History YMMV / MrsDoubtfire

* PopCultureUrbanLegends: In early 2021, several web articles [[https://ew.com/movies/mrs-doubtfire-director-chris-columbus-nc-17-cut/ claimed]] that there was an ''NC-17'' cut of the film featuring some extraordinary vulgar ad libs by Creator/RobinWilliams. Although extremely implausible in and of itself,[[note]]Films earn an NC-17 (adults only) rating due to graphic nudity and sexual content or particularly extreme violence. It's virtually impossible for a movie to earn that rating purely based on profanity.[[/note]] the claim briefly went viral on social media until Creator/ChrisColumbus and Creator/MaraWilson shut it down. Columbus did claim that Williams filmed enough outtakes to make an ''R'' rated version, but that an NC-17 rating was absurd.

* PopCultureUrbanLegends: In early 2021, several web articles [[[https://ew.com/movies/mrs-doubtfire-director-chris-columbus-nc-17-cut/ claimed]] that there was an ''NC-17'' cut of the film featuring some extraordinary vulgar ad libs by Creator/RobinWilliams. Although extremely implausible in and of itself,[[note]]Films earn an NC-17 (adults only) rating due to graphic nudity and sexual content or particularly extreme violence. It's virtually impossible for a movie to earn that rating purely based on profanity.[[/note]] the claim briefly went viral on social media until Creator/ChrisColumbus and Creator/MaraWilson shut it down. Columbus did claim that Williams filmed enough outtakes to make an ''R'' rated version, but that an NC-17 rating was absurd.

** Many commenters who watched this movie as children but have since grown up noted that nobody, not the in-universe characters, the audience, or the MoralGuardians thought it was weird when Daniel mentioned his kids' "Uncle Frank and Aunt Jack", basically confirming they were an openly gay and married couple (and good guys, too) in a kids' movie.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The film presents a more realistic depiction of divorce than most media does. Daniel and Miranda are both presented as having valid reasons to separate because even after years of marriage, they've grown into different people than they were before and Miranda doesn't love Daniel as much as she once did. In the original script the two got back together in the end, but Sally Field and Robin Williams are both divorcees themselves and objected to the ending, as they felt it gave children false hope that divorced parents would always reconcile. The new ending instead focuses on Mrs. Doubtfire addressing a child that wrote to her about their parents getting divorced, and she explains that sometimes these things just happen with married couples, and it may be for the best for them so they can grow to be better people apart, and they may or may not get back together eventually. But it doesn't necessarily mean they don't care about their children anymore or that their family is broken now, because there are all sorts of non-traditional family patterns (foster parents, living with other relatives, same-sex couples etc.) that are still perfectly valid and healthy. What is most important is that the child is loved and feels loved, no matter the type of family they are raised in.

** Mrs. Doubtfire does not wear a latex mask and padding. She wears a turban. This is apparently enough to fool Miranda.
** Rather than learn housekeeping skills, Daniel forces the children to clean the house by threatening that they'll never see him again if he is found out.

** Daniel Hillard -- loving father who desperately wants to raise his kids, or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3bgipCebuI creepily obsessed stalker]] that commits a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wfjywzrFP4 series of crimes]]? Even {{lampshaded}} 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 a sweet monologue, he even says that he loves so much that he is crazy about them, and the idea of being away from them so much is truly painful.
** 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 is over does not help her cause any.
* BrokenBase: Daniel vs Miranda. Either this movie is about an immature ManChild losing his kids to a responsible wife who can't put up with him anymore, or it is about a loving father having his kids taken from him by an uptight workaholic. Then of course there's fans who think BothSidesHaveAPoint, and the film itself leans that direction: the kids don't get along with Miranda nearly as well as they do with Daniel and are upset when she comes to pick them up from his place, but they are also aware that Daniel has to grow up and get his act together.
* FridgeBrilliance: Daniel quits a kid's cartoon because it does not condemn smoking harshly enough for his liking. When you see how devoted he is to his children, it makes him look a lot more responsible as a parent.
** People commonly criticize the opening scene for being unrealistic, explaining that they find a cartoon in the 90s with a smoking character to be outlandish. But it is likely that David was hired for a remastering of the cartoon from a time where smoking in a cartoon was commonplace, especially considering his talent for impersonation.

** In ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' Magazine's parody of this movie, there is a panel where the judge in the final hearing asks, "And now for the next case: Should the career of Creator/PierceBrosnan be declared legally dead?" Ummmm....[[Franchise/JamesBond no.]]

** Film/BillyMadison's two best friends are also named Jack and Frank, and they are very close.
** Also, the restaurant scene where Stu is choking on the hot cayenne pepper, which he is allergic to, that Mrs. Doubtfire put on his meal (but [[EveryoneHasStandards was so horrified by this, he ended up saving his life]]) becomes this once you learn that Creator/PierceBrosnan once worked as a professional fire eater.

** Likewise, Miranda. For all her flaws, she wants to provide for the family and raise her children well, and if she is harsh with Daniel, it is because she is understandably frustrated with his immaturity. She is fully aware of how she has changed for the worse over the course of her marriage, and is quite unhappy about it.
* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The film presents a more realistic depiction of divorce than most media does. Daniel and Miranda are both presented as having valid reasons to separate because even after years of marriage, they have grown into different people than they were before and Miranda does not love Daniel as much as she once did. In the original script the two got back together in the end, but Sally Field and Robin Williams are both divorcees themselves and objected to the ending., as they felt it gave children false hope that divorced parents would always reconcile. The new ending instead focuses on Mrs. Doubtfire addressing a child that wrote to her about their parents getting divorced, and she explains that sometimes these things just happen with married couples, and it may be for the best for them so they can grow to be better people apart, and they may or may not get back together eventually. But it does not necessarily mean they don't care about their children anymore or that their family is broken now, because there are all sorts of non-traditional family patterns (foster parents, living with other relatives, same-sex couples etc.) that are still perfectly valid and healthy. What is most important is that the child is loved and feels loved, no matter the type of family they are raised in.
* StrawmanHasAPoint: Even though he was saying it out of his jealousy over Miranda dating Stuart, Daniel (as Mrs. Doubtfire) had a perfectly legitimate point when he tells her it is too soon for her to start introducing her kids to a new man in their lives when they are still trying to deal with the divorce (which the film's timeline implies was just months ago).

* WTHCastingAgency: And featuring Harvey Fierstein as Robin Williams' brother! Wait, what? [[RuleOfCool He is a delight to see, though.]]

* BrokenBase: Daniel vs Miranda. Either this movie is about an immature ManChild losing his kids to a responsible wife who can't put up with him anymore, or it is a loving father having his kids taken from him by an uptight workaholic, or [[BothSidesHaveAPoint a little bit of both]]. The film makes a point of [[TakeTheThirdOption taking the third option]]; the kids don't get along with Miranda nearly as well as they do with Daniel and are upset when she comes to pick them up from his place, but on the flipside, they are aware that Daniel has to grow up and seriously needs to get his act together.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The film presents a more realistic depiction of divorce than most media does. Daniel and Miranda are both presented as having valid reasons to separate because even after years of marriage, they have grown into different people than they were before and Miranda does not love Daniel as much as she once did. In the original script the two got back together in the end, but Sally Field and Robin Williams are both divorcees themselves and objected to the ending., as they felt it gave children false hope that divorced parents would always reconcile. The new ending instead focuses on Mrs. Doubtfire addressing a child that wrote to her about their parents getting divorced, and she explains that sometimes these things just happen with married couples, and it may be for the best for them so they can grow to be better people apart, and they may or may not get back together eventually. But it does not necessarily mean they don't care about their children anymore or that their family is broken now, because there are all sorts of non-traditional family patterns (foster parents, living with other relatives, etc.) that are still perfectly valid and healthy. What is most important is that whatever type of family they have, that there is love among them.

** In ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' Magazine's parody of this movie, there's a panel where the judge in the final hearing asks, "And now for the next case: Should the career of Creator/PierceBrosnan be declared legally dead?" Ummmm....[[Franchise/JamesBond no.]]

** Mrs. Doubtfire doesn't wear a latex mask and padding. She wears a turban. This is apparently enough to fool Miranda.

** 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 is over doesn't help her cause any.

* FridgeBrilliance: Daniel quits a kid's cartoon because it doesn't condemn smoking harshly enough for his liking. When you see how devoted he is to his children, it makes him look a lot more responsible as a parent.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The film presents a more realistic depiction of divorce than most media does. Daniel and Miranda are both presented as having valid reasons to separate because even after years of marriage, they have grown into different people than they were before and Miranda doesn't love Daniel as much as she once did. In the original script the two got back together in the end, but Sally Field and Robin Williams are both divorcees themselves and objected to the ending., as they felt it gave children false hope that divorced parents would always reconcile. The new ending instead focuses on Mrs. Doubtfire addressing a child that wrote to her about their parents getting divorced, and she explains that sometimes these things just happen with married couples, and it may be for the best for them so they can grow to be better people apart, and they may or may not get back together eventually. But it doesn't necessarily mean they don't care about their children anymore or that their family is broken now, because there are all sorts of non-traditional family patterns (foster parents, living with other relatives, etc.) that are still perfectly valid and healthy. What is most important is that whatever type of family they have, that there is love among them.

** Rather than learn housekeeping skills, Daniel forces the children to clean the house by threatening that they'll never see him again if he's found out.

** Daniel Hillard -- loving father who desperately wants to raise his kids, or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3bgipCebuI creepily obsessed stalker]] that commits a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wfjywzrFP4 series of crimes]]? Even {{lampshaded}} 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 a sweet monologue, he even says that he loves so much that he's crazy about them, and the idea of being away from them so much is truly painful.
** 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.
* BrokenBase: Daniel vs Miranda. Either this movie is about an immature ManChild losing his kids to a responsible wife who can't put up with him anymore, or it's a loving father having his kids taken from him by an uptight workaholic, or [[BothSidesHaveAPoint a little bit of both]]. The film makes a point of [[TakeTheThirdOption taking the third option]]; the kids don't get along with Miranda nearly as well as they do with Daniel and are upset when she comes to pick them up from his place, but on the flipside, they're aware that Daniel has to grow up and seriously needs to get his act together.

** People commonly criticize the opening scene for being unrealistic, explaining that they find a cartoon in the 90s with a smoking character to be outlandish. But it's likely that David was hired for a remastering of the cartoon from a time where smoking in a cartoon was commonplace, especially considering his talent for impersonation.

** Film/BillyMadison's two best friends are also named Jack and Frank, and they're very close.
** Also, the restaurant scene where Stu is choking on the hot cayenne pepper, which he's allergic to, that Mrs. Doubtfire put on his meal (but [[EveryoneHasStandards was so horrified by this, he ended up saving his life]]) becomes this once you learn that Creator/PierceBrosnan once worked as a professional fire eater.

** Likewise, Miranda. For all her flaws, she wants to provide for the family and raise her children well, and if she's harsh with Daniel, it's because she's understandably frustrated with his immaturity. She's fully aware of how she's changed for the worse over the course of her marriage, and is quite unhappy about it.
* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: The film presents a more realistic depiction of divorce than most media does. Daniel and Miranda are both presented as having valid reasons to separate because even after years of marriage, they've grown into different people than they were before and Miranda doesn't love Daniel as much as she once did. In the original script the two got back together in the end, but Sally Field and Robin Williams are both divorcees themselves and objected to the ending., as they felt it gave children false hope that divorced parents would always reconcile. The new ending instead focuses on Mrs. Doubtfire addressing a child that wrote to her about their parents getting divorced, and she explains that sometimes these things just happen with married couples, and it may be for the best for them so they can grow to be better people apart, and they may or may not get back together eventually. But it doesn't necessarily mean they don't care about their children anymore or that their family is broken now, because there are all sorts of non-traditional family patterns (foster parents, living with other relatives, etc.) that are still perfectly valid and healthy. What is most important is that whatever type of family they have, that there is love among them.
* StrawmanHasAPoint: Even though he was saying it out of his jealousy over Miranda dating Stuart, Daniel (as Mrs. Doubtfire) had a perfectly legitimate point when he tells her it's too soon for her to start introducing her kids to a new man in their lives when they're still trying to deal with the divorce (which the film's timeline implies was just months ago).

* WTHCastingAgency: And featuring Harvey Fierstein as Robin Williams' brother! Wait, what? [[RuleOfCool He's a delight to see, though.]]

* StrawmanHasAPoint: Even though he was saying it out of his jealousy over Miranda dating Stuart, Daniel (as Mrs. Doubtfire) had a perfectly legitimate point when he tells her it's too soon for her to start introducing her kids to a new man in their lives when they're still trying to deal with the divorce.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: While he doesn't come off as ''completely'' unsympathetic, it's not that hard to understand why Miranda is so rude towards Daniel. Daniel is rather immature and irresponsible, and if he has been more serious when the situation called for it (like his Mrs. Doubtfire persona), it's entirely possible that the divorce would have never happened. People also tend to forget that ''he's'' the primary cause of divorce since Miranda couldn't tolerate his immaturity anymore.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: This film, though hilarious, is one of the most realistic depictions of divorce in cinema (''Film/KramerVsKramer'' is another possible member of this category). Daniel and Miranda are both presented as having valid reasons to separate (Miranda is frustrated by Daniel's chronic lack of work and carefree attitude, while Daniel is angered by her uptight nature and tendency to put her job first); we get to see both sides of the issue, which prevents the audience from making snap judgments. The end of the film becomes even more direct with this trope: [[spoiler:Daniel and Miranda ''don't'' get back together]], and Mrs. Doubtfire, on her new TV show, explains that sometimes, divorce can be a good thing, especially if there are children involved (she implies that staying together for kids can actually be ''more'' damaging). Depicting divorce as a positive is unexpected, and the movie does drive it home repeatedly, but it's a message that needs to be shared, especially to children. In the same speech mentioned above, Mrs. Doubtfire also lists several non-traditional family patterns (foster parents, living with other relatives, etc.), and assures children that the names don't matter--family is about love. Subtle? No. Extremely important and valid? Yes.
** It's especially poignant when you learn that the almost-used script had [[spoiler: Miranda dumping Stu and getting back together with Daniel.]] Sally Field and Robin Williams, both divorcees themselves, [[spoiler: objected to this ending, pointing out that it might give kids false hope about their parents reconciling. That protest helped convince the producers to go with the "original" ending.]]

** Miranda is a much meaner, bitchier character. Daniel is no saint either, though, as he fantasizes about ways to kill her...''in front of the kids.''

* DesignatedVillain: Stuart is the closest thing the film has to a villain, and to all evidence, he's a perfectly NiceGuy who genuinely cares for Miranda and her kids. Daniel resents him for stealing his family's affections, but he was already divorced with limited custody rights before Stuart entered the picture. In the original screenplay, he was supposed to turn out to be a jerk, and Miranda would have dumped him and reconciled with Daniel, but it was decided to portray the reality [[RealityEnsues that divorce is usually permanent, and parents moving on to new relationships isn't a bad thing]].

* BrokenBase: Daniel vs Miranda. Either this movie is about an immature ManChild losing his kids to a responsible wife who can't put up with him anymore, or it's a loving father having his kids taken from him by an uptight workaholic, or [[BothSidesHaveAPoint a little bit of both]]. The film makes a point of [[TakeTheThirdOption taking the third option]]; they don't get along with Miranda nearly as well as they do with Daniel and are upset when she comes to pick them up from his place, but on the flipside, they're aware that Daniel has to grow up and seriously needs to get his act together.

** Rather than learn housekeeping skills, Daniel forces the children to clean the house by threatening how they'll never see him again if he's found out.
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Daniel Hillard -- loving father who desperately wants to raise his kids, or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3bgipCebuI creepily obsessed stalker]] that commits a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wfjywzrFP4 series of crimes]]?
** Even {{lampshaded}} 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.
* BrokenBase: Daniel vs Miranda. Either this movie is about an immature ManChild losing his kids to a responsible wife who can't put up with him anymore, or it's a loving father having his kids taken from him by an uptight workaholic, or [[BothSidesHaveAPoint a little bit of both]]. The film itself even straddles this line with the children; they don't get along with Miranda nearly as well as they do with Daniel and are upset when she comes to pick them up from his place, but on the flipside, they're aware that Daniel has to grow up and seriously needs to get his act together.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: While he doesn't come off as ''completely'' unsympathetic, it's not that hard to understand why Miranda is so rude towards Daniel. Daniel is rather immature and irresponsible, and if he has been more serious (like his Mrs. Doubtfire persona), it's entirely possible that the divorce would have never happened. People also tend to forget the ''he's'' the primary cause of divorce since Miranda couldn't tolerate his immaturity anymore.

* WTHCastingAgency: And featuring Harvey Fierstein as Robin Williams' brother! Wait, what?

** In the "Pudgy and Grunge" cartoon that Daniel is recording for at the beginning of the film, Pudgy at one point says, "Eat your heart out, Creator/MerylStreep" after Grunge has taken him from his cage. And then later, when Grunge is planning on cooking Pudgy, he says "Eat your heart out, Julia Child". Well, [[Film/JulieAndJulia guess who Meryl Streep goes on to portray 16 years after this film's release]]?

** Also, the restaurant scene where Stu is choking on the hot cayenne pepper, which he's allergic to, that Mrs. Doubtfire put on his meal (but didn't know about his allergy and [[EveryoneHasStandards was so horrified by this, he ended up saving his life]]) becomes this once you learn that Creator/PierceBrosnan once worked as a professional fire eater.

*** 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, and less ''silly'' ex?

* HardTruthAesop: Sorry kids, but sometimes it really is best that your parents get (and remain) divorced. People who are too different from one another simply can't function together, and need to be apart in order to be the parents that you need in your life. The original script actually did end with Daniel and Miranda getting back together, but Chris Columbus and Robin Williams, who’d both been divorced, worried it would give children of divorced parents unreasonable hope and successfully got it changed.

* BrokenBase: Daniel vs Miranda. Either this movie is about an immature ManChild losing his kids to a responsible wife who can't put up with him anymore, or it's a loving father having his kids taken from him by an uptight workaholic, or [[BothSidesHaveAPoint a little bit of both]]. The film itself even straddles this line with the children; they don't get along with Miranda nearly as well as they do with Daniel and are upset when she comes to pick them up from his place, but on the flipside, they're aware that Daniel has to grow up and seriously get his act together.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: Sorry kids, but sometimes it really is best that your parents get (and remain) divorced. People who are too different from one another simply can't function together, and need to be apart in order to be the parents that you need in your life. The original script actually did end with Daniel and Miranda getting back together, but Chris Columbus and Robin Williams, who’d both been divorced, worried it would give children of divorced parents unreasonable hope and successfully got it changed.

* InformedWrongness: While his wife does seem like an old "battle-axe", you'd be rather pissed too if there was a horse and a big mess in your house, especially regarding a party that you already disapproved of having in the first place--to say nothing of the fact that Miranda had ''specifically said'' that Chris wasn't allowed to have a big birthday party because of his bad grades.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: This film, though hilarious, is one of the most realistic depictions of divorce in cinema (''Film/KramerVsKramer'' is another possible member of this category). Daniel and Miranda are both presented as having valid reasons to separate (Miranda is frustrated by Daniel's chronic lack of work and carefree attitude, while Daniel is angered by her uptight nature and tendency to put her job first); we get to see both sides of the issue, which prevents the audience from making snap judgments. The end of the film becomes even more direct with this trope: [[spoiler:Daniel and Miranda ''don't'' get back together,]], and Mrs. Doubtfire, on her new TV show, explains that sometimes, divorce can be a good thing, especially if there are children involved (she implies that staying together for kids can actually be ''more'' damaging). Depicting divorce as a positive is unexpected, and the movie does drive it home repeatedly, but it's a message that needs to be shared, especially to children. In the same speech mentioned above, Mrs. Doubtfire also lists several non-traditional family patterns (foster parents, living with other relatives, etc.), and assures children that the names don't matter--family is about love. Subtle? No. Extremely important and valid? Yes.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: Sorry kids, but sometimes it really is best that your parents get (and remain) divorced. People who are too different from one another simply can't function together, and need to be apart in order to be the parents that you need in your life. The original script actually did end with Daniel and Niranda getting back together, but Chris Columbus and Robin Williams, who’d both been divorced, worried it would give children of divorced parents unreasonable hope and successfully got it changed.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: Sorry kids, but sometimes it really is best that your parents get (and remain) divorced. People who are too different from one another simply can't function together, and need to be apart in order to be the parents that you need in your life. The original script actually did end with DAniel and Niranda getting back together, but Chris Columbus and Robin Williams, who’d both been divorced, worried it would give children of divorced parents unreasonable hope and successfully got it changed.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: Sorry kids, but sometimes it really is best that your parents get (and remain) divorced. People who are too different from one another simply can't function together, and need to be apart in order to be the parents that you need in your life.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: He was saying it out of jealousy over Miranda dating Stuart, but Daniel (as Mrs. Doubtfire) had a perfectly legitimate point when he tells her it's too soon for her to start introducing her kids to a new man in their lives when they're still trying to deal with the divorce.
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Not totally actually but it's not so hard to see why Miranda is so rude towards Daniel. Daniel is an immature and irresponsible man and if he has been always serious like his Mrs Doubtfire persona maybe the divorce would have never happened. People also tend to forget the HE is the primary cause of divorce since Miranda couldn't stand his non-sense anymore.

** Similarly, the scene where the kids catch Daniel as Mrs. Doubtfire peeing standing up and freaking out, acting as if she is going to molest them. Logo actually bleeps Chris's use of the term "he-she" in this scene.