Mrs. Doubtfire

Chris Columbus directed this 1993 adaptation of Anne Fine’s 1987 novel. Daniel, a voice actor cut to weekly visits after his divorce, answers his ex wife’s housekeeper advertisement disguised as an elderly Englishwoman, his brother building the makeup. The most interesting choice is refusing a villain. Stu, the new man in Miranda’s life, is thoroughly decent, so there is nobody to root against and the only obstacle is Daniel’s lie. The second cuts harder: once the disguise collapses the court awards Miranda full custody and leaves Daniel supervised Saturday visits. A studio comedy letting its hero lose the case outright is what makes the unreconciled ending possible. The script originally put Daniel and Miranda back together. Columbus, Robin Williams and producer Marsha Garces held out against the studio, Columbus explaining that most divorced parents do not reunite and that they refused a false ending. Williams gave a few scripted takes then improvised, setups running to twenty two takes; Columbus told Entertainment Weekly in 2021 that three graded cuts exist, rated PG, PG-13 and R, and the NC-17 rumour was his joke. The film won the Academy Award for makeup. A good fit if a comedy that writes the new boyfriend as decent, leaving nobody to blame, appeals. Not for anyone who will find the court ruling against Daniel too heavy.