Feminist criticism looks at the status of females, thus focusing on how women have written and how women have been written, either like an angelic mother (Mary) or evil seductress (Eve) (Lynn, 226-27). Gender criticism is similar to feminist criticism but compares and contrasts males and females. Gender refers to the cultural aspects of sexuality, such as the biological, psychological, and social factors (Lynn, 251). Some of the important information gender critics look for in literature includes: stereotypes, roles, and noticing any references to the body, all three of either males or females. In doing either of these criticisms, critics try to break down prejudices of readers.
Chris Columbus's Mrs. Doubtfire is about the problems of the Hillard family. Daniel Hillard gets fired from work. Loving his three children, they are surprised at first when their dad comes to pick them up after school. Since it is his son's birthday, Daniel decides to throw him a party, even though his wife said Chris couldn't have a party because of his bad report card. Thinking he could clean up before Miranda gets home from work, Daniel hires a mobile petting zoo. Daniel's neighbor dislikes the animals being on her property and the loud music so she calls his wife at work. Miranda Hillard is an interior designer who gets asked to do a project by former acquaintance Stuart Denmeyer, when she receives a complaint and goes home to deal with her husband.
Daniel and Miranda argue while cleaning up. She says he makes her look like the monster and she gets the leftovers from all the fun. He says she chose the career and she replies back that she had no choice. Saying "it's over"; Miranda has had enough of her husband's behavior and wants a divorce. They go to court and since Daniel has no income or place to live, his wife gets primary custody of their children. But, the judge says it is just as important for children to have a loving father (Mrs. Doubtfire), so Daniel gets visitation rights every Saturday and has three months to get a job and keep it, and create a suitable home for their children.
A stereotype in the movie so far is the man being irresponsible and immature, while the female is the opposite. Daniel is out of work, which his older daughter figures out when he comes to pick them up. This might be an indication that this is common with Daniel. Also, he throws his son a big party behind Miranda's back. Daniel is caught dancing to music with his son on top of the table, to his wife's disgust. Miranda on the other hand, is hardworking and independent. She is an interior designer and doesn’t stay home to do all the housework. Viewers can see that Miranda doesn’t play the typical, traditional role as housewife.
The movie continues with Miranda coming to Daniel's apartment on Saturday to pick up their children. She mentions to Daniel that she is putting an ad in the newspaper for a housekeeper. To spend more time with his kids, Daniel offers to take care of the kids after school, but Miranda says she will think about it. Changing the number on the ad without Miranda noticing, he calls her to get the job. With the help of his makeup artist brother and Daniel's talent in doing voices, Daniel transforms into Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire. Daniel in disguise is hired by Miranda and they get along well. She doesn't know it is her husband she hired and confides in; saying her husband never appreciated her organized cubbies.
Mrs. Doubtfire tries to learn to cook but has an accident in the kitchen so "she" orders out and puts the food on the table for dinner. Miranda comes home from work and is impressed with Mrs. Doubtfire's "dinner". While Mrs. Doubtfire heads out to the bus stand, Daniel's older daughter Lydia comes to apologize for her behavior and thanks "Mrs. Doubtfire" for making her mom happy, which she can’t remember when the last time was. As the days pass, Daniel is able to spend time with his children as "Mrs. Doubtfire" while also working at a TV studio. Mrs. Doubtfire plays soccer with Chris, reads to Natalie, rides bikes with the children, and even vacuums the house.
Daniel finds out Stuart Denmeyer is fond of his wife but thinks Daniel is a loser. Mrs. Doubtfire gives Miranda advice after Miranda says she and Stuart will go out for a drink and talk about their business project. Mrs. Doubtfire says Stuart has other intentions and for Miranda to "wake up and smell the coffee" (Mrs. Doubtfire). Miranda later confides in Mrs. Doubtfire saying she liked Daniel at first, but after she was always working and he was in between jobs, she didn’t get to see their children and would have to clean the house. Eventually, Daniel is caught by Chris and tells him and Lydia that it is their dad dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire. They are happy and promise to not tell their mom or younger sister.
When Miranda comes to pick up Lydia, Chris, and Natalie, Daniel's house is messy. This is again a stereotype of men being messy, while women are neat and organized, as seen from Miranda's labeled kitchen cabinets versus Daniel's "refugee motif" apartment. Daniel learns to cook and clean, and spends a lot of time with his children. Men usually don’t do simple housework such as these, and in today's society, many fathers aren't really involved in their children's life if any at all. Miranda's comment about going out with Stu for work being "harmless" is an example of women being naïve. Many females in similar situations think it is "innocent" but things do go wrong. Daniel admits through Stu that men generally have other intentions in the mentioned situation.
When Miranda comes again to Daniel's place for the kids, she is impressed when Daniel says he learned to cook, bake, and sew, and his house is clean and organized. Miranda asks Mrs. Doubtfire for her advice on what she should wear to her birthday dinner with Stu and the family. Mrs. Doubtfire says that one dress is too short and the other "screams harlot" (Mrs. Doubtfire). Daniel has a dinner meeting with the
By the end of the movie, Daniel gets caught when his mask comes off in the restaurant "helping" Stu when he chokes. Miranda is outraged she has been tricked and says she has to go home. After two months, Daniel managed to do what the judge says, but the judge gives full custody to Miranda and supervised visits every Saturday to Daniel because of his peculiar behavior fooling people into thinking he was a woman. Seeing that their kids really miss their dad and Mrs. Doubtfire, Miranda takes care of all the legal stuff and Daniel is allowed unlimited access to their children.
Mrs. Doubtfire's suggestion to Miranda to wear a dress she had worn to a funeral and to cover her shoulders shows that Daniel is protective. He doesn’t want Miranda to show a lot of skin and to cover herself properly so Stu won't "feast his eyes on her". Good men usually care for women like this by protecting them. Overall, this movie's portrayal of a family going through divorce is realistic. Many times because of the parent's decisions, children end up suffering in one way or another. The relationship between Daniel and Miranda, Miranda and Stuart, and the family and Mrs. Doubtfire, are also similar to interactions between males and females in reality.
Works Cited
Lynn, Steven. "Gendering the Text." Texts and Contexts: Writing About Literature with Critical Theory. 6th ed. Glenview: Pearson, 2011. 221+. Print.
Mrs. Doubtfire. Dir. Chris Columbus. Perf. Robin Williams, Sally Field, Mara Wilson, Etc. 20th Century Fox, 1993.
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