Poster © 20th Century Fox. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreComedy, Drama & Family
RatedPG-13
Runtime2 hr 5 mins
ReleasedNovember 24, 1993
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorChris Columbus
StarringRobin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan
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Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
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| Mrs. Doubtfire's Details | |
| Genre | Comedy, Drama & Family |
| Rated | PG-13 |
| Released | 11/24/1993 |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 2 hr 5 mins |
| Budget | $25M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Based On | Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Mrs. Doubtfire's Interests | |
| General | Latex masks, cartoon voices, San Francisco hills, cream pies, a proper cup of tea. |
| Music | Howard Shore. Yes, the same Howard Shore who scored The Lord of the Rings. |
| Movies | Tootsie (1982). Another actor, another very committed disguise. |
| Television | Mork & Mindy. Where Robin Williams first did fifty voices a minute. |
| Heroes | Robin Williams. Ad-libbed like nobody else ever could. |
| Mrs. Doubtfire's Crew | |
| Director | Chris Columbus |
| Writers | Randi Mayem Singer, Leslie Dixon |
| Producers | Mark Radcliffe, Marsha Garces Williams, Robin Williams |
| Cinematography | Donald McAlpine |
| Music | Howard Shore |
| Edited By | Raja Gosnell |
| Production | 20th Century Fox, Blue Wolf Productions |
| Distributed By | 20th Century Fox |
Is nobody in this house going to notice that the nanny is Dad? The premise of Mrs. Doubtfire is a father fooling his ex-wife and kids every day for weeks, and if you think about it, it gets uncomfortable fast. The movie hopes you won’t. Robin Williams makes that easy. He riffs, he does voices, he sets his own costume on fire at the stove, and he turns a frantic cleaning day into a dance number with a vacuum. When the mask goes missing during a surprise visit, he improvises with a face full of cake frosting. Under all the jokes, though, it’s an honest movie about divorce, and it takes the kids’ hurt seriously. Sally Field gets the thankless role of the mom who wants a stable life and somehow ends up the bad guy. It made $441.3 million worldwide on a reported $25M. A 6.9 because Williams is unstoppable and the premise is a little creepy. $91.23 says you vacuum this week and bust out at least one dance move with the hose.
What works: Robin Williams is a nonstop comedy machine, and the film treats the kids’ side of the divorce with real care.
What doesn’t: The premise is a long con on the whole family, and Sally Field and Pierce Brosnan get stuck as the obstacles.
Who it’s for: Families who want a big, warm comedy with a real heart about what divorce does to kids.
Spoilers
At a restaurant, juggling a dinner with his new boss and the family’s birthday dinner at the same time, Daniel gets unmasked in front of everyone, and a judge limits his visits even more. Then Miranda realizes the kids were happiest with Mrs. Doubtfire and asks Daniel himself to watch them after school, and the movie ends with his kids’ show reminding viewers that families come in all shapes.
Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) is a voice actor in San Francisco and the most fun dad alive, which is part of the problem. After one wild birthday party too many, his wife Miranda (Sally Field) asks for a divorce, and a judge gives Daniel one visit a week with their three kids, Lydia (Lisa Jakub), Chris (Matthew Lawrence) and Natalie (Mara Wilson). Then Miranda advertises for a housekeeper. With help from his makeup artist brother Frank (Harvey Fierstein), Daniel applies as Euphegenia Doubtfire, a proper older British nanny. Chris Columbus directs. One hundred twenty-five minutes, one very convincing disguise.
Anyone hiring a nanny. Please check references. Then check them again.
Daniel Hillard / Mrs. Doubtfirephoto: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
| Robin Williams | Daniel Hillard / Mrs. Doubtfire |
| Sally Field | Miranda Hillard |
| Pierce Brosnan | Stu Dunmeyer |
| Harvey Fierstein | Frank Hillard |
| Polly Holliday | Gloria |
| Lisa Jakub | Lydia Hillard |
| Matthew Lawrence | Chris Hillard |
| Mara Wilson | Natalie Hillard |
| Robert Prosky | Jonathan Lundy |
| Anne Haney | Mrs. Sellner |
| Scott Capurro | Jack |
| Martin Mull | Justin Gregory |
| William Newman | Mr. Sprinkles |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +480 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $441.3M; Domestic box office $219.2M; Opening weekend $20.5M; Profit / loss (est.) +$183.1M; Rotten Tomatoes 70%; CinemaScore A; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 70% (54 reviews); Metacritic 53 / 100; CinemaScore A; IMDb users 7.1 / 10 (321,080 votes); movie.guru score 6.4.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.