An underappreciated romantic comedy-plus that gives Williams a chance to do what he does best: improvise.
The kids aren't bad either, with little Mara Wilson full of facial expression and Lisa Jakub and Matthew Lawrence performing admirably as the older (and wiser) kids. As Williams goes back and forth between his characters, the plot moves forward on two levels, and that's enough to make this a better-than-average comedy, with the San Francisco location scenery is a nice throw-in. In fact, if you're a film buff and find yourself in the Bay area, you can drive to 2640 Steiner St. and see the real house that was used for the Hilliard family.
Video:
"Mrs. Doubtfire" is coming out on Blu-ray soon, and if this DVD is any indication of quality, it's going to be quite the pristine HD release. Though this DVD doesn't indicate it was cleaned up or remastered, the amount of detail is pretty astounding for a DVD. The colors are bright and natural-looking, the black levels are strong, and there's no loss of detail on the edges. Simply put, it's a great-looking video, presented in 2.35:1 widescreen.
Audio:
The audio is a resonant English Dolby Digital 5.1 that delivers pure and rich sound at both the high and low ends, and also makes decent use of surround speakers for occasional effects. Additional soundtracks are in Spanish and French Dolby Digital 2.0, with subtitles in English and Spanish.
Extras:
If I have one complaint about this release, it's that while two hours of bonus features are included--among them some never-before-seen improvisational clips of Williams in alternate takes--missing in action is Columbus' excellent commentary from the previous release. Once again, fans are going to have to either keep two copies of a film or else make a tough decision, and Fox, that's just not fair.
The bonus features that are here are really very good, but when you learn from Columbus that he ended up with so much improv material that he had seven different versions of the film (PG, PG-13, R, NC-17) you realize that what's included here is just a fraction of what they have in the Fox archive.
In a section titled "Cutting Room" we get 18 deleted/extended scenes and four alternate scenes, all of which, given Williams' ability to run with an idea in several different directions, are a pleasure to watch. In "Production Office" we get two short features and a behind-the-scenes photo gallery. "Aging Gracefully" covers interesting ground, with Columbus and Williams sitting on a couch together, reminiscing. Columbus, for example, tells how he kept three cameras rolling at all times because there was no re-capturing the reaction shots of the other actors as Williams stunned them with his departures from the script. A rather sedate Williams still manages to crack wise and make Columbus laugh. Meanwhile, a more standard five-part making-of feature incorporates clips from the '90s of Brosnan, Field, and Williams, and offers takes on the script, casting, make-up (it took four and a half hours to apply), on the set with Euphegenia, and "seriously funny."
As with the previous edition, there's a section titled "Animation Studio" which features a conversation with animator Chuck Jones (who contributed an opening cartoon that showed Daniel working as a voiceover actor) and original pencil tests along with the final animation of a sequence that will remind Warner Bros. fans of the Tweety and Sylvester cartoons.
Rounding out the bonus features are extras that show a make-up application, make-up tests with Williams, Field, and the children that are really interesting, and another photo gallery, along with a bonus feature on Williams' improv and original publicity stills and promos (including a 1993 featurette).
Again, a nice package, if it wasn't for the missing commentary.
Bottom Line:
Williams is like nuclear power. It's been difficult for a director to harness the comedian's energy. But Columbus does a good job here, and I personally think that for Williams' improv, and for a believable balance of comedy and pathos, this film and "Good Morning, Vietnam" are the best.
Video:
"Mrs. Doubtfire" is coming out on Blu-ray soon, and if this DVD is any indication of quality, it's going to be quite the pristine HD release. Though this DVD doesn't indicate it was cleaned up or remastered, the amount of detail is pretty astounding for a DVD. The colors are bright and natural-looking, the black levels are strong, and there's no loss of detail on the edges. Simply put, it's a great-looking video, presented in 2.35:1 widescreen.
Audio:
The audio is a resonant English Dolby Digital 5.1 that delivers pure and rich sound at both the high and low ends, and also makes decent use of surround speakers for occasional effects. Additional soundtracks are in Spanish and French Dolby Digital 2.0, with subtitles in English and Spanish.
Extras:
If I have one complaint about this release, it's that while two hours of bonus features are included--among them some never-before-seen improvisational clips of Williams in alternate takes--missing in action is Columbus' excellent commentary from the previous release. Once again, fans are going to have to either keep two copies of a film or else make a tough decision, and Fox, that's just not fair.
The bonus features that are here are really very good, but when you learn from Columbus that he ended up with so much improv material that he had seven different versions of the film (PG, PG-13, R, NC-17) you realize that what's included here is just a fraction of what they have in the Fox archive.
In a section titled "Cutting Room" we get 18 deleted/extended scenes and four alternate scenes, all of which, given Williams' ability to run with an idea in several different directions, are a pleasure to watch. In "Production Office" we get two short features and a behind-the-scenes photo gallery. "Aging Gracefully" covers interesting ground, with Columbus and Williams sitting on a couch together, reminiscing. Columbus, for example, tells how he kept three cameras rolling at all times because there was no re-capturing the reaction shots of the other actors as Williams stunned them with his departures from the script. A rather sedate Williams still manages to crack wise and make Columbus laugh. Meanwhile, a more standard five-part making-of feature incorporates clips from the '90s of Brosnan, Field, and Williams, and offers takes on the script, casting, make-up (it took four and a half hours to apply), on the set with Euphegenia, and "seriously funny."
As with the previous edition, there's a section titled "Animation Studio" which features a conversation with animator Chuck Jones (who contributed an opening cartoon that showed Daniel working as a voiceover actor) and original pencil tests along with the final animation of a sequence that will remind Warner Bros. fans of the Tweety and Sylvester cartoons.
Rounding out the bonus features are extras that show a make-up application, make-up tests with Williams, Field, and the children that are really interesting, and another photo gallery, along with a bonus feature on Williams' improv and original publicity stills and promos (including a 1993 featurette).
Again, a nice package, if it wasn't for the missing commentary.
Bottom Line:
Williams is like nuclear power. It's been difficult for a director to harness the comedian's energy. But Columbus does a good job here, and I personally think that for Williams' improv, and for a believable balance of comedy and pathos, this film and "Good Morning, Vietnam" are the best.
Average user rating (1-5):
Not yet rated.
Not yet rated.
[release]20648[/release]