Our Flick of the Week is “Mrs. Doubtfire,” and though “Tootsie” it’s not-Robin Williams’ makeup isn’t that convincing-there is an extended sequence that approaches that film’s hilarious soap opera taping sessions.
It’s the climactic 20 minutes in which Williams, playing a divorced dad impersonating a nanny named Mrs. Doubtfire so he can see more of his own kids, jumps between donning her dowdy dress and his own blue jeans as an out-of-work actor. The setting is a San Francisco restaurant, and at one table is his estranged wife (Sally Field), their kids and her new boyfriend. At another table is a TV station boss (Robert Prosky) thinking of hiring him to host a children’s show. At one table he’s a kindly old lady; at the other, an actor on the make. And we know the film is working simply because we hold our breath hoping his secret isn’t undone.
“Mrs. Doubtfire isn’t up to the level of “Tootsie” or “Some Like It Hot”, but how could it be, as those films are two of the greatest comedies ever made. But like those films, it does have some heart-in this case the poignant situation of a dad trying to regain his home life.
Changing identities quickly and convincingly is a Robin Williams trademark, so his twin performances are predictably fine. Not so credible is why his wife wants to throw him out of the house in the first place. We don’t see the evidence of his selfishness. But once we accept the premise and forgive the occasional lapses in makeup, “Mrs. Doubtfire” becomes a memorable comedy.
“Mrs. Doubtfire” is playing at Burnham Plaza, 900 N. Michigan, Webster Place and outlying theaters. Rated PG-13. (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Flicks Picks guide
– (equals) New this week
– MRS. DOUBTFIRE (Burnham Plaza, 900 N. Michigan, Webster Place and outlying). This week’s Flick of the Week. See above. Rated PG-13. (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
– THE NUTCRACKER (Water Tower, Webster Place and outlying). A boring, flat film of George Balanchine’s ballet classic with Macauley Culkin in a small, mostly non-dancing role as the Nutcracker prince. The late director Emile Ardolino (“Dirty Dancing”) fails to showcase the artistry of such New York ballet heavyweights as Darcy Kistler and instead gives us a run-on series of fantasy vignettes that may have little ones looking for the candy counter even though the film runs only 90 minutes. G. (STAR)(STAR)
– A PERFECT WORLD (Biograph, Burnham Plaza, Esquire and outlying). Clint Eastwood directs Kevin Costner in a major examination of what constitutes real violence and what makes a bad guy. Continuing his campaign to reassess his own violent films, Eastwood asks us to consider Costner’s character, who had a troubled childhood and now finds himself on a cross-country dash from the law (Eastwood) with a kidnapped kid in tow. While we wonder, just a little bit, if Costner is going to hurt the kid, Eastwood deals with child abuse and the violence of the handgun in a most original way. More than once, “A Perfect World” has echoes of “Bonnie & Clyde.” Its story runs on and has boring patches, but on the whole this is an engrossing, original work. R. (STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2
– WE’RE BACK: A DINOSAUR’S STORY (Water Tower and outlying). A sloppy, amateurish cartoon feature about dinosaurs time-traveling as docile pets to the present only to have a mean old circus showman turn them back into vicious creatures. The comedy is cloddish; the drawing style is sketchy at best. From executive producer Steven Spielberg, who himself has produced a better dinosaur cartoon feature, “The Land Before Time.” Rent that one instead of seeing this. PG. (STAR)
