Mrs. Doubtfire

"She makes dinner. She does windows. She reads bedtime stories. She's a blessing... in disguise."

1993 2h 5m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 6,824

ComedyDramaFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Loving but irresponsible dad Daniel Hillard, estranged from his exasperated spouse, is crushed by a court order allowing only weekly visits with his kids. When Daniel learns his ex needs a housekeeper, he gets the job -- disguised as a British nanny. Soon he becomes not only his children's best pal but the kind of parent he should have been from the start.

“She makes dinner. She does windows. She reads bedtime stories. She's a blessing... in disguise.”

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Cast

Robin Williams
Daniel Hillard / Mrs. Doubtfire
Sally Field
Miranda Hillard
Lisa Jakub
Lydia Hillard
Matthew Lawrence
Chris Hillard
Mara Wilson
Natalie Hillard
Pierce Brosnan
Stu
Robert Prosky
Mr. Lundy
Anne Haney
Mrs. Sellner

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Chris Columbus
Writers: Leslie Dixon, Randi Mayem Singer, Jeffrey Price
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $441M — a 17.7× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CAST

Did you know

205+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Chris Columbus, shot by Donald McAlpine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Howard Shore. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Raja Gosnell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robin Williams and Sally Field and Lisa Jakub carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "She makes dinner. She does windows. She reads bedtime stories. She's a blessing... in disguise.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Chris Columbus directs. Donald McAlpine behind the camera. Howard Shore scores. Raja Gosnell cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Grossed $441M — a 17.7× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
233 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3205+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
4Directed by Chris Columbus, shot by Donald McAlpine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Howard Shore. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Raja Gosnell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Robin Williams and Sally Field and Lisa Jakub carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "She makes dinner. She does windows. She reads bedtime stories. She's a blessing... in disguise.".
9IMDB entry: tt0107614 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 15 themes, including "mask", "parent child relationship", "san francisco, california", "social worker".
11Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Donald McAlpine
Original score: Howard Shore
Editing: Raja Gosnell
Production design: Angelo P. Graham
Costume design: Marit Allen
Makeup / hair: Pamela S. Westmore
Sound: Gary Summers
Stunt coordinator: Troy Brown
Runtime: 125 min · 2h 5m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $25,000,000
Box office: $441,286,195
Return: 1765% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Chris Columbus

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-12-28
★ 7/10
"Danny" (Robin Williams) and wife "Miranda" (Sally Field) just can't go on any longer with their marriage. Their constant rowing and her husband finally jacking in his job as a voice-over artiste of some cigarette-based "creative differences" see her get a divorce. "Danny" adores his three kids but is only given visitation rights for a Saturday until he can prove worthy of more. He manages to get a basic job, but misses his brood terribly. When he hears that "Miranda" is seeking a housekeeper, he hits on the idea of getting his gay brother "Frank" (Harvey Fierstein) and his boyfriend - who are into prosthetics - to make him a mask and some body-altering clothes and et voilà - he is now the English (but Scottish sounding?) "Mrs Doubtfire". "Miranda" takes to her instantly - after some mischievous ground-laying work be her ex, and soon (s)he is back in the family home amongst the children (s)he loves. With court-ordered inspections of his home regularly taking place, it is only a matter of time before this wheeze is rumbled but "Danny" hopes that his employer at a television network for kids (Robert Prosky) might appreciate the character he has created, boost the flagging ratings and maybe that way he can make enough money to restore his family to him? Meantime, the wealthy and smarmy "Stuart" (Pierce Brosnan) is looming on the horizon trying to woo his way into the family's good books - an operation that "Mrs. Doubtfire" watches and abhors at first hand. She's quite a dab hand with a lime at thirty paces! For most of this, it showcases Williams' considerable skills as a mimic and comedy actor - his timing is great. The film does rather fall off a cliff for me during the last half hour in the restaurant, though, where the comedic surrenders to the slap-stick and the joke comes crumbling down leaving us in a well of cringing sentimentality that I didn't particularly enjoy. That said, it's ground-breaking cinema that illustrates just what a dad will do to to be with his children and it takes a huge great swipe at sexual stereotyping too. There's a gentle chemistry between Williams and Field and there are some lovely, vicious, one liners thrown in for us to savour. Not great, but very good.
badelf2026-05-14
★ 9/10
Mrs. Doubtfire, part of my Robin Williams retrospective Anne Fine's novel "Alias Madame Doubtfire" was written to help children navigate the pain of divorce, offering comfort during one of life's hardest transitions. But in adapting it for the screen, director Chris Columbus and star Robin Williams created something unexpected: America's answer to Mary Poppins. Here, too, a magical nanny arrives to transform a fractured family, except this nanny is the father in disguise, and the magic isn't supernatural, it's love, patience, and the willingness to change. Thirty years later, Mrs. Doubtfire remains timeless, a film that demonstrates the breadth of Robin Williams' talent and may well be his most adorable role. Daniel Hillard is a voice actor, a devoted father, and a disaster of a husband. After losing custody of his three children in a divorce, he disguises himself as an elderly British nanny, Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire, and gets hired by his ex-wife Miranda (Sally Field) to care for the kids. What could have been mere farce becomes something deeper: a portrait of a man learning, slowly and painfully, how to be the parent his children need. Williams' performance is extraordinary, not because of the physicality — though his commitment to the role is flawless — but because he plays both Daniel and Mrs. Doubtfire as fully realized people. Daniel is manic, desperate, often selfish, but never mean-spirited. Mrs. Doubtfire is proper, competent, warm, and somehow more mature than Daniel has ever been. The film understands that the disguise isn't just a costume; it's a mirror, showing Daniel who he could be if he grew up. Williams navigates this duality with grace, making us believe in both characters. What makes Mrs. Doubtfire so satisfying is that everyone transforms. Daniel becomes a better father, not through grand gestures, but by learning the small, daily acts of care that hold a family together. Miranda softens, rediscovering joy and eventually allowing Daniel more time with the children than even the judge mandated. The kids learn to accept both parents as they are, flawed and human, and to trust that love doesn't disappear just because the family's structure has changed. By the end, no one has been fixed, exactly, but everyone has grown. The supporting cast enhances this warmth. Sally Field plays Miranda with a weariness that feels earned; she's not a shrew, just a woman who has carried too much for too long. Harvey Fierstein, the Tony-winning playwright who wrote La Cage aux Folles for Broadway (which would later inspire The Birdcage, another Williams vehicle), is delightful as Frank, Daniel's brother and accomplice in the transformation. Fierstein brings a sly, affectionate energy to the role, and his scenes with Williams crackle with warmth. Mrs. Doubtfire is a film about divorce that refuses to be cynical. It believes in second chances, in the possibility of change, in the resilience of children and the enduring power of parental love. It's also a showcase for one of cinema's greatest talents, a man who could make you laugh and break your heart in the same breath. Robin Williams gave us many unforgettable performances, but this one, silly, tender, utterly sincere, may be the one that best captures the breadth of his gift.