The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
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Mrs. Doubtfire
Comedy · Drama · Family · 1993
Loving but irresponsible dad Daniel Hillard, estranged from his exasperated spouse, is crushed by a court order allowing only weekly visits with his kids. When Daniel learns his ex needs a housekeeper, he gets the job -- disguised as a British nanny. Soon he becomes not only his children's best pal but the kind of parent he should have been from the start.
Movie details
Mrs. Doubtfire
“She makes dinner. She does windows. She reads bedtime stories. She's a blessing... in disguise.”
1993 Comedy · Drama · Family 2h 5m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.2 / 10
Community rating
Loving but irresponsible dad Daniel Hillard, estranged from his exasperated spouse, is crushed by a court order allowing only weekly visits with his kids. When Daniel learns his ex needs a housekeeper, he gets the job -- disguised as a British nanny. Soon he becomes not only his children's best pal but the kind of parent he should have been from the start.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Mrs. Doubtfire?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Annie
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Cheaper by the Dozen
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Miracle on 34th Street
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Annie
Comedy · 2014
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Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
Comedy · 2008
When a celebrated TV show host returns to his hometown in the South, his family is there to remind him that going home is no vacation!
It Runs in the Family
Comedy · 2003
This is the story of a dysfunctional New York family, and their attempts to reconcile
Tully
Comedy · 2018
Marlo, a mother of three, including a newborn, is gifted a night nanny by her brother. Hesitant at first, she quickly forms a bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging nanny named Tully.
Uptown Girls
Comedy · 2003
Molly Gunn, the freewheeling daughter of a deceased rock legend, is forced to get a job when her manager steals her money. As nanny to Ray - the precocious, oft-ignored daughter of a music executive - she learns what it means to be an adult while teaching Ray how to be a child.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Chris Columbus
Written by
Leslie Dixon · Randi Mayem Singer · Jeffrey Price · Peter S. Seaman
Robin Williams
Daniel Hillard / Mrs. Doubtfire
Sally Field
Miranda Hillard
Lisa Jakub
Lydia Hillard
Matthew Lawrence
Chris Hillard
Mara Wilson
Natalie Hillard
Pierce Brosnan
Stu
Robert Prosky
Mr. Lundy
Court is in session
Put Mrs. Doubtfire on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.