Mrs. Doubtfire - The Behind the Seams Edition | Christian Toto saw, Comedy | ENTERTAINMENT
Mrs. Doubtfire - The Behind the Seams Edition
February/15/08 11:18 PM Filed in: Christian Toto
saw | Comedy
Williams is adroitly cast as Daniel, a voice-over cutup who can't take his marital duties seriously. So his frazzled wife Miranda (Sally Field) does what she has to do -- she divorces him and takes up with the studly Pierce Brosnan.
Can't blame her, right?
But Daniel can't stand seeing their three children only once a week. So he turns to his fey brother (Harvey Fierstein), who works in theatrical makeup, and Mrs. Doubtfire is born.
"Mrs. Doubtfire" isn't dated a bit, not counting Field's awful outfits which, despite the era, scream 1985.
The early fight which sets the divorce in motion is rock solid and provide the firm foundation for the silliness to follow. Here are two fine actors in a frothy comedy giving it their all. And it shows.
Williams isn't always as funny as he or director Chris Columbus thinks he is, but when he's swaddled in his Mrs. Doubtfire makeup he's grand fun. Like Dustin Hoffman's character in "Tootsie," Daniel becomes a better man as a result of playing a woman.
Too bad the film sets up its slapstick finale, a farcical sequence with moments of brilliance, in such a hackneyed fashion.
The children in question here (Mara Wilson, Matthew Lawrence, Lisa Jakub) are sweet without offering up unnecessary angst, and Williams' Daniel is just enough of a rebel to make you believe he'd be willing to don a fat suit just to see his kids.
"Mrs. Doubtfire" is gently humorous, assuredly paced and features a solid turn from old-pro Robert Prosky as the station manager who sees something special in Daniel's alter ego.
Plenty of people saw something special in "Mrs. Doubtfire," and for them this DVD release will be heaven sent.
1. The goods: Mainstream comedies can be, well, a bit dull. But "Mrs. Doubtfire" offers a pair of Oscar winners in the lead roles and some intricately staged comic moments to make up for its predictability. Williams' film choices are uneven, to be kind. But his Mrs. Doubtfire is a true original. Field does she can with a mostly thankless role, and bravo to the film's writers for not making Brosnan's character into a villain.
2. The Mandatory Extras: "The Behind the Seams" edition is loaded with goodies. You could probably stitch together a second film just out of the deleted and alternate take scenes included here. Apparently, poor Polly "Kiss my grits" Holliday found the bulk of her role as the annoying neighbor on the cutting room floor.
A separate couch chat with Williams and Columbus offers plenty of good bits about the shoot, including how they shot one or two takes ripped right from the script, then Williams let loose with his own improv style. They even joke they had so much footage they could have spliced together an R and NC-17 version of the film, based on Williams' increasingly raw outtakes (none of which are included in this family-friendly format.
3. Above and Beyond: The DVD title pages alone are a hoot, with their crude but colorful animation and Williams' operatic voice beckoning viewers to hit the "play" button. The only thing missing here is a featurette on drag comedy.
4. Fuel the Disc Revolution: Need any more Williams? Try the improv takes for multiple scenes included on Disk 2. You get Williams riffing through multiple takes, then the one the film finally used is shown. A great peek at a creative mind in progress.
"Mrs. Doubtfire" takes full advantage of its 2-disk format. One could argue a frilly comedy doesn't deserve this kind of treatment, but fans of Williams will argue otherwise.
— Christian Toto