Acts I, II and III

Acts I, II and III of Mrs. Doubtfire The 1993 cinema vehicle for Robin Williams, Mrs. Doubtfire would be an extremely successful family comedy, owing to the actor's frenetic comedy performance and to director Chris Columbus' decision to offer an honest appraisal of the impact of divorce on family. Act I of the film begins with two scenes that are instigative of a dramatic turning point in the collective lives of its characters. Likewise, these events are the point of inflection for all events to proceed there from. As Daniel Hillard, Williams plays a cartoon voice actor and a loving father to three children. Hillard is what his wife Miranda (Sally Field) characterizes as something of an eternal child, so demonstrated by his being fired from a job and being left by his wife all in the course of one act. The first plot point, where he's fired, seems closely to precipitate the outcome of a raging birthday party which he throws for his son against Miranda's will. When she discovers that he has disobeyed her wishes and literally trashed the house, the film initiates its second plot point. The subject of divorce is raised and immediately becomes a certain outcome, with court proceedings remanding full custody to Miranda with only weekend visitation rights for Daniel. Act II shows the separated family now trying to cope with the new situation. Daniel has been assigned to a stodgy social worker, who examines his apartment to evaluate his living situation. This indignity is only further instigated by his children, who find his dingy apartment a disquieting context in which to see their beloved father. This uncomfortable limbo facilitates the midpoint of the second act, which provides cause for the film's primary motor. Namely, Daniel's desire to see his children both more often and in a more favorable context collides directly with Miranda's need for a maid to help out with the children while she works and pursues a new romantic relationship with Stuart (Pierce Brosnan). At the midpoint of Act II, we find the film turning to its central device, as Williams begins conspiring against Miranda's efforts at hiring a made. When his brother and his brother's partner, film makeup artists, fit him with the accouterments to portray an elderly British woman, his talents are facilitated and the plot is fully hatched. The ascension to this moments is met by the descending comfort of Act II, which ultimately finds Daniel settling easily into the role of Mrs. Doubtfire, the loving but stern housemaid, of whom the children, Miranda and even Stuart have grown fond. A use of the musical montage device-in this case to the pointedly relevant 'Dude Looks Like a Lady,' by Aerosmith- helps to suggest the passage of time as Doubtfire comes to be seen as one of the family. This is a performance, however, which will be shattered by the events of Act III. As Daniel Hillard by day, he finds a position at a television studio doing manual labor, primarily to satisfy the demands of his unsympathetic social worker. The second plot point of this act occurs when, as Doubtfire, Hillard runs afoul of his son, who catches him in the act of going to the bathroom. This drives forward the both the tension and humor of the situation, wherein Hillard pleads with the elder two of his children to help him keep this secret. The climax of the film occurs when Daniel is forced to appear at dinner with his family and in a dinner interview with his boss for a remarkable opportunity at the same time and place. Here, hilarity ensues, as Daniel attempts to juggle both identities and interviews while increasingly intoxicated. This leads to the embarrassing climactic event in which his identity is revealed to his family as he delivers lifesaving Heimlich techniques to Stuart.