Mrs. Doubtfire (1993/Blu-ray + DVD-Video Set)
Picture:
B/C+ Sound: B/C+ Extras: D Film: D
Chris
Columbus is one of the most overrated directors since the 1980s and his
weak-but-profitable list of films (until he finally hit a wall with disasters
like Rent) set the worst possible
set of messages to a new generation of filmmakers and filmgoers. The result is some of the worst films ever
made from the worst of the Spielberg imitators around. His 1993 hit Mrs. Doubtfire is one of the biggest and most insidious of them all
as an animation voice actor (Robin Williams) drives his wife (Sally Field) to
divorce and to keep tabs on his kids, becomes the title character.
He makes
her up to be a nanny and at first, the Randi Mayem Singer/Leslie Dixon script
might have left it at that, but in real life, the set up is surprisingly
condescending and exploits that sense in every way. One angle implies that Field’s character is
selfish and needs to be “put in her place,” as she should be home taking care
of the kids instead of being a moneymaker.
Then there is the idea that all children need their father, to the sick,
functional extent that they are nothing without him and (broken home, divorced
kids or not) need to cling to their father as the film plays on the false hopes
and impossibility that a father figure could always be there.
Then
doing it as a comedy is supposed to make this good, but the anti-feminist angle
is not so easily inoculated, nor should Field’s character be. In addition, if you want to go the mental
short cut route of “it’s just a movie” or that it’s a “comedy” then you are
able to be in denial of anything.
However, Columbus’ button pressing days were soon waning, in part due to
something as ugly as 9/11, but not before this made insane cash worldwide. Note that even Williams’ career has suffered
since. All in all, this is a time
capsule and relic of a mindless Hollywood that can never be far enough in the past.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 AVC @ 28.5 MBPS digital High Definition image is on the soft side,
looks like an older HD master that Fox felt they could get away with using for
this release and is adequate for such an overly commercial release. It could look better, but since it is shot
with the flatness of a TV sitcom, what’s the use? The DTS HD 5.1 Master Audio (MA) lossless mix
is also flat, dull, unexciting and both show that the DVD’s poor anamorphically
enhanced picture and lamer Dolby Digital 5.1 mix (included on the Blu-ray) are
just awful. You get flatness all
around. Extras include five featurettes,
stills and trailers.
- Nicholas Sheffo
