Mrs. Doubtfire is not only a childhood favorite of Maya Bahl’s, but is also an important teaching tool of a family structure.
The emergence of the internet has taken me from childhood into adulthood from having grown up in the 90s. It’s only now that I can have fun as a Spice Girl, or to simultaneously rock out to the Backstreet Boys and N’SYNC, for I wasn’t much of a hipster back then!
The 90s also brought on a serious social and cultural undertone of a family’s dynamic with the beloved film “Mrs. Doubtfire” as it was more than laughing at the antics of a cross dresser, and admiring the genius of Robin Williams. It really examined the dynamics of falling in and out of love, and its consequence on the children of the relationship. While Pierce Brosnan was to be admired in his James Bond roles, his suave character as Stuart Dunmeyer in “Mrs. Doubtfire” was “the other guy”. Being able to tolerate a family outing with this other guy while being close to his children dressed as a woman, Robin Williams as Daniel Hillard effectively showed us as his audience what it took to still being a caring father, at a time where in the courts rulings had favored the mother.
“Your Honor, in the past two months, I’ve secured a residence, I’ve refurbished that residence- made it “an environment fit for children”. Those are your words. I’m also holding down a job as a shipping clerk. So I believe I met your requirements. Ahead of schedule. In regards to my behavior, I can only plead insanity. Because, ever since my children were born, the moment I looked at them, I was crazy about them. Once I held them, I was hooked. I’m addicted to my children, sir. I love them with all my heart. And the idea of someone telling me I can’t be with them, I can’t see them every day…It’s like someone saying I can’t have air. I can’t live without air, and I can’t live without them. Listen, I would do anything. I just want to be with them. I know I need that, sir.
We have a history.
Just… They mean everything to me. And they need me as much as I need them. So, please. Don’t take my kids away from me. Thank you.”
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Though I have had two parents growing up, I also recognize that not everyone was as fortunate as I in having a two parent household, as well as the struggle at times of sustaining the happy home. Having two people onboard with their relationship is a growing rarity, and it seems that other motives and having a limited supply of resources would add to the strain of fathers still being present.
We ought to still encourage fathers though to be good parents, praising them when they have added to the relationship, and constructively criticize them when they could’ve done better in the relationship. There is the need of a shift in paradigm where for time in memoriam men haven’t been under the microscope in their behavior and ways and so have been shown leniency when interacting with others. The judge in “Mrs. Doubtfire” felt that Daniel’s behavior was “unorthodox in a peculiar and potentially harmful way”, but ultimately it was the mother that saw the need of Daniel to be with his children. Rage does fly in the heat of any moment, but it is also to be remembered that one ought to calm down and assess the situation where children are involved, where in good standings the children would need to spend time with both of their parents.
It makes me think, as an eventual parent, of what I would consider when in a relationship, all I know is that I would not forget the legacies Sally Fields, Pierce Brosnan, and Robin Williams brought to their audiences!
>Along with a YouTube video:
I’ve also gotten “Mrs. Doubtfire’s transcript here: http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/m/mrs-doubtfire-script-transcript.html . The transcript is in British English, but since the movie had been shot in the U.S and with mostly American actors, I thought to Americanize the spellings of behavior and honor.
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Photo credit: IMDb