Brennan  0:00  

You’re listening to Dodge Movie Podcast. Your hosts are Christi and Mike Dodge the founders of Dodge Media Productions. We produce films and podcasts. So this is a podcast about films. Join them as they share their passion for filmmaking.

Christi Dodge  0:17  

Welcome back, everybody to the Dodge Movie Podcast this is episode 127. The fourth one for this month of July. We are talking today about the 1993 Mrs. Doubtfire starring Robin Williams Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Firestein, Lisa Jacob, Matthew Lawrence, Mara Wilson and Martin Mull. This is directed by Christopher Columbus, who did all of the Harry Potter films in 2002 and 2004 and The Help in 2002. The DP for this film is Donald  McAlpine, and he did Predator in 87 Romeo and Juliet in 96, and The Dressmaker in 2015.

It was filmed all around the Bay Area in Danville, Redwood City, Oakland Berkeley, at Candlestick Park and San Francisco, the writer for this film, there’s three listed and fine Randy Maam singer and Lesley Dixon, who also is I believe producer on Overboard that we’ve talked about. The film is brought to you by 20th Century Fox and the synopsis for this film is after a bitter divorce, an actor disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife. The tagline is, she will rock your world.

Mike Dodge  1:45  

That is not the greatest tag.

Christi Dodge  1:46  

Now. There’s another one. She makes dinner she does windows, she reads bedtime stories. She’s a blessing in disguise. Christopher Columbus actually sold quite a few scripts to Steven Spielberg that became films that became Gremlins Goonies, but his career really didn’t take off until the major success of home alone, which allowed Columbus to move on to more successful projects like Mrs. Doubtfire. And then his the first two Harry Potter films.

Mike Dodge  2:17  

I’m very curious what people in general, and specifically you think about the plausibility of this film, because this is very much a “buy the premise by the bit” this film only works If we, as the viewer believe that Robin Williams character of Daniel Hillard could impersonate this woman such that the family he has lived with for 10 or more years, this woman that he was married to would not detect it. And I’m not willing to do this. But if we had access to Harvey Firestein, the level of makeup and you put me in that outfit, I don’t know that you wouldn’t recognize.

Christi Dodge  3:07  

I think we’ve gotten to, I think our eyes are to use of I don’t know, I just I think you’re right. There’s an authenticity that we would, or an inauthenticity that we would pick up on. You’re right, we have to buy the premise that nobody would be the wiser that this was, at least someone I don’t know, if if you would immediately go with stad. But it’s definitely you would be like this person is in a disguise.

Mike Dodge  3:38  

Right. And they do establish early on that He’s a talented voice actor. But voice acting is very different than acting acting. Right. And I personally think that, that the family would say, Oh, this dad and drag. But given that if you buy that premise, right, the rest of the film follows fairly naturally from that the, the the tension, and we talked about one of the things that they set up an important plot point, because it’s the big reveal of him being in costume is he has this dinner at the same point in time at the same restaurant. So he has to be Doubtfire and Daniel at the same point. And you brought up that you would just say, as Mrs. Doubtfire, I already had plans, and that would be the end of that.

Now, it would have been weird if the family comes into that restaurant and they see their dad having a business dinner but he’s having a business dinner. So it’d be like okay,

Christi Dodge  4:44  

I think we’re supposed the reason that he doesn’t do that is he probably is trying to block let’s say Pierce Brosnan from getting closer to his soon to be your ex wife. So that definitely raises the stakes  why maybe as Doubtfire he didn’t want to not go to the dinner and he definitely caused an issue that night that cause it that prevented Miranda  from going out with with Stu that night. So early in the film I, why don’t you kick us off with your pickup line and then we’ll get into more of the film.

Mike Dodge  5:27  

Figaro. It also doesn’t support my, my theory. But he seems Figaro many times actually in a row.

Christi Dodge  5:38  

And so much so that I was like, wow, he had to learn some Italian. 

Mike Dodge  5:42  

I think that that song, I was impressed. Yeah, he was able to sing it as well, very quickly. And yeah, in a different language. So that was the one kind of nitpick I had a little bit with that was, he’s doing the voices for two characters, right, like the bird and the cat. And as far as I understand, they record each character independently.

Christi Dodge  6:05  

Not only that, I think they would just get two actors unless it was like a very, very, very indie. But that didn’t be the case.

Mike Dodge  6:15  

But from the category of couldn’t be made today. Both the director and every sound technician were smoking like chimneys. It was kind of ridiculous. How much. Yeah, which were the gag? Absolutely.

Christi Dodge  6:29  

But maybe, I mean, people who record probably could, you know, back in the day, when you could smoke indoors. But  there, probably a lot of people were lighting up.

Mike Dodge  6:41  

And there’s a plot point where at the restaurant, they talk about smoking versus non smoking, which was a very brief moment in time, in California, when they went from, you get smoke any place you wanted to now you can’t smoke any place. Right? All restaurants are non smoking. So there’s this window where there are two sections. And we used to laugh that you’d be on the opposite side of a planter. And the smoke did not know it was not supposed to cross into non smoking,

Christi Dodge  7:10  

This was definitely not my first time watching this. I don’t think for you. And so watching it again. What did you think of I guess let’s start with story.

Mike Dodge  7:22  

I actually I, I like the story in the way it’s written. We, we early on see this argument between Daniel and Miranda. And I actually was confused why they weren’t divorced at the beginning of the film. But that argument, I think realistically allows a chance of exposition to tell us kind of what is going on with those two characters, right? And there’s a great line in there where it establishes his journey, where Miranda says, Daniel, please don’t joke, as a person whose instinct is to make jokes at all times, especially when things are awkward. I totally get that. Right. That was kind of and we see that with the party in the animals, that he is not being responsible, right? He’s just stuck in the child’s mode. And you feel for Miranda like why would you want to raise four children? 

Right, so you can kind of see that. And then this role of Doubtfire allows him not so much to it’s not about the gender really, it’s more about, it’s this mask that he can put on, that allows him to change to decide to be a new person, just like when you go off to college. Nobody knows you so you can be whoever you want to be. So when he put on the prosthetics in the wig, he could be anyone he wanted to be. He was only a trapped in his own past history.

Christi Dodge  8:49  

And his reception from her. Like, when he walked up anytime he walked up to her house. She’s now bringing all of the baggage from their past and so but with Doubtfire it was a whole new person.

Mike Dodge  9:04  

So it was kind of interesting, though. But he traded some things because the son and the youngest daughter, were immediately kind of suspicious right now the older daughter was not happy with dad before nor Doubtfire. She was very, and there, I thought it was cleverly written that when he quits the job in the studio, the directors like “actors!”, and then he does something at home and the oldest daughter says “actors”. And so I thought that was but again, that was realistic for a teen to do be much more like she doesn’t like that she has to kind of take care of the littles and so I felt like the characterization of the family was really well done. And, and likewise, the kids we kind of want as a viewer want Miranda and Daniel to get back together. 

But the way the film resolves, they don’t and we’re okay with it. So I think it’s Yeah, that’s a fine line to tread right? To not have them get back together, but still has an audience have us feel like things are okay. That there’s not that that that tension. So there’s a little bit of kind of comic zaniness a couple times when he has to, you know, switch back and forth between the characters real quickly. When at first when I first saw that played much better than like, this was probably the third time because I know what’s happening. So, you know, you kind of there’s no suspense, right? 

But I felt like that part was believable in the tone of the film. And it allowed Daniel the character to kind of find his bliss, he, by accidentally, you know, because he’s drunk, he shows up as Doubtfire at the table, when he doesn’t intend to with his new boss, that allows him to get the show, which allows him to do all his funny voices in his childlike behavior and get paid for it. Right. So it’s like, oh, it’s neat that he, I’m getting teary. Yeah, that he gets to back his way into that bliss. Yeah, because we see him as a sympathetic character, who can’t help themselves like a child. 

Christi Dodge  11:17  

I think and, you know, that’s why, of course, any kid would love a dad like that, like, I totally get down on their level and higher, you know, the petting zoo to come and who would allow you to stand on the table while you dance and, you know, all that stuff. But as I think you’d nailed it, I think is a wife that gets that gets old pretty quick. And it’s probably the thing that endeared him to her when they met that he was so fun. But, you know, there’s a certain point when, okay, the joking needs to stop. Well, so read the room,

Mike Dodge  11:51  

There’s a point where he talks about when she went back to work, or when she took that job, she became the corporate stiff that she always made fun of. And I guess that’s okay, if a person wanted to do that, because she does appear to enjoy the work that she’s doing, which I would call interior decorating, but I don’t want to sell that job, short, whatever she was doing, but she appears to enjoy it. Right. And I think again, we’ve talked about in previous podcast, Sally Field acting, but I think in this case, I really thought she did a good job of Miranda is flattered that Pierce Brosnan is interested.

Christi Dodge  12:31  

They have a history even though they went to college together.

Mike Dodge  12:35  

Obviously knew each other and he felt like she was the one that got away. And I know that you mentioned that the in the tribute that they’ve either during the pre production writing or in the script or whatever. They made the Pierce Bresson character less hateable. Right. But I still don’t like him. And part of that is they kind of characterize him his little too handsome. And, and this is credit to Brassens acting because he he, of course brought he made that acting choice to bring a certain plasticity or artificiality to that character. Like we don’t connect with him. And I think that’s important that he did, he made that acting choice, because we still need to connect with Daniel. So credit to Brosnan. 

Christi Dodge  13:22  

So originally, the film that I believe as scripted, it was much darker, they really wanted audiences to see the toll that divorce takes on the children. And so there’s a bunch of deleted scenes on YouTube that I watched, I haven’t I haven’t watched as many as I wanted to, we did a quick turnaround between our viewing and our recording. So I didn’t have as much time to research this film. But the there’s one scene it is rough. Miranda and Daniel are fighting. And they’re the they come up to a point where he says the kids love me more. Or maybe just the kids love me. And she goes, the kids love me.

You look up and the kids are standing at the stairs. The oldest daughter says I hate you both. There’s some heart and then the two other, they just look sad. And you know that they’ve just watched their parents fight and they just kind of sulk off and then the two parents look like they, you know, they feel like shit. So as you would.

Mike Dodge  14:32  

I think it’s fascinating that you would even as filmmakers go down that road with Robin Williams. Right. And he’s a good example of in his his acting. He did do some serious films, but I just don’t think that was not that he couldn’t do it. But he was just so known for his high energy zany comedy. That, you know, I understand that an artists would want to do something different, but this film It doesn’t seem right. You know, if you had made it darker if you have Robin Williams in the cast.

Christi Dodge  15:05  

To that end, basically Chris would give him you know, a few takes of the script, and then he is allowed to improvise. And at times he would even use two or three cameras at the same time shooting because when you have Robin Williams, and you don’t really know where he’s gonna go, or what he’s trying to say, it’s probably good for safety that you run more than one more than one camera.

Mike Dodge  15:27  

And it’s interesting because of course, this is we know this film so we wouldn’t presented with his idea we can’t help but think of his performance as Mrs. Doubtfire. But it would be an interesting thought experiment to like, how would this have differed if you’d cast a different actor in that role? And you know, just to be silly, like, what if it was like Liam Neeson? Right, he would obviously have a much different way approach to the character of Doubtfire than Robin Williams did. And so I mean, I think this film works and it’s impossible for me to think of this film without Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire, right? It just is, so I think iconically connected to him.

Christi Dodge  16:14  

Jim Carrey was in talks I believe I could be making that up because of reading so much trivia over the last two and a half days. Yeah. But I believe in and I think that would just have been a way different movie, you know, like, yeah, Ace Ventura del fire. 

Mike Dodge  16:32  

Okay, now now I’m thinking of fluffy Iglesias and totally different film, right?

Christi Dodge  16:39  

The scene where he knocked off the prosthetic mask and the bus runs over it that took them 50 takes to get that scene. And in reality, the prosthetic mask that was used in the film was just a prop. It actually was Robin’s real makeup was made up of eight separate pieces to make him look like Doubtfire. And it took about four and a half hours each day to put the makeup on.

Mike Dodge  17:06  

Yeah, I’ve always wondered back before, you know, iPods and air buds, what those poor actors were doing inside their skull for four and a half hours in the makeup chair because we know that that’s before you start filming. So they get they’re like, oh, dark 30

Christi Dodge  17:26  

Yeah, your call time is four hours before Yeah, when else is rolling out. 

Mike Dodge  17:30  

So it’s early in the morning and you’re in that chair and probably you’re not supposed to fall asleep because you have to you know, stay stationary and give some feedback. But what do you do for four hours? Yeah, right. I mean, you review your lines but then 10 minutes later Okay, now.

Christi Dodge  17:46  

So watching this the editing or cinematography? Was there anything that you noticed that you maybe didn’t notice the first couple times you saw this movie? 

Mike Dodge  17:55  

Lots of montages you know, I love me a montage we had a Daniel doing impressions montage, we had several makeup montages. We had a mastering being Mrs. Doubtfire montage. It was amazing. One thing that just really caught my eye is they did fast motion photography. One scene. I think it was when he was cleaning. 

Christi Dodge  18:19  

Oh, I thought it was wanting to changing.

Mike Dodge  18:20  

Oh, maybe it was changing. And gosh, you used to see that all the time. But we hardly ever see that anymore. I really curious kind of what Columbus why he did that because this movie is pretty long. Right?

Christi Dodge  18:33  

I think that’s why he did it. It was because I made note of it. It was when he was changing back and forth in the restaurant, which we’ve been to right, the restaurant restroom because I think to take that body suit off that he was wearing would have taken a while and so I think he just was like, This shot is too long as is we have to speed it up,

Mike Dodge  18:58  

You know, I wish that we’ve been there. This does remind me that listener Peter likes to visit places where movies are filmed famous locations and so maybe when he’s next in the bay, he would like to go to bridges 

Christi Dodge  19:10  

Bridges. It’s a great restaurant. I loved it.

Mike Dodge  19:13  

That was the first thing that like I just noticed there are a lot of a lot of montages and then there’s a fast motion, but there is also a nice slow dolly shot to reveal Miranda  at work I thought that was that was well done. I think it was shot pretty well if the cinematography didn’t get in the way you know, it wasn’t one of those films where you thought somebody was really gunning for stuff for the reel it was well done, but you know, understated.

Christi Dodge  19:44  

I meant to look up the songs that are in the soundtrack, but like great songs in the soundtrack. 

Mike Dodge  19:52  

I’m trying to remember if anything except the one  “jump around” that he’s playing with the party, which is the first time I heard that song. 

Christi Dodge  20:02  

Oh, wow. Well, there’s “Dude Looks like a Lady” which Oh, yeah, we just gets into our conversation that we… 

Mike Dodge  20:10  

I will mention that I did pause for us to discuss the use of the Aerosmith song dude looks like a lady, which of course is right on the nose because Daniel Hillard is a dude. And he looks like a lady is Mrs. Doubtfire. See, it’s right there. But I thought in today, when we are trying to be more sensitive toward trans people, I was curious about that song. Would that play well, in 2023, and we looked at the lyrics, and the lyrics really are pretty, I would say, I wouldn’t call them transphobic or anything.

They’re pretty straightforward. And I just remembered in the Aerosmith video that they were portraying, like Steven Tyler was, was somehow duped by like a construction worker long hair. And you mentioned that it was ironic because Steven Tyler had very long hair and scarves. 

He had kind of a weird lemon itself. Yeah, right. So and maybe that’s why that that worked. Well, but yeah, okay, that was one of the songs do looks like a lady.

Christi Dodge  21:13  

So I meant to do my homework, everybody. And I apologize, I will include two articles that I am going to read, but just didn’t get it done in time for our recording. So the film was made into a musical. And when that was done, there was you know, I think just some more knowledge and we we’ve come a long ways, since 1989. And so some people were saying, Is this okay, is that is it? How do we feel about this man dressing as a woman? And is it insensitive to the queer community? So just reading a flick the first paragraph of a glaad article, and reading also just kind of like a headline in Wikipedia, so I’m trying to put a huge Asterix that is not an informed conversation I’m having right now. 

But it sounded like the queer community was okay with Mrs. Doubtfire because he wasn’t trying. Like you mentioned at the top of this episode, he wasn’t trying to be a woman, or he wasn’t trying to be a drag queen, or he wasn’t trying to, I guess, you know, I guess I’ve said it embody a woman he was trying to embody a character that his wife would look at as a new person and give, I guess, open opportunity. I’m still I’m stumbling with my words, but would not be critical in the same way that she was critical of Daniel.

And so because of that, it seemed like overall, the queer community, well, I shouldn’t say the queer community. The people that wrote these articles in response to this question is Mrs. Doubtfire like this Mrs. Doubtfire need to be canceled? Those are my words. But, you know, they seemed okay with it?

Mike Dodge  23:06  

I think so because it’s not making fun of any trans people. It’s not trying to say anything about gender. It’s really about what you would do using your resources, which is acting, to see your children and we have dialogue that establishes that his huge motivation is to be around with his children. But I thought it was interesting when you were talking because I thought, well, what would be the 2023 version of this? It would be a Finsta where he would create a fake Insta account, that is, perhaps a different gender so he could follow and interact with his family. Right?

And we wouldn’t probably be as upset or have those questions. If somebody if in that case, situation, he created an Instagram account that said he was this 68 year old Irish nanny. Yeah, you shouldn’t do that. But it’s not like he was trying to catfish them. He was just trying to remain in contact with his kids.

Christi Dodge  24:11  

He wanted a new start. I mean, I think ultimately, that’s what we’re getting to whether it’s through Instagram or through some makeup. He wanted a fresh start with his wife and kids and he wanted to get back to who they were when they all got together because I think I think through the process of Mrs. Doubtfire I think that’s what she comes to realize. I you know, like the kids were better the kids were happier when Mrs. Doubtfire you know, when she realizes that when Mrs. Doubtfire was in their lives. Everything was improving. She realized, we just need that. Right that energy that intention in our lives. It doesn’t have to come in the form of Mrs. Doubtfire.

Mike Dodge  24:54  

And the character of Mrs. Doubtfire independent of gender but that character by adopting that Daniel was setting the standards for himself as a father that he should have all along. 

Christi Dodge  25:07  

Yeah, I think that’s the scene with where the kids are watching TV. And he comes in right Daniel would have never done that. Because he didn’t want to be seen as not the cool dad, right? You want to be there, buddy. But in the form of Mrs. Doubtfire, he had the confidence to walk in and kind of lay down some rules. And he was willing to have the kids not like him for that moment, because he could see that this is what was good for him in the long run.

Mike Dodge  25:33  

Yeah, so in some sense, Mrs. Doubtfire was the idealic parental role. And by establishing it as a role that he was acting, it allowed him kind of the permission to be that character. So I actually, I would be very upset. Or I would say, I’d be sad if someone felt like Mrs. Doubtfire was in any way commenting on gender. It wasn’t that it was just a role. And I see the role that that role plays in this film and for Daniel to be one of good not have bad.

Christi Dodge  26:11  

Yes, I am. Like I said, I’ll put those articles in the show notes so you guys can read them and make up your own mind. But, but I’m, I’m definitely going to read them. I’m curious. Okay. Okay. Was there any head trauma in this film?

Mike Dodge  26:23  

Oh, there was my favorite line of this film. 

Christi Dodge  26:26  

Yeah, you’ve quoted this a lot. Since you saw this. 

Mike Dodge  26:29  

It was run by fruiting (In a Scottish accent) Mrs. Doubtfire throws a lime. I thought it was an orange. But you’re correct. You remember correctly, it’s a lime into the back of Pierce Brosnan his head. Now that’s probably actually better for both the narrative and the actor. Because I used to work with a guy who grew up in Florida, and he and his brother would pick oranges for money. And apparently when your older brother has a good arm, there’s a such thing as an orange fight, which is like a snowball fight but much more painful.

Christi Dodge  27:00  

I think a lime would be more painful than an orange though. Because they limes are hard. I’ve I’ve used a couple lines recently for in cooking and an orange depending on its rightness can have like some, some give. Yeah. And a line can feel like a baseball you know a baseball. Yeah, like, it’s hard.

Mike Dodge  27:22  

I think this fellow said that it was the the heft. The weight of the orange was the problem. So you’re right, perhaps the hardness of the line would make up for its lower mass. Either way, probably not a lot of fun. No, that would hurt. So that’s our only head trauma. And I made note of 

Christi Dodge  27:43  

how about a smooch?

Mike Dodge  27:45  

 Smoochy smoochy smoochy I don’t have record of a smooch. I don’t remember. Any any smooching between either Pierce or Robin and Sally.

Christi Dodge  27:58  

And then a driving review?

Mike Dodge  28:01  

So there was a lot of driving review. Daniel drives a brown 88 Chevrolet Caprice estate wagon, which is absolutely a practical car for father three children. My question was in 1988, when they presumably bought it, didn’t we have minivans? That seems like there might have been in San Francisco. The shorter wheelbase of a minivan made it maybe would have made a bit more sense. 

Christi Dodge  28:27  

I know we would have because I learned to drive in a minivan and that would have been in 1987.

Mike Dodge  28:36  

Miranda is driving a 93 Volvo 850 So that says that she’s very boring, but also she gets paid a whole lot of money because Volvo’s weren’t cheap back then. And that’s a brand new car in an era so she was obviously doing okay. And just a nice little cameo I noticed that there was a silver at one Honda Accord parked at a stoplight when he’s walking in the crosswalk as Doubtfire and period correct. I had a blue 81 Honda Accord that I learned to drive on. And I recognize that those four little tiny headlights anywhere that was nice.

Christi Dodge  29:14  

Shall we go to the numbers? 

Mike Dodge  29:15  

Let’s go the numbers. 

Christi Dodge  29:16  

Okay. This film, made in 1993 had a budget of $25 million. It made $219 million. Adjusted for today would be like $488 million. Yeah, worldwide, it made $441.2 million. And so there was talks of a sequel. In fact, Bonnie Hunt actually wrote a sequel, and Robin wasn’t exactly fond of it. And so there are a bunch of rewrites and it went back and forth and it kind of came up again in the 2000s. And then sadly, when Robin died, then it pretty much got shelved for good.

Mike Dodge  30:00  

So I just saw reference today to in pre production Pitch Perfect four Oh, wow. Yeah, that’s interesting. I don’t know where they would have gone with that because they resolved the narrative question about whether he was going to keep joking or not.

Christi Dodge  30:18  

It’s in the wiki. I can’t remember now, I don’t think it’s referenced in the wiki, but I can’t remember.

Mike Dodge  30:24  

I can do some research. If I’m that curious.

Christi Dodge  30:26  

 It gets a 7.1 out of 10 on IMDb critics were a little cooler on it a bit about their 70%. And audiences like to be a little bit more at 77%. You did mention that it was a bit long, it is over two hours, two hours, five minutes. It’s rated PG 13 and listed as a comedy drama. And it won a ton of awards for makeup, of course. Robin won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor and it won Best Motion Picture. It won People’s Choice Award.

Mike Dodge  31:05  

That best picture was an Oscar Best Picture?

Christi Dodge  31:07  

That was best People’s Choice Award. Okay, yeah, at the best People’s Choice Awards, the film one. And then Robin, Pierce and Harvey, one for Best Actor and Supporting Actor at the American Comedy Awards, and it got many, many, many other nominations and won a few more we actually I’ll mention we watched it on Hulu. So if you have a Hulu subscription, you can enjoy Mrs. Doubtfire this month. Give us a call or text us at 971-245-4148 to give your guess at what you think this month’s theme is. Or you can email me at Christi@Dodgemediaproductions.com. All of that will be in the show notes as well as a whole lot of links for this one. And never forget Dodges never stop and neither do the movies.

Brennan  31:57  

Thanks for listening to Dodge Movie Podcast with Christi and Mike Dodge of Dodge Media Productions. To find out more about this podcast and what we do. Go to dodgemediaproductions.com. Subscribe, share, leave a comment and tell us what we should watch next. Dodges never stop and neither do the movies