History YMMV / MrsDoubtfire

* HilariousInHindsight: It won't be the last time Pierce Brosnan played a man who was outsmarted by [[Franchise/JamesBond an elderly British lady]].

* RetroactiveRecognition: For the twenty-somethings who grew up with Pierce Brosnan as JamesBond. Oddly enough, people of the time thought of a similar cloak and dagger character "Hey, it's Series/RemingtonSteele!"

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Daniel and Miranda remain divorced, but he is able to get unsupervised visitation rights. This was substituted for the original ending where they do get back together, which was opposed by Chris Columbus, Robin Williams, and Sally Field (all divorcees) who thought it would give false hope to children of divorced couples.]]
* GenreBlindness: Really? Attempt to [[TwoTimerDate attend the same event as two people]]? WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong
** To be fair, he tried to get out of the birthday dinner ''and'' move the business meeting, but both failed.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: It stars Creator/RobinWilliams, what did you expect?
-->'''Mrs. Doubtfire:''' Don't ''fuss'' with me.
** A lot of snarky lines cross into this as well.
** Lastly, something which likely went over the head over most of the children at the final trial scene is that the judge is implying that Daniel is a DepravedHomosexual, unable to be trusted with his kids.

* IdiotBall: Miranda divorced her husband, whom she supposedly was well aware of his skill with voices and fast talking. Yet all these strange, surreal nannies responding to her ads never sets off an internal flag that her husband could be behind them.

* RuleOfFunny, HarpoDoesSomethingFunny: Daniel eventually gets the job as nanny using the voice of an elderly British woman after terrifying his ex-wife with a series of comically inept "applications". Yet, when he goes to be disguised as a woman, he then tries out several different looks (which call for quite different voices, including a Cuban woman and a Russian woman) first. This makes no sense and only happens due to Rule of Funny.
** Creator/RogerEbert even chides the film in his review that it stops in its tracks multiple times just to let Robin Williams do voices: five times (the opening scene, the job application, the nanny calls, the makeup chair, and the empty studio scene with the dinosaur models).
** However, most of the scenes are justified -- the nanny calls consist of Daniel impersonating various outlandish clients to make sure Miranda will take Mrs. Doubtfire after a string of weirdos, the make-up chair has him trying to match a voice to the make-up he's being given as they try to "create" Mrs. Doubtfire, and the studio scene demonstrates to his boss watching that he is an entertaining and energetic person and gets him a dinner meeting.
*** Daniel crank calling Miranda was taken from the original novel. However, without that Patented Robin Williams Wackiness (tm), the calls in the book aren't really all that funny. It pretty much boils down to, "I have two girls and a boy." "I don't like girls." Click. Second call, "I have two girls and a boy." "I don't like boys." Click.
*** The job application one is also semi-justified in that, well, it's what Daniel's character ''does'' for a living (or at least wants to do), and he's at an employment agency. He's basically trying to prove his chops as a voice actor. Yes, it might have been written in just to let Williams be funny, but it's supported by the character's entire background.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: The film's plot would be completely rendered moot today as caller ID would have outed Daniel as the person calling for all the nannies applying, and people don't usually pick up for unlisted numbers anymore.
** It likely would have required writing in Daniel searching around for still-functioning payphones, calling from different lines at work, borrowing friends and coworkers' cellphones, etc. So the plot would still work, it would just require a bit more footwork on the character's part.
* TheUnfairSex: Daniel is thrown out by Miranda after losing his job and forced to support himself at an entry position at a production company, while Miranda enjoys a large home, a successful job, and is ''dating'' only a couple months after the divorce. Miranda also brushes off Daniel's suggestions to help alleviate her stress, including marriage counseling, and mocks Daniel's initial suggestion that he be the housekeeper she's looking for, since he wants to spend more time with the kids. Despite this, both the film and the characters act as though the failed marriage was Daniel's fault, as due to the film focusing on his CharacterDevelopment, aside from his immaturity his many flaws come off as {{Informed Attribute}}s.

* TearJerker: Two specific moments in the movie: Daniel's speech to the judge explaining why he dressed up as Mrs. Doubtfire, only to have the judge impose harsher limits on his visitation rights, and Daniel's/Mrs. Doubtfire's response to a letter from a child whose parents are separating... which serves as background narration for the BittersweetEnding in which Miranda revokes said limits.

** All three kids see through the Mrs. Doubtfire disguise, even Nattie, though it takes her a little longer.

* TearJerker: Two specific moments in the movie: Daniel's speech to the judge explaining why he dressed up as Mrs. Doubtfire, only to have the judge impose harsher limits on his visitation rights, and Daniel's/Mrs. Doubtfire's response to a letter from a child whose parents are separating... which serves as background narration for the BittersweetEnding in which Miranda revokes said limits.
* TheUnfairSex: While Daniel wants to work through their marital troubles, suggesting a vacation and ''marriage counseling'', and is shown to be willing to change and mature in order to please Miranda, by contrast she brushes his suggestions to help their marriage aside and declares it over. Then, in what is likely two months or less in the film's stated timeframe, she's already dating again while Daniel has to struggle and scrape at a low-end job and a small apartment and gets to spend far less time with their children than she does. However, all the characters and to some extent the story itself blame Daniel for the marriage's failure and a word is never said to Miranda.
** There is a moment where Daniel (as Mrs. Doubtfire) asks Miranda ''why'' she never explained to her husband why she was unhappy when she tells "Mrs. Doubtfire" about their troubles, possibly setting up a WhatTheHellHero speech, only for Miranda to brush it off saying that Daniel would never bother to take such things seriously. This scene is played as if the WhatTheHellHero has thusly been delivered to ''Daniel''... the guy who wanted to get counseling and seriously discuss the problems in their marriage.
*** It's likely more that Miranda thinks he's ''incapable'' of a serious discussion or sticking to therapy, plus his suggestions sound more like knee-jerk backpedaling than a serious wish to change. She describes them as having been working on their problems for fourteen years.
** Considering Miranda's claim that Daniel never took such matters seriously, and considering Daniel's immaturity at the start of the film, it is possible Miranda and Daniel had tried to patch things up before, including counselling, but never found a long-term fix, which would make her behavior make more sense.
** She's played by Sally Field, queen of the LifetimeMovieOfTheWeek. Doubtfire is just told from the husband's point of view.

*** Indeed, leading to wondering over the interpretation of whether she's sincerely at the end of her rope with a situation that's bad for her and her children, or just [[ToiletSeatDivorce looking for an excuse]] to dump her current husband for her more attractive, more successful ex?

* RetroactiveRecognition: For the twenty-somethings who grew up with Pierce Brosnan as JamesBond.

*** In some ways this, also applies to Miranda. Is she a mature woman who has put up with Daniel's antics over the years and has finally reached her breaking point, or is she a cold detached woman more interested in her career than her family? Her apparent mooning over her old flame prior to telling Daniel it's over doesn't help her cause any.

* TearJerker: Two specific moments in the movie: Daniel's speech to the judge explaining why he dressed up as Mrs. Doubtfire, [[ItGotWorse only to have the judge impose harsher limits on his visitation rights]], and Daniel's/Mrs. Doubtfire's response to a letter from a child whose parents are separating... which serves as background narration for the BittersweetEnding in which Miranda revokes said limits.

** Even invoked a bit in-movie, both by Daniel himself ("What am I doing here? This is beyond obsession.") and by the judge, once the gig is up, as the reason for ordering supervision during Daniel's time with the kids.
*** In some ways this, also applies to Miranda. Is she a mature woman who has put up with Daniel's antics over the years and has finally reached her breaking point, or is she a cold detached woman more interested in her career than her family. Her apparent mooning over her old flame prior to telling Daniel it's over doesn't help her cause any.

* RetroactiveRecognition: For the 20somethings who grew up with Pierce Brosnan as JamesBond.
* TheUnfairSex: A mild but still noticeable example. While Daniel seems perfectly willing to work on their marriage (suggesting a trip and, in a much more mature and serious move, ''marriage counseling'' to try and work out their problems) and seems quite willing to change (and, as we see in the movie, ''boy'' can he change), Miranda simply brushes all that aside, not even willing to try it, and declares that it's over. This is, perhaps not coincidentally, just after she's seen mooning over the prospect of seeing Stuart again. All the characters and to some extent the story itself still seem to saddle Daniel with at least 95% of the blame for the failed marriage.
** There is a moment where Daniel (as Mrs. Doubtfire) asks Miranda ''why'' she never explained to her husband why she was unhappy (after having just confessed her reasons to his alter-ego) possibly setting up a WhatTheHellHero speech only for Miranda to brush it off saying that Daniel would never bother to take such things seriously.

** There is a moment where Danile (as Mrs. Doubtfire) asks Miranda ''why'' she never explained to her husband why she was unhappy (after having just confessed her reasons to his alter-ego) possibly setting up a WhatTheHellHero speech only for Miranda to brush it off saying that Daniel would never bother to take such things seriously.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: The Closing Monologue Daniel gives as Mrs. Doubtfire in response to a letter from a little girl who's parents have split up:
-->'''Mrs. Doubtfire:''' Oh, my dear Katie. You know, some parents, when they're angry, [[AmicablyDivorced they get along much better when they don't live together.]] They don't fight all the time, and they can become better people, and much better mummies and daddies for you. And sometimes they get back together. And sometimes they don't, dear. And if they don't, don't blame yourself. Just because they don't love each other anymore, doesn't mean that they don't love you. There are all sorts of different families, Katie. Some families have one mommy, some families have one daddy, or two families. And some children live with their uncle or aunt. Some live with their grandparents, and some children live with foster parents. And some live in separate homes, in separate neighborhoods, in different areas of the country - and they may not see each other for days, or weeks, months... even years at a time. But if there's love, dear... those are the ties that bind, and you'll have a family in your heart, forever. All my love to you poppet, you're going to be alright... bye bye.

* TearJerker: Two specific moments in the movie: Daniel's speech to the judge explaining why he dressed up as Mrs. Doubtfire, [[ItGotWorse only to have the judge impose harsher limits on his visitation rights]], and Daniel's/Mrs. Doubtfire's response to a letter from a child whose parents are separating.