This massive hit gave Robin Williams a very good opportunity to show both his comic and dramatic abilities. He had done both in previous movies, but this was the first one when he did both at the same time.

Williams plays Daniel Hillard, a man who loves his children but is not very good at adulting. Sally Field plays his wife, Miranda, who is an interior designer, and who comes home to a wild birthday party that Daniel is throwing for their son, ironically after being fired from yet another job because he is difficult.

This causes a blow up argument between Daniel and Miranda, and Miranda asks for a divorce. Daniel only gets Saturday visitation with his kids, and since he has been with his kids every day of their lives, he is dissatisfied. So when Miranda advertises for a housekeeper, Daniel applies dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire , a personable 50 something British matron, and gets the job. The reason he has such a professional costume and makeup job that his own wife and kids don't recognize him? His brother, played by Harvey Fierstein in a brilliant cameo, is a makeup artist for the film industry. How does this all work out? Let's just say that complications ensue.

I'm just going to take a tack on this I haven't heard very many people take. Robin Williams is brilliant in this and his character has my complete sympathy except for the fact that he apparently had a habit of quitting jobs over artistic license in an expensive town like San Francisco with three kids to support. Yet I found Field's character of Miranda completely unlikable. Daniel has been what he has been for years, but she waits until her profession puts her side by side with a wealthy handsome ex-flame (Pierce Brosnan) to ask for that seemingly out-of-the-blue divorce, seems thrilled when she gets sole custody in the initial hearing even though she knows what Daniel's kids mean to him, and stays mum when the second hearing goes badly for Daniel although she certainly knew why Daniel did what he did. In other words, like so many women who file for divorce, she just wishes the father would magically disintegrate as long as his child support checks keep coming. Because in Pierce Brosnan's character she has found a bigger better deal.

The message today seems pretty obvious - "there are all kinds of families". But believe it or not, while this movie was being filmed, the 1992 presidential campaign was being fought, in part, on the ground of what a real family actually looks like. That and the spelling of the word potato. But I digress.

My favorite scene - Daniel is getting ready to leave the house, he and Miranda have separated, and he is saying goodbye to his children. The son blames himself for the separation saying it happened because of his birthday party. Daniel reassures him "you did nothing wrong. This would have happened regardless." Children often blame themselves for their parents' divorce and it is important to reassure them that this is not the case.

This is a very good drama and comedy. If you want something the whole family can watch, this still fits the bill 27 years later. It skillfully handles the topic of divorce and its impact on children and parents without getting into "Squid and the Whale" territory. But you may find yourself asking unanswered questions such as, how do Daniel and Miranda afford what is today a five million dollar house in an expensive city like San Francisco AND three kids? Also, why is Daniel's brother working in San Francisco instead of Hollywood?

HIghly recommended.

When Robin Williams died, we lost one of the most creative forces in the history of the entertainment world. He seemed able to latch on to any sort of role and make it his, with that nonstop mind of his. This, of course, has him impersonating a 60 something British nanny who moves in with his own kids in order to be near them. His ex- is Sally Field. Of course, it seems unlikely he would be able to get away with this, but in the context of the movie, he does. What we have from there on are sight gags, close calls, and marvelous improvisation from the master. He also creates an endearing figure that would still pass as a wonderful grandma type in any case. There were times when I forgot Williams was in that costume. There is a delicate touch here that really works. One of the best movies of the year.

What a thoroughly enjoyable movie. I really like Robin Williams, an actor that is I personally don't care for him that much as a comedian, and the roles of Daniel Hillard and Mrs Doubtfire were perfect for him. While he was fine as Daniel, it is his tour-de-force performance of Mrs Doubtfire that drives the film. Plus the make up used on him was fantastic. Also worthy of credit is director Chris Columbus, who nails the use of Williams's exuberance and quick-fire personality, and because of this every gag hits the right buttons. There are cracking set pieces such as the make up experiments and the series of table hopping quick changes. And I for one liked the routine with the dinosaur, it wasn't one of the better gags but it was funny. Pierce Brosnan also does surprisingly well as the bachelor looking for a ready-made family, and Mara Wilson gives one of her better performances as Natalie, very delightful and charming her performance was. The script is also funny and touching, the score is warm and sweet and the film is very nice to look at. Some people didn't like the ending, but I had no real problem with it personally. My only complaints are that the film is a little too long and Sally Field overdoes the exasperation slightly as the mother, but overall this is a delightful film, no matter how many times you see it, you are likely to love it every time, whether it is Williams, the gags or Wilson. 9/10 Bethany Cox