Tear Jerker / Mrs. Doubtfire

• The moment in the very beginning when Miranda comes home from work and Daniel says she's early and that he would've cleaned everything up before she got home is kind of sad when you think about it: Daniel threw Chris a kick-ass birthday party, and Miranda would've never seen it had she not come home early. In other words, she's being left out of the fun. From another point of view, it suggests that although Daniel is later blindsided by the divorce, he doesn't want her to see the fun because he knows she'll hate it. He's essentially living in fear of his own wife.
• The post-party argument between Daniel and Miranda. Even more heartbreaking, the three kids are listening upstairs.
  Daniel: Oh, that's great! She [the neighbor] called you and you busted the birthday party. That's great!
  Miranda: Don't you dare make me out to be the monster here, Daniel, don't you dare! You have all the fun and I get whatever's left over.
  Daniel: You chose the career, Missy.
  Miranda: I have no choices to here, Daniel! I have no choices! Even when I try to do something fun, you do it ten times bigger! I bring home a birthday cake and a few gifts, you bring home the goddamn San Diego Zoo, and I have to clean up!
  Daniel: Oh, I'm sorry, but it's not toxic waste, just a few party plates!
  Miranda: Why am I the only one that feels there has to be rules? Why do you always make me out to be the heavy?
  Daniel: I don't. You do it yourself quite naturally.
  Miranda: You set me up every time to be the bad guy.
  Daniel: Oh, lighten up, will ya? Just realize you spend too much time with those corporate clones you used to despise!
  Miranda: I spend too much time with you, Daniel! It's over!... It's over.
  Daniel: Come on, Miranda. We've got problems, but who doesn't? We could work 'em out.
  Miranda: We've been trying to work them out for fourteen years.
  Daniel: Come on, please. Listen. Maybe we need some help, okay? Maybe a family therapist will help us do this together.
  Miranda: It's too late for that.
  Daniel: Well, let's take a vacation with the kids, as a family. Get you away from work. You're a different person. You really are. You're great.
  Miranda: Our problems would be waiting for us when we got back.
  Daniel: Well we'll move. And hopefully our problems won't follow us.
  Miranda: Daniel, please don't joke.
  Daniel: Okay.
  Miranda: We've just grown apart. We're different. We have nothing in common.
  Daniel: Oh, sure we do. We love each other. Come on, Miranda. We love each other... Don't we?
  Miranda: ...I want a divorce.
  • Chris actually blames himself for the marriage going south since it was his disastrous birthday party that caused his parents to start fighting. Daniel assures him it wasn't his fault and that it would have happened eventually.
    Chris: This is all my fault.
    Daniel: God, no. Why would you think that?
    Chris: I should have never had a birthday, Dad. This never would have happened.
    Daniel: Yes, it would. It was an accident waiting to happen, OK? You did nothing wrong. You got that?
  • Perhaps most sad is that even with that knowledge, Chris' birthday is probably always gonna be bittersweet for the fact that this heartbreaking moment happened to take place on that same day.
  • What's even worse, despite forbidding Chris from having a birthday party because of his bad grades, Miranda still bought a soccer-themed birthday cake even when arriving hours earlier than planned, and one of the horses Daniel had bought in ate the cake, meaning her attempt to still celebrate her son's birthday got ruined and overshadowed by Daniel's actions.
• After Mrs. Doubtfire's rough first day posing as their new babysitter, Daniel's kids are heard going up the stairs grumbling, "I miss dad." "Me too." "Me most." After they're out of earshot, Daniel says, "I'm here, guys..."
• When Miranda reveals to Mrs. Doubtfire that many nights, she cried herself to sleep. It moves Daniel so much that he slips out of his Doubtfire voice for a second - luckily for him, Miranda doesn't notice.
• Another sad aspect of Miranda's life is that she knows she's becoming colder and harsher as the years go by, but she's genuinely unable to stop. Lydia comments later in the film that, since Daniel worked very sporadically and had a reputation for being difficult in the voice acting community, Miranda was repeatedly forced to pick up the slack and take on extra work just to make enough money to keep her family afloat. It was getting so bad that Lydia genuinely can't remember the last time she saw her mom happy. And all the while, Miranda had to watch Daniel "have all the fun" and bond with his kids while she was running herself ragged to make sure the family had everything they needed.
• Although it's Played for Laughs, put yourself in Miranda's place and the realization that the woman you've grown to love and respect not just as your housekeeper but as a friend was nothing more than your ex-husband in disguise, making all those meaningful moments from before ring hollow when you realize Mrs. Doubtfire was merely a guise. Miranda takes this news about as well as anybody would in this situation, and Daniel knows no number of apologies can make up for that deceit.
• 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 Bittersweet Ending in which Miranda revokes said limits.
  Daniel: Your Honor, in the past two months, I've secured a residence, refurbished it, and made it "an environment fit for children". Those are your words. I'm also holding down a job as a shipping clerk. So I believe I met your requirements. Ahead of schedule. In regards to my behavior, I can only plead insanity. Because ever since my children were born, the moment I looked at them, I was crazy about them. Once I held them, I was hooked. I'm addicted to my children, sir. I love them with all my heart. And the idea of someone telling me I can't be with them, I can't see them every day... It's like someone saying I can't have air. I can't live without air, and I can't live without them. Listen, I would do anything. I just want to be with them. I know I need that, sir. We have a history. And I just... They mean everything to me. And they need me as much as I need them. So, please. Don't take my kids away from me. Thank you.
  (...)
  Judge: Mr. Hillard... You've been able to fool a lot of people into believing that you're a sixty-year-old woman. No easy task. And your little speech seemed to be very heartfelt and genuine... but I believe it to be a terrific performance by a very gifted actor. Nothing more.
  Daniel: No. It's not that.
  Judge: The reality, Mr. Hillard, is that your lifestyle over the past month has been very unorthodox. And I refuse to further subject three innocent children to your peculiar and potentially harmful behavior. It is this court's decision to award full custody to Mrs. Hillard.
  Daniel: Oh, God, no, sir. Please.
  Judge: You will have supervised visitation rights every Saturday.
  Daniel: Supervised, sir?
  Judge: Yes. A court liaison will accompany you when you spend time with the children. I am suggesting a period of psychological testing and perhaps treatment for you, Mr. Hillard. We will re-examine this case one year from now. Thank you. Court is adjourned.
  • Not only that but it's a harsh case of realism; just because Daniel gave a heartfelt speech explaining his zany antics doesn't mean the judge will be sympathetic, because to an outsider like the judge, his actions were of questionable sanity and make Daniel seem like a threat.
  • Miranda's reaction to the supervised visits when she realizes that while Daniel's actions where unorthodox, he meant no harm.
• Mrs. Doubtfire's last heartfelt sign off at the end of the film is bittersweet enough; it's that much sadder now that the actor who brought her to life has passed on, making her last heard goodbye at the end that much more final.
• These deleted scenes which were on the special edition DVD and Blu-ray sets. Damn. To give the lowdown: Daniel comes to Lydia's spelling bee, but ends up creating a distraction, causing her to lose the event. Then the parents break down arguing in front of the kids after Daniel is unmasked, each saying they're loved by their children, before Lydia interrupts and says she hates both. Chris even says tearfully, "Me too." The looks on Daniel's and Miranda's faces are heartbreaking. Especially in Daniel's case, when the kids clearly prefer him, as he's the "fun" parent, yet it turns out that they simultaneously resent him, as his constant goofing off and refusal to get his act together are what led to the divorce.

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