Review #35: Mrs. Doubtfire

Sorry for the delay in recent updates! We've had a busy summer but are back at it. -SS/AW

Release Date; November 24th, 1993
Writer: Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon

Director: Chris Columbus

Logline: After a bitter divorce, an actor disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife. (Source IMDb) Family comedy. 125 min.
Bechdel Test: Passed all 3 tests.

Review

Given the tragic news of Robin William's passing, Alyssa and I felt it we had to honor his outstanding legacy with a review of one of his most revered films.

Mrs. Doubtfire encapsulates what we loved about Robin. He was comically silly, with hysterical one liners, and pop culture jokes. He was also vunerable and sincere. That's what we remember about this Oscar winning actor. His choices across many of his films show the world how to use comedy to make the lives of others better, even in seemingly impossible situations. To those who grew up with his films, he offered up a piece of his heart and we are so grateful to have the films of such an inspirational person.

There's something very heartfelt in the DNA of Mrs. Doubtfire. Kids films often have a morality lesson that gets hammered home. Instead, Mrs. Doubtfire relays the experiences that modern families have. It doesn't shy away from the pain of a childhood divorce, but it doesn't dwell in misery either. The kids and parents are both characters who can make mistakes and are not perfect.

I often find myself enamored with films that refuse to condescend to children, even if that's their target audience. The same movie that features a goat at Chris's birthday party, and a "drive by fruiting", also features Daniel sharing the story of hooking up in a bathroom stall with a waitress. I have a lot of appreciation for a movie that isn't afraid of bordering on offensive for the sake of entertainment.

If you haven't watched Mrs. Doubtfire in the 20 years since it's release, it's worth revisiting. It's a film that holds up. You might remember the scene where Daniel sets her rack on fire, trying to cook. Or when Daniel drops the Doubtfire mask out the window, and makes due by slamming his face into a cake. You probably don't remember the makeover montage featuring many Robin imitations, or the dinosaur rap. You might not even remember that this whole film is about a custody battle. This is definitely one worthy of at least a second view. o

Portayal of Women: Rewatching Mrs. Doubtfire 20 years later is an interesting experience. I found myself questioning the portrayal of the "gay uncles" and a cross dressing main character. I know someone is going to say "Hey Sarah, that's not the question!" but really it's the same concept of underrepresented people. In one respect, it's nice to actually see gay characters on screen, and to see that cross dressing characters can be shown in a positive light. But Daniel is still called a freak and considered to be crazy. Take from that what you will. Considering it's 20 years old, perhaps we should call it progressive and leave it at that.

Sisterhood Moment: Everyone remembers that scene where Daniel panics needing to look like Mrs. Doubtfire but without the mask, and he covers his face with icing. My favorite part of that exchange is that he spends the scene with cake on his face serving the social worker tea. And she rubs icing onto her face to see if this facial mask works. Kills me. I'd using an icing beauty regime. o

Rating: Always a staple in the Robin Williams top 5. Always a staple in best family movies. 5/5

IMDb - Mrs. Doubtfire (6.8)

Wikipedia - Mrs. Doubtfire

Rotten Tomatoes - Mrs. Doubtfire (71%)

Review #34: Nanny McPhee & Nanny McPhee Returns

Release Date: January 27th, 2006 & August 20th, 2011
Writer: Emma Thompson
Director: Kirk Jones & Susanna White

Logline: Emma Thompson stars as a governess who uses magic to rein in the behavior of seven ne'er-do-well children in her charge. (Source IMDb) Family, comedy, fantasy. 97 min. & 109 min.
Bechdel Test: Both films passed all 3 tests.

Review
One part Matilda, one part Mary Poppins, and one part Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and you have a recipe for Nanny McPhee. No wonder this Emma Thompson vehicle has been such a success world wide. Not being part of the generation that grew on Nanny McPhee I cannot say whether the franchise has the same staying power as those inspirational films, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were many more McPhee's to come.

The story of both films is essentially the same, but focused on different families. In both, a single parent (Colin Firth in the first, and Maggie Gyllenhaal in the second) are overrun by their out of control children. Their families and livelyhood is threatened and they are in desperate need of help. Nanny McPhee arrives in a puff of smoke announcing that

"When you need me but do not want me, then I must stay. When you want me but no longer need me, then I have to go." 

Obviously children attempt to sabotage their new nanny, but Nanny McPhee uses her magic to give them a taste of their own medicine. As the kids lie in bed faking sick to avoid their chores for the day, she makes sure they are unable to leave their beds and take the foul tasting remedy. Silly kids, tricks are for... Nanny McPhee.

Kids are going to love any movie that doesn't speak down to children, despite the morality lessons contained. The universe is bright and textured with the wacky off-kilter look of a cartoon. There's plenty silly British wit, sight and sound gags, and a kids movie staple: slapstick comedy. It's a classic kind of kids movie.

For the parents however, these films are less than desirable. Nanny McPhee is a film that will be exhausting on repeat. The linear, step-by-step story is rigidly mechanical, and there's only so many times you can laugh at barnyard animals. If you're going to put it on for the kids, leave the room and maybe have a drink or two. Adults watching this recipe for success will weep from boredom.

Portrayal of Women: Both films feature strong supporting female characters, but in different ways.

The first film features Cedric (Firth) after the unexpected death of his wife. He is distant from his kids, and has to go on a journey to connect with them. There are two maids who are women, and there is an evil future stepmother who is attempting to get Cedric's money. Cedric's Great Aunt also insists on taking one of Cedric's girls for some sort of housewife etiquette schooling. Ultimately the good woman in Cedric's life turns out to be the young maid who had been caring for the children all along.

As great as it is to see a diverse representation of women, this collection of storybook stereotypes pin women as either the virgin or the villain. I suspect Thompson followed the original book quite closely as source material.

The second film branches away from the classic roles. Instead of a single father, it's a single mother Isabel (Gyllenhaal) who's husband has gone missing in the war. She has to stand up for her family and her rights as a property owner against her less than desirable brother. The two mobsters collecting debts are women. The owner of the shop where Isabel works is played by the great Maggie Smith. I love any film that puts a twist on traditional gender roles, even if it's relatively minor. The importance of placing women in a variety of positions, like a position of power, in any children's fiction cannot be understated.

Sisterhood Moment: Maggie Gyllenhaal's scene with Ewan McGregor. Now THAT'S a fantasy for adults. Just turn that into the opening of 50 Shades of Grey. Too much?

Rating: Two annoying kids in the movie theater with a baby.

IMDb - Nanny McPhee (6.6)
IMDb - Nanny McPhee Returns (6.0)

Wikipedia - Nanny McPhee
Wikipedia - Nanny McPhee Returns

Rotten Tomatoes - Nanny McPhee (73%)

Rotten Tomatoes - Nanny McPhee Returns (76%)

What to see this weekend

Do you want to see:

 A female lead?

-Lucy
-The Hundred Foot Journey

Written or co-written by a woman?

-Guardians of the Galaxy (Fempire Review)
-Sex Tape

Directed by a woman?

-Step Up All In

Review #33: Guardians of the Galaxy

Release Date: August 1, 2014
Writer: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman
Director: James Gunn

Logline: Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted Peter Quill finds himself the prime target of a manhunt after discovering an orb wanted by Ronan the Accuser. (Source IMDb) Action, adventure, sci-fi. 121 min.
Bechdel Test: Passed all 3 tests.

Review
Superhero Blockbusters aren't my favourite kind of movie, but I can appreciate them when a good one comes along - Guardians of the Galaxy is definitely a good one.

The film has everything a summertime popcorn movie needs - lots of action, explosions and an attractive cast. But what really pushes Guardians into perfect blockbuster territory is its lighthearded tone and commitment to being pure fun.

The film's charm is completely encapsulated in the character of Peter Quill who is played by Chris Pratt. (Let's hold up for one second and talk about how good he looks, it's insane right??) He's courageous and strong but also kind and goofy - he's like Blane and Duckie all in one and you can't help but fall a little bit in love with him. That's what the whole movie is like; it's a compelling action movie and a comedy all in one, and you can't help but fall a little bit in love with it too.

The rest of the cast was also great; I really didn't think I'd be on board with a talking raccoon and tree, but it totally worked. Zoe Saldana's Gamora was badass in the best way and Dave Bautista brought humour and heart to Drax.

My favourite part of the whole movie was the soundtrack. Quill's obsession with his walkman was beyond endearing and the 70's music was the perfect finishing touch on the film's fun summer vibe.

You know what, the John Stamos reference was actually my favourite part. Soundtrack is a close second though.

Portrayal of Women: Just as we took a moment to appreciate Chris Pratt's physical condition, let us now take a moment to appreciate that this is the first Marvel movie to be co-written by a woman. You can read about Nicole Perlman and her work on Guardians here.

Just because the movie has a woman writer doesn't mean it's completely female friendly. I wish Quill would have been more respectful toward woman instead of seeing them as opportunities for one night stands. I also could have done without the whore jokes and some of the unnecessary lingering shots of Gamora's physique.

That being said, the film got a lot of stuff right too. For example, Gamora is a full fledged part of the team who has a significant part to play in the plot. She isn't just a placeholder or a quota filler, she has a defined purpose and that purpose even extends beyond being a love interest!

One of the easiest strategies that has been suggested in improving gender parity in Hollywood is to make more background characters women. Guardians does a bit of this - I noticed a few times that there were more women than usual in crowd scenes as well as in smaller roles.

44% of the Guardians audience was female - that's more than any other Marvel film.  It's also almost half of the entire audience. This proves the assumption wrong that it's okay to cast action movies with primarily men because they're "guy movies." Women are showing up to these movies, they're showing up to them more when there are good roles for actresses, and I'm willing to bet that they'd show up even more if a woman was the star.

Sisterhood Moment: Gamora has a complicated relationship with her sister and their backstory was interesting and compelling. It's not too often that a female character is that fleshed out in an action movie, let alone two!

Rating: 4 Jackson 5 songs and a tube of green lipstick.

IMDb - Guardians of the Galaxy (8.8)
Wikipedia - Guardians of the Galaxy

Rotten Tomatoes - Guardians of the Galaxy (92%)