer and Joan Chen presented make-up artists Greg Cannom, Ve Neill and Yolanda Toussieng the Oscars for “Mrs. Doubtfire.” In the speech, Neill thanked Williams for “his beautiful portrayal and his patience as Mrs. Doubtfire.”

Considering the popularity of the movie as well as its wins at the Golden Globes, why was Robin Williams not recognized in the Best Actor category by the academy? It came down to two main reasons. First, as I mentioned earlier, comedic performances often struggle to get recognized at the Academy Awards, especially in the leading acting categories. And second, the Best Actor race in 1994 was stacked with acclaimed dramatic performances, including Liam Neeson for “Schindler’s List,” Anthony Hopkins for “The Remains of the Day” and Hanks, who won. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t room for Williams that year.

Despite “Mrs. Doubtfire” only being nominated in a single category at the Oscars, the movie continues to be a favorite for many 30 years later. The comedic scenes are still hilarious, the dramatic moments always ring true, and the Williams performance is spectacular, easily one of his all-time best. In the Hollywood Reporter, Duane Byrge said, “This comedy’s warm and soothing nature will give mainstream audiences in these dysfunctional-family times a perfect holiday uplift. With a waddle to his wit, Williams is a drag-out hit as the redoubtable Mrs. Doubtfire.” I totally agree.

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