ahaha yeah no i'm totally not crying nope
fuck, i never knew how much i liked robin williams as an actor. yeah, i riffed on some of the stuff he did but shit, he was funny and wonderful and seemed to put his heart and soul into everything i've seen of his. even Jumanji, which was one of my least favourite films he was in, he still did his best. i just... wow
I was pretty upset when I realised I'd lent my sister my copy of this movie, so I couldn't watch it today.
My favourite part of the movie is the ending, from the incredible closing speech to the silly but uplifting way it shows that they even let the boring dinosaur professor stay on the new Mrs Doubtfire show. Probably one of my favourite speeches in a movie.
Also the 'drive-by-fruiting' never fails to make me laugh.
To be honest, this is a film I don't really like. Like it's okay, and it has some very clever lines, but it's just not something I'm a fan of. In general, my Willing Suspension of Disbelief was thrown off, and while the family scenes are touching, it's just a premise which seemed a bit too convoluted for my taste.
Then again, I'm the same guy who saw a movie about a man with a time-travelling remote control around 20 times, so honestly who am I to judge?
I did a bit of a write-up on Tumblr about this guy earlier today, and I'll whittle it down for you - though I'm not exactly a #1 fan, or even a #2 or #3 fan for that matter, I do feel that Robin Williams contained a rare spark of life few comedians have been shown to possess. Despite his struggles with Bipolar disorder, his heart shone through on screen, and when his work was good, it was very good - bordering on magnificence. He wasn't necessarily perfect, but a grand majority of his on-screen performances were great - next to Rodney Dangerfield and Jim Carrey, he was just one of the most upbeat, zaniest comics around - and it's spectacular that he was able to achieve what he was able to achieve.
So while this movie was to me a bit of a dud, despite loving the talent behind it and finding some of the moments truly endearing, I can't really fault anyone for how I feel about it. I can't say I'm mourning as intensely as a lot of other people, but I will miss the guy. He liked Evangelion, after all - what a bloody geeklord.
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A timeless comedy gem
As the beloved Robin Williams has sadly died, I decided to review my favourite of his films and also my favourite live-action film of all time, the flawless and unforgettable Mrs. Doubtfire.
In my opinion, no live-action movie has ever been as beautifully written and constructed as this movie. It is, and always will be, a masterpiece that makes the most of every element of a comedy. The story is perfect, the jokes are varied, funny, and never out of place, the characters are all believable, and there's plenty of heart and human emotion. Robin Williams's performance as the titular woman is, in my opinion, absolutely untouchable. He's so perfect as Mrs. Doubtfire that at times, I actually forget that she's actually Daniel Hillard, the main character, in disguise. That's the main reason why this movie works - its central central is incredibly strong and a joy to watch both as a man and as a woman. The other characters are great, too. Miranda is a very relatable character, the children are delightfully cheeky, and even Stu, played by Pierce Brosnan, is cool and charming.
Narrative-wise, this movie can barely be improved. The charisma of Robin Williams and everything he says and does makes every scene feel special. The character and plot development is spot-on, really making the viewer see these characters are real, living people. It's one of those great movies where you can switch it on at almost any time and jump right in. The film's personality is absorbing; we know that at some point, Daniel's disguise is going to come off, and the film gets increasingly funnier as his act gets less and less convincing. It's a family movie that really is for families. There is some mild to moderate swearing and innuendo in the movie, so it's not for young kids, but older children will definitely enjoy it.
And as for the ending... well, I'm not going to give it away, but let me just tell you that it is truly magnificent. The final words that Mrs. Doubtfire has to say will always be in my heart, and they continue to be tear-jerking to this day. If you haven't seen Mrs. Doubtfire, you absolutely must. It's a gorgeous movie that delivers everything that a good family comedy should deliver - an exceptional story, excellent characters, loads of good humour and a message that everyone needs to hear and understand. Thank you, Robin Williams, and goodbye.