And the saddest - and most realistic part of this movie - is that people are only ever willing to listen to each other AFTER they break up with each other. Its messed up how they only really appreciate you when they lose you.
Yes and no. They were polar opposites...he lacked discipline and she had way too much. Like when she said "the house would be a wreck and I'd have to clean it up" no you don't my house is often "a wreck" I've given up trying to make it look nice with an infant and a toddler in the house. She could have loosened up and he could have buckled down
@@carlyedwards1422 Well to be fair, the main reason for Miranda being very strict was because Daniel was too loose. There was no balance. No room for fun on her part. But with "Mrs Doubtfire" and Stu in the picture and creating more stability in the household, she was able to relax and be a more fun-loving parent - as exemplified during the pool and dinner scenes.
@@carlyedwards1422 Giving up isn't the way to go though either. If there's no compromise and one person is doing all the work, there's resentment. Being the only adult in the relationship gets old real fast.
I feel like she had some issues too, which she did kind of alude to in this scene. She was probably well-grounded before, and comfortable with herself at that. She fell for Daniel because he represented excitement and change, and while that might be a fun fling to have, it's not something one should build a life-long marriage on. I think she married him knowing who he was, but thought she could "turn him off" when it suited her or change him permanently at a certain point. Every marriage will require some work from both parties sooner or later, but choosing your partner wisely goes a long way too.
@@13thvarebel16 That also works both ways though. Daniel could of been loose because she was so strict. Both parents are at fault for basically the same reasons, they had no self control.
He realized that he had hurt Miranda in the end. Daniel didn't expect to hear how much she struggled juggling between her successful interior design business, being a strict parent to the children and dealing with his immaturity. He realized he should've helped her out better than being a prick in accusing her of ruining fun days with the children.
As a kid growing up in the 90's when divorce was becoming so common but mis-understood, I think this film made divorce a presentable and best option for some families. It was the first time I heard of parents divorcing as better for the family, instead of it being a selfish act. I also liked that they didn't magically fall back in love at the end, and they made it work with their new family dynamic.
Exactly that's what I think is a good thing about this movie even though one person is seen as irresponsible. the person who wanted to divorce she felt like she was becoming a bad person by being with him And she didn't wanna be a bad person around her children. And by divorcing they were both able to look into each other's own personal faults and becoming better people even if they don't get back together
Fun fact: the original script had them getting remarried, but the producers decided to change it because they didn’t want to give kids with divorced parents false hope
It's quite a sad scene. Daniel finally learns just why his wife divorced him; it wasn't just him, it was also her. He was irresponsible, and she was becoming someone she didn't like. If it continued, it would hurt him and the children, and she didn't want that.
@@rogergarrison4271 - Sometimes when someone is upset with you, instead of looking at their words actions, take an inventory of your own and see what you may have said or done to cause their feelings toward you. That requires honest examination, and being willing to hurt your precious ego to get to the truth. And if you find that it is you, you need to take steps to correct it, which first requires adjusting your thinking, as if you don't adjust your thinking, nothing will ever change.
It ties in to his monologue at the end when he explains to the girl who wrote into the show that sometimes parents can be better when they're not together.
I think it's good how Miranda in this scene owns up to her overreactive behavior that we see at several points in the movie (particularly her reaction to the petting zoo and her reaction later in the restaurant to finding out Mrs Doubtfire is Daniel). This way, we see how Miranda is not just some miserable harridan, which is what a lesser type of movie would try to make her be. And she really has some understandable reasons for getting so upset, Daniel on a whim walked off jobs for silly little reasons (such as a cartoon character smoking) while knowing that he has a family to support, and didn't see what was wrong which bringing farm animals into the house (and behind her back). It did take her til the end of the film for her to see that Daniel really had their kids' best interest at heart and how much they loved him, but the off the wall irresponsible things Daniel did would understandably upset most reasonable wives
"Daniel never liked to talk about anything serious" "But then i was serious enough for everybody" I never been married but FELT those two lines in my SOUL. To want to be taken seriously when talking about your worries, goals, anything, just to be ignored or have your issues turned into some comedy routine, its a special kind of psychological torture. Soon enough you either see yourself turn into a walking joke, or a monster when asking for at least a bit more of respect.
I used to date someone like that years ago too.... It's not that I don't know how to let loose once in awhile but personality-wise, I tend to be the more serious one who likes to focus on getting down to business. My ex-partner was more of the fun-loving type who gets easily bored by "seriousness." Needless to say, we fought all the time all the way up to when we finally broke up. Sometimes people just simply are not compatible, no matter how hard you may try to understand each other. Everyone has their own way of looking at things. It's important to learn and take positives out of those who are different from us but when you feel you have to completely change your values in order to be happy in a relationship, that's where you know it's time to call it quits.
See, I like this scene. Miranda is originally portrayed as a "villain", as she demands a divorce, and does not want Daniel to see the children, preferring to hire a stranger to look after them than him, their own father. But in this scene, she reveals that marriage to him was so unbearable, that she cried herself to sleep at night. He couldn't keep a job, which meant she was constantly under pressure to make ends meet, which meant she never got to see the kids, and every time she tried to talk about the problems in the marriage, he refused to listen as he didn't like taking anything seriously. She also admits it takes two to wreck a marriage, as she was becoming a horrible, angry person and she divorced Daniel, not for herself, but for their children, as she could see the effect it was having on them.
I like this scene a lot. It took Daniel dressed up as Mrs. Doubtfire to finally listen to Miranda in the way she needed to be heard. It also makes the deleted scene later not match the journey so much.
How doesn't the deleted scene match the journey so much? In that deleted scene, Miranda expresses how she feels that Daniel, under the guise of Mrs. Doubtfire, took advantage of her by encouraging her to talk openly about their marriage.
@@Sisyphus27 When I wrote that comment three years ago, I felt that it took Daniel dressing as Mrs. Doubtfire to listen to Miranda for the first time. My thoughts evolved, and I can see after the reveal how Miranda felt betrayed. In the deleted scene, Daniel could have apologized to her, but it was still about his feelings and not listening to her. It took the kids to shame them both for them to reconsider their own behaviors.
All things considered, I think that Daniel & Miranda both parented from opposite extreme ends, and the divorce helped them both to find the happy medium between having fun and being responsible with the children.
That’s very true. When the two members of a married couple are of polar opposite personalities, qualities, behavioral traits, and other characteristics, eventually it catches up with them and their marriage starts to sink.
Daniel never liked to talk about anything serious. He could be anything, except being serious. - That hit home with Daniel underneath that latex mask. Great scene.
This was a well written scene. It showed what happens when you fail to communicate proactively. Since she never had the faith that Daniel could be serious, no discussions about her frustration ever occurred unless she blew up in the moment. Perhaps if he knew it bothered her to become so angry, and she had told him she wanted to be a better mom, things would’ve gone differently.
Maybe not. You see in the beginning where she and him are talking about how he did the party without permission and that turned into a whole other fight.
@@jordanloux3883 - Yeah but she was already in severe anger mode because the house looked like a zoo and was upside down. The time to have a sincere discussion is when things are calm.
2:14 is one of a few moments in the film where Daniel's real voice slips out. Things like this never let us forget that it's Daniel under there and they help make Mrs. Doubtfire as beloved as it is. It's a testament to the talents of Robin Williams. May he rest in peace.
His voice was still pitched up when he said that but still in enough of it's normal timbre to recognize it as his,and it makes you wonder how Miranda didn't notice. And can you imagine if he had gotten caught right there? It was pretty ugly when he did get found out at the restaurant but I can only imagine how ugly it might have been if he had slipped and caused himself to be revealed right there, with it being right there in the house while he was violating a court order as himself, it would have been extremely awkward and uncomfortable and plus Miranda would have probably flipped and called the police and had him arrested on the spot.
He nearly slipped up on a few other occasions too. When he met Mrs. Sellner unexpectedly at his apartment and he says "Mrs. Sellner!", the first word is actually spoken in his normal voice. Then later on when him and Stu and the family are at the pool when he audibly scoffs at Stu for calling him a loser,as Daniel himself,and Stu's friend looks at him suspiciously and then Daniel says "What are you looking at??"in his real voice,you would think that would be some sort of hint to him that this is a guy in disguise and it's probably Daniel because of the way he's reacting to what Stu just said,and that he would say something to Stu or even to the family about what he heard.
This is such a realistic film, but entertaining and fun. They don’t even get back together which also makes it realistic. They find a middle ground where both them and the kids are happy. Very inspiring.
The emotion of the conversation got to him. He was finally listening to Miranda for the first time in forever, but it had to be torturous for him to not be able to respond as himself
I've wondered why Miranda didn't get suspicious of Mrs Doubtfire during scenes such as when "she" tells Miranda "never again" once the father of the children is out of the picture, when Miranda asked when she ever had desires to be with another man again.
It was probably hard to hear all of this. Necessary for growth, but painful because he once loved Miranda. And she seemed to be harboring these feelings for a long time
And, it's a good thing the deleted scenes were kept out, since we'd probably cheer Daniel acting out revenge on his neighbor. It wasn't her fault that his marriage was in shambles.
at 1:46 that part gets me, you see Daniel's eyes.. that all the truth he is hearing from her....he is taking in...listening..hearing her...and her side ..then has to mask the feelings while wearing his mask.. its so sad and brutal for him to take.....i always cry
Because he is beginning to realize why she was so bitter to him. He starts to see and understand. That was why that one scene he begged Miranda a chance
The fact she couldn’t recognize the man she was married to for 14 years sitting right in front of her makes you realize just how much they drifted apart.
@1:24 did he drop the mrs.doubtfire voice thats happened twice in this movie where you hear robin as Daniel almost let his guard down and end up hearing a mrs.doubtfire/Daniel hybrid voice
I wonder how Miranda didn’t catch that. Must’ve gotten so caught up with thinking this whole time this is a real woman she can openly critique her ex husband and was so comfortable about it
I hated Miranda as a kid, but as an adult I understand her completely. She made the right decision in filing for divorce, just not when it came to the kids.
I could see her perspective even as a kid because a few years after my parents divorced, our lives improved tremendously. It wasn't perfect, no thanks to my own moms' life choices previously, but life was a hell of a lot better than when we were with him.
The fact that more people rooted for Daniel throughout the entire movie shows just how easily the audience view things from a similar child-like perspective. We like the comical and entertaining character and therefore we dress his flaws up differently. Hes 'fun', 'different' and 'sweet' whilst shes the 'cold', 'bossy' and 'stuck up' one for not having fun and for being the one asking for the divorce. Yet the irony is if we were in her shoes its a very different story, we would be relating to her completely. Must be annoying being married to a guy who just wants to be fun and never serious, never wants to grow up and always comes off looking like the good guy even though he doesn't bring as much to the table as she does. So yes there were definitely no bad characters in this movie, just many people with flaws. But its laughable how some of the male viewers view her as a demon for 'taking his kids away' whilst neglecting to see just how flawed he was.
On a similar note, I bet a lot of people who despise their neighbor would've been pissed if their own neighbors brought in zoo animals and blasted incredibly loud music, all likely without any type of warning (I doubt Daniel told her what was about to happen)
Dude I'm floored about how many grown adults think she was in the wrong. I mean, yeah, she looked like a villain to me as a kid but as I grew up I began to see her side. I can't wrap my head around how any grown adult can see it as her fault
The keeping the kids away part was a spiteful move (even if she would rectify it later), but I definitely see her side in the argument here. I would imagine having to work a day job and being away from the kids, and then having to clean up after your partner's messes regularly, all while they're just goofing off and refusing to "support" you/be the other adult in parenting would take its toll on anyone. There's a reason women decades ago had to rely on barbiturates (called "mother's little helper") to keep themselves mentally stable. As for why people today side with him and make her to be a demon: blame today's cancerous culture wars for that, between the redpill (or blackpill if they're incels) types and feminists.
@@huaxiong1990 I don't think she ever wanted to keep the kids away from him, but she also wanted a situation where they could come home from school, get their homework done and have a good dinner and I don't think Daniel at the beginning of the movie could have provided that. Keep in mind that the situation was supposed to be temporary and Daniel had three months to secure a stable job and residence and the issue would be revisited. And at the end of the movie... well, at that point he had crafted a false identity to deceive and gaslight her and the kids for months and nearly murdered her new boyfriend out of actual spite. I can't blame her for initially wanting him gone at that point.
The funny thing is that she had said the same thing at the beginning, but it literally "hit different" for Daniel when he shifted into a (somewhat) third person perspective and became less defensive. While stuff like this is a very "early marriage" problem, the film should be mandatory viewing for all who plan to enter marriage.
I agree, everyone who's planning to get married should watch it and actually pay attention with doing so. Too many people acting like children with their spouses out there.
@@janedoll3237 I never got the feeling that she was looking for someone like herself in the end. By the looks of it I feel like she does want someone who's responsible, but also in a way where she could learn to relax more and be more fun
@@moneylover318 Exactly. Had Daniel been the "man" he was as Mrs. Doubtfire, and found that balance between fun and responsibility, Miranda too wouldn't have been so stressed out and bitter, and would learn to loosen up again.
@Hua Xiong By the looks of Pierce Brosnan in this movie he didn't like kids but he grew to love them and it looks like he does know how to balance responsibility with fun considering he played in the pool with them.
At this point it becomes apparent that if they did the couples or family therapy like he suggested then chances are this would come out and none of this ever would’ve happened...
I don't think it would have worked without him being Mrs. Doubtfire. Both would have been too guarded and bitter to really listen. Ironically, the only way for them to truly be honest and hear each other was through this lie. It's also sad that Miranda only saw the best in Daniel when he was someone else because had he been as supportive and responsible earlier on they could have worked things out. But sometimes you need to be pushed to grow and Daniel needed Mrs. Doubtfire to do that. It's a much deeper film than most realise.
Nope. He was so emotionally immature that he would’ve laughed at the idea of therapy. Like she said, she attempted to talk to him and he didn’t take her seriously. Everything was a joke to him. He didn’t think anything was wrong until she pulled the plug and asked for the divorce.
Sally & Robin were phenominal in this film. they acted as tho they were a real divorced couple. still think they should have won an award for their performances. or could it b cuz they have both been divorced n kno how it goes. the yelling is just like how u would hear an unhappy couple sound
A lot of the stuff she's saying should've been self explanatory without her having to tell him. If he spent 14 years quitting jobs for bullshit reasons, having fun with the kids and making messes how could he not know it was wearing on her even without her telling him?
@@joetamburello6292 not in my view. At least not near as much as Daniel. She seemed to be doing the best she could with what she had (a lazy immature manchild of a husband). Almosy every negative quality you can state about her (nagging, working all the time) was a reaction to his bullshit
@@rogergarrison4271 relax 😂. Like I said both we at fault. She didn’t communicate well at all. Plus when the divorce happened she did everything in her power to push Daniel out of their lives and even admitted it at the end. Thankfully she did the right thing at the end
When Miranda finds out at the end of the film, shouting “THE WHOLE TIME!” I think she is reflecting purely on this scene where she let her barriers down to Daniel and told him exactly how she felt all those years.
exactly don't get too comfortable to the point where you take advantage. happened in my parents marriage, happened in mine. my husband reached the point where he screamed at me over minor things and was nicer to everyone else except me. so we broke up. he was still bitter. he caused too much hurt to the point where I asked for a divorce. and only when there was no going back and I decided to leave him for good, NOW he wanted to make a change. now he was willing to be better smh.
@@shanfarco1574 - I think the key is to work on yourself BEFORE trying to get involved with anyone. The habits and stuff you have now are the ones you'll bring into any relationship you enter into. Granted we all do that, and we're all a work in progress. Every one of us! But, I think what ends up happening is that many people enter into a relationship, and then they falsely assume that that will fix everything about them, and then become complacent about continuing to work on themselves, and then become bitter toward the other person when things start not working out like they hoped.
This is when Daniel realizes that he he always took Miranda for granted at the beginning of the movie it was all her fault in his eyes. He didn't know what he was doing wrong
It honestly feels like she learned something from her marriage it's OK with her being with someone who is serious but not someone who's only serious all the time
At the time, I felt a strong connection to the movie, beyond Daniel dressing up as Mrs Doubtfire, but I never knew why exactly. This movie has great depth and moments like this, without a lot of extra to take away from the story
@@Joe_Parmesan What I love about it is that it doesn't sugar coat on divorce and it ends with a will they,won't they set up between Miranda and Daniel.
@@LegionIvory I really feel like even if we're adults we're not noticing some interesting things with her as well. Like for example we think that's she's still gonna be the same serious person that she was before but with her being with Pierces character She is finally able to balance out fun and responsibility
Robin did allot in 2:49! It was funny and sad…. I have to go watch this now. Haven’t seen it since I was a kid. Didn’t care for it because my parents were divorcing. I might enjoy it now.
I like this scene because you understand why mirranda was the way she was. Growing up I thought she was a bitch, but as an adult I understand her completely
It's a shame she didn't have that conversation with Daniel while still married. Then again, it's next to impossible to have a serious talk with someone so immature.
It must have been a shock for Daniel to listen to Miranda, sadly he was too late to be considerate that he was not helping the marriage but adding so must stress to Miranda. Because of this, Miranda eventually resented Daniel and he could at least understand where Miranda was coming from. The sad thing to consider is the what if’s, such as what if Daniel at least made the same effort he put into being Mrs. Doubtfire as Daniel the husband and father, it would have saved the family a lot of pain.
When Miranda says she didn’t like who she was when she was with Daniel since she would turn into a horrible person and she didn’t want her kids to grow-up with a mother like that, it shows how parents don’t want their kids growing-up with an angry parent. Besides, it’s important that you like who you are.
You understand her a lot better after this scene, but isn't Miranda's logic all over the place? She loved Daniel because he was different, but then got tired of the games and never sat him down to tell him how unhappy she was? That's really unfair to both of them, but that would crush Daniel because he was just being himself not knowing there was anything wrong with that.
Kids change EVERYTHING, it's hard raising kids when your husband matches their level of maturity. She probably still loves those qualities about him but there's a time and a place for that.
It was him always causing a wreck around the house and her cleaning it up after coming home from work instead of spending time with their kids is what made her realize the marriage made her unhappy.
Right! I think that Daniel was a very good father but a kid ,he loved games and playing and doing voices.That's not a default but he was a kid like his children,he has the same level of maturity. And miranda loved these sides at beginning maybe but she should have liked a more mature man through the years and daniel and her evolved differently. He stayed a kid and she became an accomplished woman.That's life! There's nothing wrong with Daniel but i think he's not the man for MIranda.
Right in part.Daniel is a very nice dude and excellent father but he is quite irresponsible at the beginning,causing wreck whereas Miranda works hard and she has to do all the cleaning.That's not funny for a woman but i think that their personality is very different too and they took opposite ways..That sometimes happens!
The movie showed the best example of Daniel's irresponsibility as a parent. Yes, he's done this before, but you'd think as a father even he wouldn't allow Chris to have a birthday party after a bad report card and especially after Miranda said no. I wonder how Daniel's childhood went? Maybe he's just trying to make up for what he never had, but never considering why things are the way they are.
Although onscreen Miranda doesn’t realise she was chatting to Daniel (In disguise as Mrs. Doubtfire) about their relationship and why their marriage broke down. But you can’t deny Robin Williams and Sally Field had wonderful chemistry together playing divorced parents whether it was heated conflicting arguments or having private conversations. That’s why _Mrs. Doubtfire_ is my all time favourite Robin Williams film. It explores the themes of parents divorce and conflicts, what effects it can have on their kids and how it can all be resolved in a different way.
All the actors in this film have been perfect. Robin first, but also Sally Field. She's been amazing playing this role. As a child I didn't like her because she asked for divorce and I blamed her for "distroying" a family. But it wasn't true. Who could be so patient to stand such a husband?! He was totally childish and unreliable. Everything was in charge of this poor woman.
I love this scene. Many of us would love a glimpse of what someone thinks of us, and Daniel gets that chance here. Unfortunately, the truth is usually a very hard thing to swallow. Doubly hard for him because he has no choice but to just listen rather than argue or deflect. He truly didn't understand Miranda's side of things and how much he'd let her down until this moment. Rough.
I think the ending to this This movie is brilliant not the original ending that they were going to do but the ending that they stuck with is As when hes taking the kids to spend time with them and Mrs. Doubtfire is reading a letter from a little girl talking about divorce and so beautifully crafted and put together it's
I guess Daniel realized the end of their marriage would've been inevitable. In a weird way, I think he made peace with it here and realized she saved them both a lot of pain, and especially the children.
It sucks going through divorce, especially hearing your ex wife telling you straight to your face what was wrong with the marriage, I cry every time I see Robins face wanting to cry but he can’t cause he knew if he did, he wouldn’t see his kids, and divorce is such a horrible thing, cause it might be a relief for the wife, but it’s painful for the ex husband, and even more painful for the kids.
Daniel was so into what Miranda was saying that he nearly slipped out of character for a second but caught himself. Pretty good acting. The ability to play a character playing a character in a scene where your first character almost slips out of the second one.
Because she didnt like who she was as she was always working and Daniel was being immature. But there is a scene near the end where she says about Mrs Doubtfire Miranda: She brought out the best in them,she brought out the best in you. Daniel: What are you saying Miranda: Daniel the kids need you. Daniel: And I need them.
you must be very young. imagine having children with someone and planning a future with them and you're are the one doing most of the work. imagine being married to a guy who is always unemployed, always reckless, always causing mess and destruction and you're the one left cleaning up his mess. constantly. every single time. as well as holding down a full time job. and being the one paying for everything. and your marriage is suffering because you're irritated at him. and you're turning into a person you hate. and he just does not notice or seem to care. and despite everything you do for your family you're always seen as the bad guy and he is still the more favored parent. and when you try to talk to him about it, he doesn't want to talk about it. its frustrating as hell. like being married to a brick wall.
This is the one of the bittersweet movies where divorces are a natural thing. Not everyone has a happy ending but some turn better from where they were. Just like any job. You may feel sad or angry when leaving but something better comes along.
This shows why alot of couples break up, no/poor communication. I have been physically disabled for the past 5 years in my 30s because I've had extremely bad back problems that requires emergency surgery. This has taken a toll on my gf of 15 years, finance, emotional, attraction, physically wise. She has has to pick up all the slack as I try to get better with physical therapy ect...... If we didn't have those tough conversations, me acknowledge how hard it's been on her, fight through my guilt of being a burden on her and other things....... Yah, going through this has been very frustrating and difficult for both of us in different ways but we talk about those things, and are still together years later. If communication was easy no.one would ever break up.
Daniel was immature, didn't grow up, and was constantly losing jobs, and that was already made clear in the beginning of the movie. It's annoying how, even after watching this scene, people paint Miranda as the villain in this. You guys are only on Daniel's side because he's the main character, and it's Robin Williams. Just admit it.😂
