Didn't stop her from basically lying about her husband's mental state and capacity and hurting her kids in the bargain. Sometimes, being angry isn't a good enough reason.
A good parent would do anything for their children and Daniel did exactly that. He loved his children and sacrificed himself just to be with them and see them happy.
But he also went about it the wrong way. Daniel violated a court order that only allowed him the weekends to see his children by masquerading around town as a 60-year-old Scottish nanny and lied to Mrs. Sellner when she first visited him. Had the judge found out that he conned Miranda and unintentionally attempted to murder Stu by sneaking in cayenne peppers(which he was allergic to), Daniel would've been facing life in prison with no chance of parole and banned from seeing his children for the rest of his life. The right thing Daniel should've done was wait until a month passes before he and Miranda both were called back in court for the judge to decide joint custody or not. During that time, he could've asked Lundy if he could help him get a better lawyer to help argue his case and present evidence of his following of the judge's court orders. Daniel could've gotten joint custody of the children legally.
@@capnjackgallows3204 Very true. The legal system is very messed up in that way. Laws meant to protect people can destroy lives unjust-fully. In this case though, based on the judge's knowledge I think he made the right decision. Instead of doing the adult thing of appealing, Daniel faked his identity to get closer to his children. Though his intentions were pure, he broke many laws in the process and it could have ended up much worse. I mean if his intentions weren't pure, his kids could have been dead. He also almost (while accidentally) killed a man out of jealousy and in the eyes of the law assaulted him too. Plus with his history in the acting business it wouldn't be far fetched to think that he's lying after all his stunts. Plus look at what he did before the divorce, bring animals into a closed space to entertain children. No matter how domesticated, that could have been a seriously dangerous situation that ended up with kids injured or dying. Honestly I'm surprised he isn't in jail. The judge only saw his immature stunts that if continued would only affect the kids, he wasn't shown that daniel who grew up and only had good intentions.
I think Miranda finally realized that after hearing Daniel’s testimony and felt genuinely bad about taking his kids away from him because she acted out of anger towards him. The reason why she wanted to make things right by the end of the movie.
The sad irony is that Daniel went to such great extremes just to spend more time with his children while Miranda is so engrossed in her career and boyfriend that she hires a nanny to be the parent she can't be. Yet SHE gets custody. Daniel puts his children first no matter what while there is literally not one scene where Miranda spends any quality time with them.
@@sylkebambilke1364 Well maybe in whatever country you're from where they spell realize with an "s" but in the good ol' USA this is the reality! Feminism has gone off the wall and our society now has a strange obsession with trashing or belittling ALL fathers. Forget the men who straight up walk out on their kids. Even being there for them and giving them more love and attention than the mother isn't enough to win in court. I guarantee those kids would've been happier in their father's dumpy apartment than in Miranda's perfectly-decorated Pacific Heights victorian because at least they'd be noticed.
@@SomethingSomethingg I’m a 25 year old mother and I liked your original comment, I’m sure maybe half of the likes could also be from other women too. I also don’t agree when the system lets women stop their children from seeing’s a father who is actually decent and truly loves them. I hope in those cases that the father will find a way to win back his rights. I think if you really love your children you must let go of ego and must try to be as civil as possible with the mother and not be violent or threatening on her as that’s going to be counterproductive. I think how Daniel handled everything was all pretty reasonable, I’m glad Miranda saw through and let him be with his kids.
I’m not a lawyer and my parents never divorced, but wouldn’t there also be a need to interview the kids to determine an appropriate course of action? Two of the kids are mature enough to be able to make a sound argument and while crossdressing and impersonating someone is “unorthodox”, it is also unorthodox to strip away a father’s right to see his children when no harm ever came to them.
@I'm a misanthropist and in some cases until the matter is resolved it is advised that neither parent should start dating other people. Danial didn't date other people but his ex did.
Family courts in the United States do what they can to keep the children out of the middle of a divorce as much as possible. Children don't get to decide where or how they're raised. The parents are supposed to make those choices. If they can't, a judge does. In my state, if the parents fight too much, they're put into case management where a neutral party acts as a go between. If the parents can't compromise, the neutral party makes the decision. In this case, Daniel really should have hired a new lawyer. That lawyer would have known how to present evidence showing that his behavior wasn't the acts of a man with psychological problems but a man doing everything he could to be with his children. He could have shown how he's improved as a father (helping the son raise his failing grades is huge). Instead, he just gave his closing speech. I'm sure Miranda's lawyer presented evidence showing that he tricked everyone, lied to Miranda, put the kids in the middle and put pepper into her new boyfriend's food which could have killed him. The judge is going to take all those things into account. This is the part where Miranda should have spoken up in Daniel's defense. Casting Sally Field to play Miranda was brilliant. You can see her emotional turmoil here. She knows the judge is wrong but she's still too hurt, angry and humiliated to do the right thing. She later corrects her mistake to the benefit of the entire family. They learn how to coparent.
@@Padmepotter4986 oh I’m not saying that children get to decide. They’re underage and whatever the court rules is binding. However, the judge tells Daniel that he believes his plea was nothing more than an act. Well, if he doesn’t believe him, why not ask the children how they feel about it? How his behavior never put them in harm’s way (and if anything, helped them be better)? How about asking Miranda if it’s true that during his time as Mrs Doubtfire the children were ever harmed/depressed? It’s heartening to see Miranda slowly realize that Daniel might have been a terrible husband but that what he did he did for his love of his children and that he was never a bad, neglectful father figure. I just think a judge should have also taken their point of view into consideration as well. He said Daniel’s behavior was unorthodox, but by removing Daniel he’s creating another problem for them (Miranda won’t care; she’s too consumed with work, but the kids will). Even with a supervised visit (limited in time and place), it means they can never enjoy a genuine interaction, for there will always be someone watching.
That's how family divorce laws work in the US. They keep the children out of the custody battle because they underage and aren't capable of making sound decisions. I may not come from divorced parents, but my friends have and they know the experience that comes from it.
As a kid, this movie was funny and enjoyable. As a parent now, this scene breaks my heart into pieces. I don’t know what I would do if someone took my kids away from me.
This is one of the few movies that actually seems realistic in this scenario, I mean think about it, a dad dresses up as an old woman and lying to everybody even his own wife, manipulating her and all that just to be with his kids because he was a bad father, seems like insanity, it would be stupid to think that the judge said "Your little speech seemed heartfelt and genuine, I allow you to have custody over your children."
He was still denied joint custody by the judge. He calls Daniel out for violating a court order which only allows him the weekends to see his children by masquerading around town as a 60-year-old Scottish nanny and lying to Mrs. Sellner about him living with his sister. If the judge found out that he conned Miranda and unintentionally attempted to kill Stu by putting cayenne peppers in his jambalaya, Daniel could've been incarcerated for his actions and be banned from seeing his children for the rest of his life.
It's a batshit decision. He dressed up as a woman cause he loves his kids. And now he can't see them because of this backwards ass judge and Karen mother.
You seem to forget that Daniel was a terrible father himself in the early part of the film. He never kept a steady job, didn't clean house, spoiled his kids rotten and overrode Miranda's punishment for them. Daniel basically left her in that role of strict parent because he wanted to be a fun dad and this caused a strain in their marriage. She felt like she was dealing with 4 kids instead of three. When Miranda comes home from a long day at work, she wants to come home to a clean house, dinner made, the children having done their homework and well behaved. Instead, she comes home to a dirty house, the children misbehaving themselves and Daniel not doing what he's supposed to do. What threw Miranda over the edge, was when she found out from Gloria that he violated her latest punishment for Chris by throwing him a birthday party and which Lydia warned against. During a deleted scene, Miranda revealed that he was grounded because he was flunking 3 of his classes and until he brought those grades up, there was going to be no birthday party for him. This wasn't something that should've been rewarded. Daniel should've known better because as a parent: he was supposed to help her enforce the punishment, not argue against it and accuse her of always ruining fun activities for the kids. There was a deleted scene where Miranda was able to have a chance to bond with her children on a family fun day and be a fun mom. It showed that the reason she wasn't able to do all of this was because of having to juggle between running her successful interior designing company, disciplining her kids and dealing with Daniel's immaturity in refusing to be a responsible parent. Once he started taking on the job as Mrs. Doubtfire, Daniel really saw life as Miranda in how messy the house is and the children misbehaved themselves. Once he started accepting responsibility for himself, he was to discipline them by making them clean house until they agreed to do their homework. Daniel was able to find balance between being a fun-loving dad and a responsible parent through Mrs. Doubtfire. In turn, Miranda was able to relax and be a fun mom to the children. At the same time, he should've known better and waited until the month passed by before the judge called him and Miranda back to the court room. Daniel could've used that opportunity to ask Lundy for suggestions on a better lawyer to help him out and present evidence of his following the court orders. He could've gotten joint custody with Miranda sooner.
@@ladyfire44 Correct. He also vandalized Stu’s car and hit Stu with fruit, and he may have violated additional laws by going into the ladies room. This was in addition to committing fraud to gain employment as Miranda’s housekeeper, including messing with the ad that she put in the newspaper (although I always wondered why Miranda never bothered to check the paper to see that the number was incorrect-maybe that would have clued her in that Mrs Doubtfire was a fraud). I wonder if he claimed this job on his taxes! In reality, he would be in jail. Under the circumstances, I’d say the judge was very generous.
Seriously, what was going on in that judges head? What would any parent *act* like they wanted to see their children if that wasn't the case? What would he get out of it if he didn't genuinely love them?
He was just doing his job, but because Daniel was disguised as a woman in order to spend more time with his children despite being told that he was only allowed to visit his children every Saturday, the judge had a right to limit Daniel's visitation rights as Daniel had been breaking the law by disobeying the custody rules. Daniel was also taking money from Miranda, during his time as Mrs Doubtfire, so he might also be paying Miranda back. It's like a parent being put under a restraining order, preventing them from making contact with their children.
@@frankiselby1234 The judge absolutely did the right thing here. This is a man who defrauded his ex-wife to get around the custody agreement and nearly killed the man she was dating by poisoning his food. He is not a stable parent, and there is a very real danger he could take his children and flee. At the very least he's creating a very confusing narrative for his children, teaching them if you don't like how things played out, you put on a costume and con your way until you get what you want. Frankly he's lucky he didn't end up facing criminal charges and his ex-wife was willing to work with him on custody despite all the crap he pulled.
I think had the judge taken those two things into account, Daniel could've been imprisoned for the rest of his life with no chance of parole and permanently banned from seeing his children. The smart decision he should've made was to wait a month before the judge called both parents to court. Daniel could've asked Lundy to help him get a better lawyer who can argue his case and present evidence that he had followed the court orders. He could've gotten joint custody of the children with Miranda legally without having done what he did earlier.
@@ladyfire44 in the case of divorce the wife tend to be the one in favor over the husband even if the husband has the financial stability and house if lucky to keep.
Around the time Mrs. Doubtfire was released, I was 15 years old and my parents had just finished a horrific divorce process, which I was very sour about... so, the serious subject matter of this movie clicked with me from the beginning... but now, as a father-to-be myself, it is when this scene really turns out to be heartbreaking... separating a loving parent from their children, out of a selfish excuse for it, is the worst the other part can do, and I endured a great deal of manipulation and hearing the worst choices of words, back then, in that sense...
@@doctorfeinstone6524 yeah she does because she's still glad they won but she also still feels it's from the heart and he isn't just saying it unlike the judge.
Absolutely! & it is tragically one of the most significant reason men make up 2 out of 3 of all suicide rates. In divorce/family court men are quite often treated like second class citizens, & the courts heavily favour the woman. & it is funny how we never hear feminists complain about this inequality.
You have to understand that he had to judge based on his professional opinions and not personal bias. Daniel's mental stability was in question because he had violated a court order which only allowed him the weekends to see his children by parading around in women's clothing as a 60-year-old Scottish nanny and plus, he lied to Mrs. Sellner about him living with his sister which Miranda exposed. Had the judge found out that Daniel nearly and unintentionally attempted to kill Stu by putting cayenne peppers(which he is allergic to) and conned Miranda, he could've been imprisoned for the rest of his life and have no chance of seeing his children again.
Daniel's actions as Mrs. Doubtfire and violating the court order to see his kids once a week by disguising himself as Mrs. Doubtfire was questionable and brought Daniel's mental health into question.
She realized that things got too far with everything and accepted the role she played in all of this. While Daniel was an irresponsible parent who was used to being a fun dad, Miranda was also a horrible parent herself in being too strict with her kids. It was through Mrs. Doubtfire that he found balance between being a fun-loving dad and being a strict parent. Miranda also learned that she doesn't have to take life seriously and she can be a fun mom once in a while.
I like that they didn't make her the all out bad guy in this. She wants what's best for her children but for a while didn't realize what exactly that would mean. In the end it just turned out they were both better parents apart than they were together.
@@ladyfire44 I agree. There's a deleted scene that shows Miranda having much more fun with the kids once Daniel (ie Mrs Doubtfire) steps up and starts doing his share that he should have been doing all along. I wish they had kept it in because it's important in showing that Miranda wasn't just strict and miserable for the sake of it, she was suffering because Daniel was not helping her as a parent previously.
@@Jennyfisch Yes, one of the few kids movies that really doesn't patronize the audience. Everybody is a little bit to blame, but nobody is "the bad guy". And the fact that Daniel and Miranda don't get back together in the end (although I'm sure some Hollywood execs pushed for it). It took courage to portray a family getting divorced as a "happy ending" back in those days but it was so, so important.
As an adult, I can actually see why what Daniel did might be seen as a little crazy, manipulative, and in some ways, possessive: 1. Changes the numbers on Miranda's form so no one would call. 2. Instead of doing what he needed to do to get himself on solid ground for his kids, wastes time calling Miranda's number posing as various horrible nannies. 3. Goes through the elaborate process of putting on an old British lady disguise. He's with the kids, but now he knows all of Miranda's business as well. 4. Tries to make Miranda wear the dress she wore to her aunt's funeral in the seventies so she won't look too sexy for Stu. 5. Got his kids in on this entire act. I actually don't know if Miranda ever found this out, but if she did she and the courts would see this as a problem. 6. hears the guy dating his ex wife is allergic to pepper. Decides to add it to Stu's dish NOT KNOWING if it just gives Stu an itchy throat or if it could send him into anaphylaxis and KILL him. WE as the audience know everything Daniel did he did out of love for his children, but if you heard about all of that on the news that would be a bonkers story!😄
Fraser Gibson I wouldn't say that Daniel isn't nice, he just needs some maturation. Sure, he loves his children, but I would say that he went pretty extreme for them. Had Miranda allowed him to see the children on his own from the start, I don't think that we would've had the same movie.
No with the pepper, Daniel did know, as he heard Stu at the table be very clear with the waiter that he wanted no pepper due to his allergies. It wasn't like he did it by accident. And maybe it's just me, but putting pepper in someone's food is the equivalent of putting peanuts in someone's dish. I don't joke around with that, as I hate to think that someone will die. Daniel clearly wanted to make Stu suffer, but his face probably screamed second thoughts as he realized that he almost commit a murder here.
“Seemed?” What about this “seemed” heartfelt and genuine? This was very genuine and heartfelt! It’s crazy how when you’re older, certain lines from certain movies hit much differently. He was not at all acting saying all of this; well, he was, but no so! Wow! “It’s like telling me I can’t have air; the moment I held them, I was hooked.” That part…! 🥺🥺🥺
Good judges rule on facts and evidence, not feelings. While we as the audience know he is heartfelt and genuine, he doesn't. He sees his manipulation and deceptive practices and thus places judgment on him to protect the children from that exposure. It's sad, but a very realistic ruling in my opinion.
Thank God I found a good quality of this video clip! I saw this movie for the first time about a month ago and it was the first time in a long time a movie actually made me tear up I love Robin Williams and knowing that he passed away made it a lot more sadder purchased how brilliant of an actor he was especially in this scene so touching and so moving gone but not forgotten!
It hurts to say but the Judge made the right call, IRL this kind of stuff would have landed Mr. Hillard in jail. Evaluations and supervised visits for a year is a pretty good deal all things considered.
@@jcmat9917 perhaps but my thing is we're shown things through the perspective of Mr Hillard. You got to look at it through the eyes of the judge. He lied to a social worker, poisoned his ex-wife's boyfriend, and dressed up as an old lady in an attempt to fool his wife into giving him access to the kids. This is one movie that I love dearly because if look at it through the perspective of different characters it becomes a different kind of movie.
Yep. It's a great film, one of my favourites, but in the real world he was deceitful, mentally and emotionally manipulative and showed mental instabilities.
All the judge seen from Daniel's plea is a gifted actor, but not a father that wants to be with his children. And it's sad that so many good fathers have gone through this issue with child custody cases.
He had to judge based on facts and his professional opinion, not out of personal emotions. The judge has to take into account that Daniel violated a court order which only allowed him the weekends to see his children by masquerading around town in women's clothing as a 60-year-old Scottish nanny, lied to Mrs. Sellner about him living with his sister and his mental stability was in question. Had the judge found out that he conned Miranda, attacked Stu with an orange and unintentionally attempted to murder him by putting cayenne peppers into his jambalaya which he's allergic to, Daniel could've faced jail time for his actions and never be allowed to see his children again.
ladyfire44 I understand how Daniel felt. However, it's the judge's decision to decide what is best for the children. So, I can see where the latter is coming from.
gawainethefirst No, but he did go behind Miranda's back and throw their son, Chris a birthday party. So, yes, if one person says no, you don't go behind his/her back and do it anyway. However, yes, Miranda is at fault for the divorce as well. Possibly, even more so than Daniel.
No. However, Daniel was known to be very irresponsible in his parenting and he never took anything serious. He never kept a steady job due to his history of quitting, never cleaned house, spoiled his children rotten and overrode Miranda's punishments on them. Daniel basically left the strict parent role on her and she felt like she was dealing with 4 kids instead of three. What drove Miranda over the edge was when she found out from Gloria that he threw Chris a birthday party against her wishes and of which Lydia warned against. In a deleted scene, Daniel was accusing her of ruining everything for him and being a nosy neighbor. Miranda had enough and pointed out that she grounded Chris because of his report card and he was flunking 3 of his classes. She told him that unless he brought those grades up, there will be no birthday party for him. Miranda mentions that it wasn't something Daniel should've known better and not rewarded. After all the stress he put her through, she decided to divorce him. It wasn't until Daniel took on the secret housekeeping job as Mrs. Doubtfire, that he had to face up to his neglected responsibility as a parent. He saw first hand what life is really like as Miranda in dealing with a dirty home, his irresponsibility and disrespectful children. In that moment, Daniel realized that he was at fault for how he behaved that cost him both his marriage and his family. Once he accepted responsibility for himself, he was able to discipline his children by taking away their TV privileges and making them clean up the house until they did their homework like they were told. It was through Mrs. Doubtfire that Daniel learned to balance between being a fun dad and a responsible parent. This helped Miranda to relax and spend time with her kids in a way she never could have. She was able to be a fun mom to them. Miranda even explained the stress that she had been under from Daniel's immaturity to Mrs. Doubtfire and he realized how much he's hurt her in the end.
@@CROSSTATT I would say she's less at fault. The only thing she did was not communicate their issues with him properly earlier on. The party wasn't the reason they got divorced, it was the last straw on a long list of Daniel sabotaging her. Parents are supposed work together to discipline their kids as well as reward them. Daniel only focused on being the "fun" parent instead of actually being a good dad or husband. He left Miranda with all the heavy duty of discipline and made her seem like the "bad guy". He only had good intentions but in the end he was being immature. He quit his job for a good reason but without the input of Miranda who he let be the only source of income for their family.
I hated Miranda here . All she she was doing was looking at Daniel and not saying a word . I’m glad it worked out in the end though . R.I.P. Robbin Williams you’re a comedic genius and an incredible actor and comedian
Lotta people forget that Daniel was just not a great husband, he is a WONDERFUL father, but he lacked the stability and responsibility Miranda asked from him that she found with the step dad, who was a good man he wasn't like those abusive step parents that pop in like other movies that want to send the kids away to military camp or something, but he even says himself he's crazy for the kids and wants to provide that stability for them. Daniel learned to do what really is the bare minimum parents have to know like cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the home. He was a good father, just not a good husband.
The heartbreak Daniel has at the end of this scene is so well acted. And I'm not just giving Robin Williams that credit because he is dead. I genuinely felt the character's pain at that moment.
He could play any kind of character and that's what made him so memorable. It wasn't just the comedy roles, he could also make you feel sad with scenes like this. He was truly gifted.
Robin Williams is an amazing actor but I don’t blame the judge. Every decent parent really loves their kids. But if you put his behavior under an object microscope, his character was not mentally stable. He was already prone to being incredibly unreliable, engaging in destructively manic behavior, which is why he and his wife split up to begin with. Loving your kids isn’t enough. You have to be a good parent and he wasn’t. The lengths to which he went to conceal his identity from his own children and ex-wife is not healthy. He could have waited and worked with a mediator with his ex wife, who proved many times she was reasonable and open to consideration with the right proof as you can see by the ending and how many chances she gave him over the years, but instead he spent probably hours every day dressing in an elaborate and uncomfortable costume and deceived everyone. Even going so far as to discourage her from pursuing new relationships. It was not mentally healthy. It was very toxic.
I agree. I mean it's a movie, a fun one to watch, the acting is perfect... but if something like this happens in reality, this would be very toxic. First of all, when there is a divorce, there is a judgement for the custody. Whatever the decision of the court is, you are legally bind to follow those instructions, wether you like it or not. Loving your children is something, but stating that you are addicted to them like you can't breathe if you're not with them is quite extreme. Also, fooling people around by diguising yourself as an old woman for that reason, and sneaking into his ex wife's love interest : he had no right to do it. That he doesn't like Stewart, every one can accept this, but he tried many times to sabotage this. Also, don't forget that before Miranda found out, she PAID him for the nanny job. So of course when you watch the movie, everyone is on Daniel's side because the movie brings a lot of emotion and humour to his character which make him attaching, but in reality? This would be a toxic, immature and irresponsible behavior.
Alternate take: As heartbreaking as this scene is, (Robin Williams truly was a phenomenal actor), it always strikes me that no one ever comments on the fact that he openly deceived his ex-wife, interfered with her relationship with a man who treated his kids well, tried to manipulate her into making decisions about ending said relationship, lied to his kids and then included them in the deception. All of this was after he initially showed himself to be a less than stellar co-parent who was frequently out of work and would trash the house in-between jobs while she was out supporting them. Obviously he got his act together and she recognized it, but geez, how is she the villain here?
Even though I have parents who are still together and don't plan to get divorced any time soon. This hit hard, due to my parents being kind of strained with each other lately due to political differences and my mom being really stressed over other personal things, and well seeing this kind of hit me different.
The problem was as the judge mentioned, Daniel's mental stability was in question after all of this. He had to judge based on his professional opinion. Even though Daniel had followed the other court orders in getting a job at the studio, having his own income and a family friendly home, the judge reminded him that he violated a court order which only allowed him the weekends to see his children by masquerading around town as a 60-year-old Scottish nanny. On top of it, he lied to Mrs. Sellner about his family which got him into even worse trouble when Miranda told her the truth. To the judge, it warrants concerns in how traumatized the children will be later on with his behavior. Therefore, he orders Daniel to undergo psychiatric evaluations for a year and is only allowed supervised visitations on Saturdays. It means that Miranda will not only have full custody of the children, but also he will be assigned a social worker to make sure he's following the new court order. While Miranda was angry over how Daniel tricked her, she realized that he didn't dress up as Mrs. Doubtfire to embarrass her. He just wanted to see the children and be a part of their lives. This is why Miranda appealed to the judge to overturn his decision and allow Daniel to have joint custody of her. She visited him later on at the studio and apologized for her earlier behavior, having realized the kids needs him in their lives and vice versa.
As far as the judge was concerned, Daniel was mad and unfit to be a parent and his actions as Mrs. Doubtfire was nothing but an act and a scam and The Judge didn't see Daniel geniuely loves his children and he wasn't speaking as a actor, but a man with a heart.
Sadly happens all the time. As fathers we are second class citizens and women aren't screaming for equal rights for us. We are cash cows nothing more. Even if we are thr better parent for the kids. Without a uterus we will never win.
You know this is the 80s/90s. Now in 2021 we have drug addicted parents who are practically dependent on the state that get the right to have joint custody of their children. Nuclear grade bonkers if you ask me!
The show Family Ties back in the 80s had an episode where a frustrated dad said that even if his ex was a drug addict the courts would still give her custody.
I agree, It fits with the ending of the movie as well. The parent's don't just get back together. The movie makes it clear that it's okay that they don't. Honestly it would have been well within the wifes rights to want Daniel locked up. They were all very lenient with his behaviour.
Miranda is Daniel's ex-wife. In the middle of the movie, he accepted that his marriage was over and he needed to get his life together. Daniel's jealousy towards Stu was mainly due to him seeing his own shortcomings. To him, Stu was the man that Miranda was looking for and he failed her altogether. As good of a father he was to the children, Daniel was also irresponsible with his life. He never kept a steady job, spoiled his kids rotten and was insistent on being the fun dad. Daniel basically left the role of strict parent on Miranda and that caused a serious rift between them during their 14 years of marriage. Miranda was at that point feeling guilt over how she behaved in the end. As angered as she was for him masquerading around as a 60-year-old Scottish nanny, she also realized that Daniel didn't do anything wrong and just wanted to be in their children's lives.
The judge was right in stating that Robin IS a very gifted actor and he gave a terrific performance throughout the whole movie!! But the judge probably thought Daniel was putting on act while giving his little speech and not meaning what he said.....the judge knew Daniel was an actor....
I have alot of respect for fathers like this who would go out their way to love and support their children, i know fathers who just dont care and yet they think they have it all, im a single mum raising my 2 Children their fathers dont care about their existence, so i say to any parent going through this it will be hard and i know you can do it so be the parent your child needs
I never really understood this scene as a kid. All I knew was he made a dumb choice of taking a party way to far, but now looking at it again, Miranda finally realized all he wanted was to now change his life around.
I have been threw a simular situation with my ex friends children. While they aren't mine by birth they are by my heart. But my friend and I parted ways years ago and she took her children away from me. I know I have to move on but it's very hard.
30 years later, and the courts and divorce lawyers still take every penny of two well meaning but separating adults. From Mrs. Doubtfire to Marriage Story nothing has changed
He did. He did put pepper on Stu's food causing him to choke and he did con Miranda and the kids as Mrs. Doubtfire which he violated the court order for him to see the kids once a week and he threw fruit at Stu's head and he did put on the birthday party without Miranda's consent because Miranda forbade Chris to have a birthday party due to failing with his studies. Daniel did mean well as Mrs. Doubtfire and he only wanted to see his kids. His jealousy of Stu did bring out the worst in him and he did have too much to drink at the restaurant and he realized he went too far when Miranda pleaded with him to save Stu. "Oh! no! I killed the b******!". He did the right thing and saved Stu and did apologize.
Daniel Williamson Daniel is a good man. However, I can understand where the judge is coming from. On the contrary, Miranda, shouldn't have just allowed this and explained why he did what he did.
There was a deleted scene where Daniel attempted to apologize and explain himself to Miranda. However, she was so angered by what he done in conning her and told him to leave. Their last fight is what got Lydia, Chris and Natalie to finally stand up and tell both their parents off how they truly felt about it. That they hated both Daniel and Miranda for continuous fighting and putting the children in the middle of their dispute. He immediately understood how they felt, but it took her watching the judge give out his verdict against him for her to realize how much she played a huge role in the divorce. Miranda realized she was just as much to blame for the whole mess as Daniel
As a kid, you see the judge as an unreasonable jerk. As an adult, and probably someone in law, you start to realize that if you had to read all of what Daniel has done, you'd probably suggest psychological testing and treatment too. Like imagine if you replace Daniel with Jame Gumb (Buffalo Bill), and made him a dad who's stalking his wife and trying to dress as a woman to see his kids, despite having a restraining order on him. YOU'D PROBABLY GIVE A SIMILAR VERDICT.
God that lawyer is everything wrong with family court. She doesnt give two shits about whats best for her clients kids, all she wants is to stamp another "Win" in her folder, no matter who gets run over in the process
Her job was to get what her client asked for and she did. Why wouldn’t she be happy about that. It’s not her fault that her client jumped the gun when she asked for full custody. She’s a lawyer, not a therapist.
She was already remorseful for her behavior. Granted that she was angry at Daniel for masquerading around in women's clothing as Mrs. Doubtfire, but she realized that he didn't do this to embarrass her. He just wanted to remain a part of their children's lives and she appealed to the judge to overturn his decision. Miranda took responsibility for herself and apologized to Daniel for hurting him. With them having joint custody, he's allowed to spend time with his kids after school and which he wanted from the beginning of his divorce.
I hate judges.... they always fuck up when innocent people show passion, hell they just too focus on whos next and a big pay out and great life in their semi ivory tower.
I know we are all rooting for Daniel as the main character. But if this actually happened that judge would have been seen as very lenient. Everything he did was creepy as hell and would likely not only lose him custody but also have a restraining order placed against him. Thankfully this is just a light hearted comedy film and it didn't show the couple getting back together, which would have been very toxic.
The judge reminds me of that old chairman of the committee in bicentennial man also starring Robin Williams and also directed by Chris Columbus and that chairman denies Robin his rights on being a human when in fact he’s a robot. And says nothing more like this judge does in this film.
I'm just putting this here cause not enough children of divorce parents know this. If you are a child that has visitation say every week or every other weekend and you are not happy when you go go the home you are visiting, around the age of 13- it will depend on the state- you can stop going to that house. No one can force you and the court is on your side. Know your rights.
Hate the judge here.. but this is reality for many Dads and Robins words here echo and the fear many Dads live so deeply and why Dads can get sad or fear.
Hang out with a bunch fo criminals and its the worst crime since the holocaust but this is somehow ok. Even if the father is disabled. Makes me sick knowing what all the harassment I endured for 8 years was leading up to
@@melanieparker He didn't poison Stu, he snuck into the kitchen of Bridges Restaurant and put pepper in his jambalaya after Stu told the waiter that he was allergic to pepper.
Everyone be thinking the judge is unreasonable, but Robin Williams committed what was likely a bunch of crimes over the past two months. He secured a false identity to gain access to his ex-wife's home, violated the terms of the previous custody arrangement, stalked and harassed both his ex-wife and her new boyfriend,etc. The judge may have phrased his reasoning badly (i.e. ''unorthodox lifestyle''), but he'd be an idiot the grant this man joint custody of his children, even if he is being sincere.
How come the kids weren't there? Maybe Natalie might have been too young but Lydia and Chris were old enough to speak up; they should have been there to tell the judge how THEY feel. Why should some court judge rule what can and can't be done without taking into account input from the kids themselves?
It's a shame cos the children could had testified on Daniel's behalf. However, court rules may strict to only allow Daniel and Miranda at the court hearing.
The rule of US custody battle was to keep the children out of their parents' fight. Daniel and Miranda both had this problem because they kept putting Lydia, Chris and Natalie in the middle of their dispute with their constant fighting. The deleted scene reveals how bad their fighting truly is because neither could resolve their issues. Daniel went to visit Miranda to apologize for his behavior and let him explain himself. She was so angered that he conned her as her beloved housekeeper and ordered him to leave. During their last fight, Lydia, Chris and Natalie were fed up and told both parents off about how they truly felt. How they hated both parents for their continual fighting over their supposed loved for them, when it was their own egos they love more. Daniel immediately understood that the children were upset over the fighting, but it took Miranda watching the judge give out his verdict for her to realize how much they hated her too. When they couldn't resolve their issues peacefully which is this case, the court has to be the middle party to judge base on professional opinions and the well being of the children's future. Even though two of the children were old enough to plead their case in regards to Daniel, the judge refused to subject Chris, Lydia and Natalie further in his and Miranda's dispute.
@@ladyfire44 I know. The judge could have met with the kids privately in his chamber. This way the kids wouldn’t have been in court at the same time as their parents but the judge could have made his decision with much more information and perhaps in a much more fair and amicable fashion
Even tho Daniel was sort of irresponsible, the judge was dead ass wrong for giving Daniel that harsh sentence and Miranda, even she was no better, could tell that was harsh.
Daniel might have felt he done the right thing, but the law is the law, and he violated the terms. He's lucky he wasn't thrown in jail for contempt here. But at the same time Miranda was such a vindictive bitch and a non-caring mother that I feel as though the courts were wrong in their decision, but unfortunately the courts don't care about the caring level of parents, only the monetary status. Miranda was seen as being more financially stable and was able to win near full custody because Daniel couldn't keep his emotions in check.
I know its emotional and the music makes the mood intense. But in reality what he did by lying and being deceitful in order to get close to his children is extremely troubling. Imagine if you were her what would you think.
This judge is an arse-hat. this movie makes the wife out to be very harsh. How can anyone subject a father of this caring nature to this kind of treatment. Also how can the judge tell from that point if Mr.Hillard was acting or not. You can't 'judge' someone like that, you need to look at facts and evidence. Plot's like this annoy me where the good guy still gets frowned upon. Still love the movie in all it's glory, it was just this bit got to me
The fact he even worked hard to get to see his kids proves he's a good father. He might have been a Lil weird in seeing his kids meaning he shouldn't have fooled people with his old lady thing but he only did it to see his kids cuz his ex wife is a bitch who refused to hear him out. A child needs BOTH their parents no matter what circumstances there are. And there are some situations where the father doesn't love his main kid and only loves the youngest ones who don't see his real self. But in this movie, she went too far. He went too far. The kids are the only one losing here. She only cares about herself and that new bf she gets. And he tries too hard to get to see the kids he also helped create. If she just sat back and let him in, he wouldn't have done all the things he did. Just cuz they got divorced doesn't give her ANY right to act like she's the only one who can see the kids. She should've changed things too. Not just him.
![Megan Thee Stallion - Neva Play (feat. RM) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TpYTyAaTRts/mqdefault.jpg)
Even Miranda realized it was way too harsh. He loved his kids so much. He was desperate to be with them.
And she was angry, but damn this hurt
She was so self righteous throughout, but how she handled the ending and showing she’d change redeemed her.
Yep, her face was telling. She knew he was genuine and not acting. Also, love your Bucky account picture by the way.
Didn't stop her from basically lying about her husband's mental state and capacity and hurting her kids in the bargain.
Sometimes, being angry isn't a good enough reason.
Miranda definitely reacted out of anger at the time but you can tell that she immediately regretted her actions afterwards.
“Oh, God. No sir, please.” Every single freakin’ time just destroys me 😭😭😭
To be fair the judge is not wrong in his decision.
Miranda was a despicable character
@@stefanbernhard2710 Daniel was a sick man who should never come near children.
@@stefanbernhard2710 ...And Daniel is a sick psychopath.
Daniel thought his cheap theatrics would work on the judge. Bummer.
A good parent would do anything for their children and Daniel did exactly that. He loved his children and sacrificed himself just to be with them and see them happy.
But he also went about it the wrong way. Daniel violated a court order that only allowed him the weekends to see his children by masquerading around town as a 60-year-old Scottish nanny and lied to Mrs. Sellner when she first visited him. Had the judge found out that he conned Miranda and unintentionally attempted to murder Stu by sneaking in cayenne peppers(which he was allergic to), Daniel would've been facing life in prison with no chance of parole and banned from seeing his children for the rest of his life.
The right thing Daniel should've done was wait until a month passes before he and Miranda both were called back in court for the judge to decide joint custody or not. During that time, he could've asked Lundy if he could help him get a better lawyer to help argue his case and present evidence of his following of the judge's court orders. Daniel could've gotten joint custody of the children legally.
@@ladyfire44 always remember what is legal isnt always right same as something illegal
@@capnjackgallows3204 Very true. The legal system is very messed up in that way. Laws meant to protect people can destroy lives unjust-fully. In this case though, based on the judge's knowledge I think he made the right decision. Instead of doing the adult thing of appealing, Daniel faked his identity to get closer to his children. Though his intentions were pure, he broke many laws in the process and it could have ended up much worse. I mean if his intentions weren't pure, his kids could have been dead. He also almost (while accidentally) killed a man out of jealousy and in the eyes of the law assaulted him too. Plus with his history in the acting business it wouldn't be far fetched to think that he's lying after all his stunts. Plus look at what he did before the divorce, bring animals into a closed space to entertain children. No matter how domesticated, that could have been a seriously dangerous situation that ended up with kids injured or dying. Honestly I'm surprised he isn't in jail. The judge only saw his immature stunts that if continued would only affect the kids, he wasn't shown that daniel who grew up and only had good intentions.
A "good parent" wouldn't have qyit his job on a whim. He could've avoided all this
I think Miranda finally realized that after hearing Daniel’s testimony and felt genuinely bad about taking his kids away from him because she acted out of anger towards him. The reason why she wanted to make things right by the end of the movie.
The sad irony is that Daniel went to such great extremes just to spend more time with his children while Miranda is so engrossed in her career and boyfriend that she hires a nanny to be the parent she can't be. Yet SHE gets custody. Daniel puts his children first no matter what while there is literally not one scene where Miranda spends any quality time with them.
did you realise, this is a movie, reality is quite different…
@@sylkebambilke1364 Well maybe in whatever country you're from where they spell realize with an "s" but in the good ol' USA this is the reality! Feminism has gone off the wall and our society now has a strange obsession with trashing or belittling ALL fathers. Forget the men who straight up walk out on their kids. Even being there for them and giving them more love and attention than the mother isn't enough to win in court. I guarantee those kids would've been happier in their father's dumpy apartment than in Miranda's perfectly-decorated Pacific Heights victorian because at least they'd be noticed.
@@SomethingSomethingg I’m a 25 year old mother and I liked your original comment, I’m sure maybe half of the likes could also be from other women too. I also don’t agree when the system lets women stop their children from seeing’s a father who is actually decent and truly loves them.
I hope in those cases that the father will find a way to win back his rights. I think if you really love your children you must let go of ego and must try to be as civil as possible with the mother and not be violent or threatening on her as that’s going to be counterproductive.
I think how Daniel handled everything was all pretty reasonable, I’m glad Miranda saw through and let him be with his kids.
Always the states favoring the “mother”🙄
@@sylkebambilke1364 No it’s not. It is statistically proven that when it comes to custody in court, women almost invariably get their way.
I’m not a lawyer and my parents never divorced, but wouldn’t there also be a need to interview the kids to determine an appropriate course of action? Two of the kids are mature enough to be able to make a sound argument and while crossdressing and impersonating someone is “unorthodox”, it is also unorthodox to strip away a father’s right to see his children when no harm ever came to them.
@I'm a misanthropist and in some cases until the matter is resolved it is advised that neither parent should start dating other people. Danial didn't date other people but his ex did.
Family courts in the United States do what they can to keep the children out of the middle of a divorce as much as possible. Children don't get to decide where or how they're raised. The parents are supposed to make those choices. If they can't, a judge does. In my state, if the parents fight too much, they're put into case management where a neutral party acts as a go between. If the parents can't compromise, the neutral party makes the decision.
In this case, Daniel really should have hired a new lawyer. That lawyer would have known how to present evidence showing that his behavior wasn't the acts of a man with psychological problems but a man doing everything he could to be with his children. He could have shown how he's improved as a father (helping the son raise his failing grades is huge). Instead, he just gave his closing speech. I'm sure Miranda's lawyer presented evidence showing that he tricked everyone, lied to Miranda, put the kids in the middle and put pepper into her new boyfriend's food which could have killed him. The judge is going to take all those things into account.
This is the part where Miranda should have spoken up in Daniel's defense. Casting Sally Field to play Miranda was brilliant. You can see her emotional turmoil here. She knows the judge is wrong but she's still too hurt, angry and humiliated to do the right thing. She later corrects her mistake to the benefit of the entire family. They learn how to coparent.
@@Padmepotter4986 oh I’m not saying that children get to decide. They’re underage and whatever the court rules is binding. However, the judge tells Daniel that he believes his plea was nothing more than an act. Well, if he doesn’t believe him, why not ask the children how they feel about it? How his behavior never put them in harm’s way (and if anything, helped them be better)? How about asking Miranda if it’s true that during his time as Mrs Doubtfire the children were ever harmed/depressed?
It’s heartening to see Miranda slowly realize that Daniel might have been a terrible husband but that what he did he did for his love of his children and that he was never a bad, neglectful father figure.
I just think a judge should have also taken their point of view into consideration as well. He said Daniel’s behavior was unorthodox, but by removing Daniel he’s creating another problem for them (Miranda won’t care; she’s too consumed with work, but the kids will). Even with a supervised visit (limited in time and place), it means they can never enjoy a genuine interaction, for there will always be someone watching.
No one ever asks the kids
That's how family divorce laws work in the US. They keep the children out of the custody battle because they underage and aren't capable of making sound decisions. I may not come from divorced parents, but my friends have and they know the experience that comes from it.
The way he says "supervised sir" is heart breaking
I’ve always gotten choked up when he says that. It’s said with such pain and disbelief. Robin was such a treasure.🥺
As a kid, this movie was funny and enjoyable. As a parent now, this scene breaks my heart into pieces. I don’t know what I would do if someone took my kids away from me.
My ex took mine. Haven’t seen or spoken to them in going on seven years now.
@@phillipff9923 that's terrible, I'm so sorry to hear that.
Who asked 🙄
@@art23428 who asked you?
This is one of the few movies that actually seems realistic in this scenario, I mean think about it, a dad dresses up as an old woman and lying to everybody even his own wife, manipulating her and all that just to be with his kids because he was a bad father, seems like insanity, it would be stupid to think that the judge said "Your little speech seemed heartfelt and genuine, I allow you to have custody over your children."
He was still denied joint custody by the judge. He calls Daniel out for violating a court order which only allows him the weekends to see his children by masquerading around town as a 60-year-old Scottish nanny and lying to Mrs. Sellner about him living with his sister. If the judge found out that he conned Miranda and unintentionally attempted to kill Stu by putting cayenne peppers in his jambalaya, Daniel could've been incarcerated for his actions and be banned from seeing his children for the rest of his life.
He wasn't a bad father. Definitely a bad husband, but not a bad father.
It's a batshit decision. He dressed up as a woman cause he loves his kids. And now he can't see them because of this backwards ass judge and Karen mother.
You seem to forget that Daniel was a terrible father himself in the early part of the film. He never kept a steady job, didn't clean house, spoiled his kids rotten and overrode Miranda's punishment for them. Daniel basically left her in that role of strict parent because he wanted to be a fun dad and this caused a strain in their marriage. She felt like she was dealing with 4 kids instead of three. When Miranda comes home from a long day at work, she wants to come home to a clean house, dinner made, the children having done their homework and well behaved. Instead, she comes home to a dirty house, the children misbehaving themselves and Daniel not doing what he's supposed to do. What threw Miranda over the edge, was when she found out from Gloria that he violated her latest punishment for Chris by throwing him a birthday party and which Lydia warned against. During a deleted scene, Miranda revealed that he was grounded because he was flunking 3 of his classes and until he brought those grades up, there was going to be no birthday party for him. This wasn't something that should've been rewarded. Daniel should've known better because as a parent: he was supposed to help her enforce the punishment, not argue against it and accuse her of always ruining fun activities for the kids.
There was a deleted scene where Miranda was able to have a chance to bond with her children on a family fun day and be a fun mom. It showed that the reason she wasn't able to do all of this was because of having to juggle between running her successful interior designing company, disciplining her kids and dealing with Daniel's immaturity in refusing to be a responsible parent.
Once he started taking on the job as Mrs. Doubtfire, Daniel really saw life as Miranda in how messy the house is and the children misbehaved themselves. Once he started accepting responsibility for himself, he was to discipline them by making them clean house until they agreed to do their homework. Daniel was able to find balance between being a fun-loving dad and a responsible parent through Mrs. Doubtfire. In turn, Miranda was able to relax and be a fun mom to the children.
At the same time, he should've known better and waited until the month passed by before the judge called him and Miranda back to the court room. Daniel could've used that opportunity to ask Lundy for suggestions on a better lawyer to help him out and present evidence of his following the court orders. He could've gotten joint custody with Miranda sooner.
@@ladyfire44 Correct. He also vandalized Stu’s car and hit Stu with fruit, and he may have violated additional laws by going into the ladies room. This was in addition to committing fraud to gain employment as Miranda’s housekeeper, including messing with the ad that she put in the newspaper (although I always wondered why Miranda never bothered to check the paper to see that the number was incorrect-maybe that would have clued her in that Mrs Doubtfire was a fraud). I wonder if he claimed this job on his taxes! In reality, he would be in jail.
Under the circumstances, I’d say the judge was very generous.
I agree with the judge. This was a terrific performance by a very gifted actor. RIP Robin Williams.
I see what you're saying. However, I don't think that's what the judge meant.
@@CROSSTATT Oh, I know.
The actress they got to play Miranda's attorney knows how to do the death stare perfectly
I know right? That snarky stare, like wtf man, give this poor harmless father a break of just wanting to see his kids.
Seriously, what was going on in that judges head? What would any parent *act* like they wanted to see their children if that wasn't the case? What would he get out of it if he didn't genuinely love them?
He was just doing his job, but because Daniel was disguised as a woman in order to spend more time with his children despite being told that he was only allowed to visit his children every Saturday, the judge had a right to limit Daniel's visitation rights as Daniel had been breaking the law by disobeying the custody rules. Daniel was also taking money from Miranda, during his time as Mrs Doubtfire, so he might also be paying Miranda back. It's like a parent being put under a restraining order, preventing them from making contact with their children.
@@frankiselby1234 The judge absolutely did the right thing here. This is a man who defrauded his ex-wife to get around the custody agreement and nearly killed the man she was dating by poisoning his food. He is not a stable parent, and there is a very real danger he could take his children and flee. At the very least he's creating a very confusing narrative for his children, teaching them if you don't like how things played out, you put on a costume and con your way until you get what you want. Frankly he's lucky he didn't end up facing criminal charges and his ex-wife was willing to work with him on custody despite all the crap he pulled.
I think had the judge taken those two things into account, Daniel could've been imprisoned for the rest of his life with no chance of parole and permanently banned from seeing his children.
The smart decision he should've made was to wait a month before the judge called both parents to court. Daniel could've asked Lundy to help him get a better lawyer who can argue his case and present evidence that he had followed the court orders. He could've gotten joint custody of the children with Miranda legally without having done what he did earlier.
80s 90s. Were a different time.
@@ladyfire44 in the case of divorce the wife tend to be the one in favor over the husband even if the husband has the financial stability and house if lucky to keep.
Around the time Mrs. Doubtfire was released, I was 15 years old and my parents had just finished a horrific divorce process, which I was very sour about... so, the serious subject matter of this movie clicked with me from the beginning... but now, as a father-to-be myself, it is when this scene really turns out to be heartbreaking... separating a loving parent from their children, out of a selfish excuse for it, is the worst the other part can do, and I endured a great deal of manipulation and hearing the worst choices of words, back then, in that sense...
I was only 6 months old my father walked out on my mom and older brother
Love how Miranda’s attorney kind of looked down on Daniel but when he made his statement she actually softened up a bit
That was Miranda who softened up. Her lawyer still thought Daniel needed to be away from the children.
ladyfire44 yeah but you can see in her face she does feel a bit sorry for him
@@louischiappani5422 she grins when the judge says supervised and that's after his speech
@@doctorfeinstone6524 yeah she does because she's still glad they won but she also still feels it's from the heart and he isn't just saying it unlike the judge.
Keep in mind this happens to fathers in courtrooms everyday and it is no comedy.
Absolutely! & it is tragically one of the most significant reason men make up 2 out of 3 of all suicide rates. In divorce/family court men are quite often treated like second class citizens, & the courts heavily favour the woman. & it is funny how we never hear feminists complain about this inequality.
But never to mothers. This shit makes me not want to have kids
@@jeremyweekes2126 That’s because most modern day feminism isn’t about true equality. It’s misandry just masquerading as equality.
Came here to comment the same but you were ahead of me.
@@jeremyweekes2126 it is BECAUSE of the patriarchy, you total fool
jesus that judge changed his tune if he's like this with divorce court i hate to think what he's like with criminal trials
You have to understand that he had to judge based on his professional opinions and not personal bias. Daniel's mental stability was in question because he had violated a court order which only allowed him the weekends to see his children by parading around in women's clothing as a 60-year-old Scottish nanny and plus, he lied to Mrs. Sellner about him living with his sister which Miranda exposed.
Had the judge found out that Daniel nearly and unintentionally attempted to kill Stu by putting cayenne peppers(which he is allergic to) and conned Miranda, he could've been imprisoned for the rest of his life and have no chance of seeing his children again.
PLEASE don't use the precious, Holy name of the Lord in vain.
@@stevenscottoddballz lol
Daniel's actions as Mrs. Doubtfire and violating the court order to see his kids once a week by disguising himself as Mrs. Doubtfire was questionable and brought Daniel's mental health into question.
Ok ! Wow ! You can tell Miranda feels bad for Daniel !!
She realized that things got too far with everything and accepted the role she played in all of this. While Daniel was an irresponsible parent who was used to being a fun dad, Miranda was also a horrible parent herself in being too strict with her kids. It was through Mrs. Doubtfire that he found balance between being a fun-loving dad and being a strict parent. Miranda also learned that she doesn't have to take life seriously and she can be a fun mom once in a while.
I like that they didn't make her the all out bad guy in this. She wants what's best for her children but for a while didn't realize what exactly that would mean. In the end it just turned out they were both better parents apart than they were together.
@@ladyfire44 I agree. There's a deleted scene that shows Miranda having much more fun with the kids once Daniel (ie Mrs Doubtfire) steps up and starts doing his share that he should have been doing all along. I wish they had kept it in because it's important in showing that Miranda wasn't just strict and miserable for the sake of it, she was suffering because Daniel was not helping her as a parent previously.
@@Jennyfisch Yes, one of the few kids movies that really doesn't patronize the audience. Everybody is a little bit to blame, but nobody is "the bad guy". And the fact that Daniel and Miranda don't get back together in the end (although I'm sure some Hollywood execs pushed for it). It took courage to portray a family getting divorced as a "happy ending" back in those days but it was so, so important.
Well, and if you watched the movie, she want to the court and changed the orders.
“Supervised sir?” God that man could act. There’s no reason this movie had to be this heartbreaking in this scene lol
As an adult, I can actually see why what Daniel did might be seen as a little crazy, manipulative, and in some ways, possessive:
1. Changes the numbers on Miranda's form so no one would call.
2. Instead of doing what he needed to do to get himself on solid ground for his kids, wastes time calling Miranda's number posing as various horrible nannies.
3. Goes through the elaborate process of putting on an old British lady disguise. He's with the kids, but now he knows all of Miranda's business as well.
4. Tries to make Miranda wear the dress she wore to her aunt's funeral in the seventies so she won't look too sexy for Stu.
5. Got his kids in on this entire act. I actually don't know if Miranda ever found this out, but if she did she and the courts would see this as a problem.
6. hears the guy dating his ex wife is allergic to pepper. Decides to add it to Stu's dish NOT KNOWING if it just gives Stu an itchy throat or if it could send him into anaphylaxis and KILL him.
WE as the audience know everything Daniel did he did out of love for his children, but if you heard about all of that on the news that would be a bonkers story!😄
Yeah I agree, as much as I love this film, Daniel doesn’t strike me as a very nice guy
Fraser Gibson I wouldn't say that Daniel isn't nice, he just needs some maturation. Sure, he loves his children, but I would say that he went pretty extreme for them. Had Miranda allowed him to see the children on his own from the start, I don't think that we would've had the same movie.
#4 is standard all’s fair in love and war
No with the pepper, Daniel did know, as he heard Stu at the table be very clear with the waiter that he wanted no pepper due to his allergies. It wasn't like he did it by accident. And maybe it's just me, but putting pepper in someone's food is the equivalent of putting peanuts in someone's dish. I don't joke around with that, as I hate to think that someone will die.
Daniel clearly wanted to make Stu suffer, but his face probably screamed second thoughts as he realized that he almost commit a murder here.
“Seemed?” What about this “seemed” heartfelt and genuine? This was very genuine and heartfelt! It’s crazy how when you’re older, certain lines from certain movies hit much differently. He was not at all acting saying all of this; well, he was, but no so! Wow! “It’s like telling me I can’t have air; the moment I held them, I was hooked.” That part…! 🥺🥺🥺
Exactly how did he not see that ?
Good judges rule on facts and evidence, not feelings. While we as the audience know he is heartfelt and genuine, he doesn't. He sees his manipulation and deceptive practices and thus places judgment on him to protect the children from that exposure. It's sad, but a very realistic ruling in my opinion.
R.I.P. Robin Williams . One of the most iconic comedic actors of our time . This scene makes me cry so hard
Thank God I found a good quality of this video clip! I saw this movie for the first time about a month ago and it was the first time in a long time a movie actually made me tear up I love Robin Williams and knowing that he passed away made it a lot more sadder purchased how brilliant of an actor he was especially in this scene so touching and so moving gone but not forgotten!
Such a emotional scene.Not all men plead for their child custody.
It hurts to say but the Judge made the right call, IRL this kind of stuff would have landed Mr. Hillard in jail. Evaluations and supervised visits for a year is a pretty good deal all things considered.
It’s a legal proviso, it’s all it is...
@@jcmat9917 perhaps but my thing is we're shown things through the perspective of Mr Hillard. You got to look at it through the eyes of the judge. He lied to a social worker, poisoned his ex-wife's boyfriend, and dressed up as an old lady in an attempt to fool his wife into giving him access to the kids. This is one movie that I love dearly because if look at it through the perspective of different characters it becomes a different kind of movie.
@@trollthorn145
Again... a legal proviso...
Yep. It's a great film, one of my favourites, but in the real world he was deceitful, mentally and emotionally manipulative and showed mental instabilities.
@@terriberri87 exactly.
“Fathers are not second class parents.” - Judge Judy.
I wish that every father was like this.
Daniel was a good dad, but the wrong man for Miranda.
Most of them are. More casual sexist bs that women get away with.
you mean an irresponsible lunatic who goes on self-destructive activities
All the judge seen from Daniel's plea is a gifted actor, but not a father that wants to be with his children. And it's sad that so many good fathers have gone through this issue with child custody cases.
He had to judge based on facts and his professional opinion, not out of personal emotions. The judge has to take into account that Daniel violated a court order which only allowed him the weekends to see his children by masquerading around town in women's clothing as a 60-year-old Scottish nanny, lied to Mrs. Sellner about him living with his sister and his mental stability was in question.
Had the judge found out that he conned Miranda, attacked Stu with an orange and unintentionally attempted to murder him by putting cayenne peppers into his jambalaya which he's allergic to, Daniel could've faced jail time for his actions and never be allowed to see his children again.
ladyfire44 I understand how Daniel felt. However, it's the judge's decision to decide what is best for the children. So, I can see where the latter is coming from.
Bad husband, great father. Don’t punish him as a father.
How was he a bad husband? Was he dating somebody before they got divorced?
gawainethefirst No, but he did go behind Miranda's back and throw their son, Chris a birthday party. So, yes, if one person says no, you don't go behind his/her back and do it anyway. However, yes, Miranda is at fault for the divorce as well. Possibly, even more so than Daniel.
No. However, Daniel was known to be very irresponsible in his parenting and he never took anything serious. He never kept a steady job due to his history of quitting, never cleaned house, spoiled his children rotten and overrode Miranda's punishments on them. Daniel basically left the strict parent role on her and she felt like she was dealing with 4 kids instead of three. What drove Miranda over the edge was when she found out from Gloria that he threw Chris a birthday party against her wishes and of which Lydia warned against. In a deleted scene, Daniel was accusing her of ruining everything for him and being a nosy neighbor. Miranda had enough and pointed out that she grounded Chris because of his report card and he was flunking 3 of his classes. She told him that unless he brought those grades up, there will be no birthday party for him. Miranda mentions that it wasn't something Daniel should've known better and not rewarded. After all the stress he put her through, she decided to divorce him.
It wasn't until Daniel took on the secret housekeeping job as Mrs. Doubtfire, that he had to face up to his neglected responsibility as a parent. He saw first hand what life is really like as Miranda in dealing with a dirty home, his irresponsibility and disrespectful children. In that moment, Daniel realized that he was at fault for how he behaved that cost him both his marriage and his family. Once he accepted responsibility for himself, he was able to discipline his children by taking away their TV privileges and making them clean up the house until they did their homework like they were told. It was through Mrs. Doubtfire that Daniel learned to balance between being a fun dad and a responsible parent.
This helped Miranda to relax and spend time with her kids in a way she never could have. She was able to be a fun mom to them. Miranda even explained the stress that she had been under from Daniel's immaturity to Mrs. Doubtfire and he realized how much he's hurt her in the end.
@@CROSSTATT I would say she's less at fault. The only thing she did was not communicate their issues with him properly earlier on. The party wasn't the reason they got divorced, it was the last straw on a long list of Daniel sabotaging her. Parents are supposed work together to discipline their kids as well as reward them. Daniel only focused on being the "fun" parent instead of actually being a good dad or husband. He left Miranda with all the heavy duty of discipline and made her seem like the "bad guy". He only had good intentions but in the end he was being immature. He quit his job for a good reason but without the input of Miranda who he let be the only source of income for their family.
I hated Miranda here . All she she was doing was looking at Daniel and not saying a word . I’m glad it worked out in the end though . R.I.P. Robbin Williams you’re a comedic genius and an incredible actor and comedian
When she says "supervised sir" it gets me
Lotta people forget that Daniel was just not a great husband, he is a WONDERFUL father, but he lacked the stability and responsibility Miranda asked from him that she found with the step dad, who was a good man he wasn't like those abusive step parents that pop in like other movies that want to send the kids away to military camp or something, but he even says himself he's crazy for the kids and wants to provide that stability for them. Daniel learned to do what really is the bare minimum parents have to know like cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the home. He was a good father, just not a good husband.
Some Men are just better as a Father then a husband.
Too bad he's not good at either.
@@melanieparker No Daniel was a good father but he was too much of the fun dad.
Miranda's attorney looks like david hasselhoff in mrs doubtfire clothing
LOOOOOOOL 🤣😆
The heartbreak Daniel has at the end of this scene is so well acted. And I'm not just giving Robin Williams that credit because he is dead. I genuinely felt the character's pain at that moment.
He could play any kind of character and that's what made him so memorable. It wasn't just the comedy roles, he could also make you feel sad with scenes like this. He was truly gifted.
Robin Williams is an amazing actor but I don’t blame the judge. Every decent parent really loves their kids. But if you put his behavior under an object microscope, his character was not mentally stable. He was already prone to being incredibly unreliable, engaging in destructively manic behavior, which is why he and his wife split up to begin with. Loving your kids isn’t enough. You have to be a good parent and he wasn’t. The lengths to which he went to conceal his identity from his own children and ex-wife is not healthy. He could have waited and worked with a mediator with his ex wife, who proved many times she was reasonable and open to consideration with the right proof as you can see by the ending and how many chances she gave him over the years, but instead he spent probably hours every day dressing in an elaborate and uncomfortable costume and deceived everyone. Even going so far as to discourage her from pursuing new relationships. It was not mentally healthy. It was very toxic.
I agree. I mean it's a movie, a fun one to watch, the acting is perfect... but if something like this happens in reality, this would be very toxic.
First of all, when there is a divorce, there is a judgement for the custody. Whatever the decision of the court is, you are legally bind to follow those instructions, wether you like it or not.
Loving your children is something, but stating that you are addicted to them like you can't breathe if you're not with them is quite extreme.
Also, fooling people around by diguising yourself as an old woman for that reason, and sneaking into his ex wife's love interest : he had no right to do it.
That he doesn't like Stewart, every one can accept this, but he tried many times to sabotage this.
Also, don't forget that before Miranda found out, she PAID him for the nanny job.
So of course when you watch the movie, everyone is on Daniel's side because the movie brings a lot of emotion and humour to his character which make him attaching, but in reality? This would be a toxic, immature and irresponsible behavior.
Alternate take: As heartbreaking as this scene is, (Robin Williams truly was a phenomenal actor), it always strikes me that no one ever comments on the fact that he openly deceived his ex-wife, interfered with her relationship with a man who treated his kids well, tried to manipulate her into making decisions about ending said relationship, lied to his kids and then included them in the deception. All of this was after he initially showed himself to be a less than stellar co-parent who was frequently out of work and would trash the house in-between jobs while she was out supporting them. Obviously he got his act together and she recognized it, but geez, how is she the villain here?
What about till death does us part?
Even though I have parents who are still together and don't plan to get divorced any time soon. This hit hard, due to my parents being kind of strained with each other lately due to political differences and my mom being really stressed over other personal things, and well seeing this kind of hit me different.
That judge thought was a act? Daniel was very serious about being with his kids
The problem was as the judge mentioned, Daniel's mental stability was in question after all of this. He had to judge based on his professional opinion. Even though Daniel had followed the other court orders in getting a job at the studio, having his own income and a family friendly home, the judge reminded him that he violated a court order which only allowed him the weekends to see his children by masquerading around town as a 60-year-old Scottish nanny. On top of it, he lied to Mrs. Sellner about his family which got him into even worse trouble when Miranda told her the truth. To the judge, it warrants concerns in how traumatized the children will be later on with his behavior. Therefore, he orders Daniel to undergo psychiatric evaluations for a year and is only allowed supervised visitations on Saturdays. It means that Miranda will not only have full custody of the children, but also he will be assigned a social worker to make sure he's following the new court order.
While Miranda was angry over how Daniel tricked her, she realized that he didn't dress up as Mrs. Doubtfire to embarrass her. He just wanted to see the children and be a part of their lives. This is why Miranda appealed to the judge to overturn his decision and allow Daniel to have joint custody of her. She visited him later on at the studio and apologized for her earlier behavior, having realized the kids needs him in their lives and vice versa.
I feel sorry for Daniel. Even more so, his children. However, I can see where the judge is coming from.
As far as the judge was concerned, Daniel was mad and unfit to be a parent and his actions as Mrs. Doubtfire was nothing but an act and a scam and The Judge didn't see Daniel geniuely loves his children and he wasn't speaking as a actor, but a man with a heart.
Daniel Williamson That's how I see it, too. I'm glad that Miranda realized that the children needed Daniel and he needed them.
@@danielwilliamson6180 the judge is a dumbass
Sadly happens all the time. As fathers we are second class citizens and women aren't screaming for equal rights for us. We are cash cows nothing more. Even if we are thr better parent for the kids. Without a uterus we will never win.
You know this is the 80s/90s. Now in 2021 we have drug addicted parents who are practically dependent on the state that get the right to have joint custody of their children. Nuclear grade bonkers if you ask me!
Absolutely! It seems to always be the decent people who get the shaft while the despicable people keep getting chance after chance.
The show Family Ties back in the 80s had an episode where a frustrated dad said that even if his ex was a drug addict the courts would still give her custody.
Judges ruin more than they help
so true
The judge still had to do his job at the end of the day with his professional opinion. Not his personal one.
He was only doing his job? Where have I heard that excuse before. The courts in this situation are state sponsored abduction!
I agree, It fits with the ending of the movie as well. The parent's don't just get back together. The movie makes it clear that it's okay that they don't. Honestly it would have been well within the wifes rights to want Daniel locked up. They were all very lenient with his behaviour.
Miranda is Daniel's ex-wife. In the middle of the movie, he accepted that his marriage was over and he needed to get his life together. Daniel's jealousy towards Stu was mainly due to him seeing his own shortcomings. To him, Stu was the man that Miranda was looking for and he failed her altogether. As good of a father he was to the children, Daniel was also irresponsible with his life. He never kept a steady job, spoiled his kids rotten and was insistent on being the fun dad. Daniel basically left the role of strict parent on Miranda and that caused a serious rift between them during their 14 years of marriage.
Miranda was at that point feeling guilt over how she behaved in the end. As angered as she was for him masquerading around as a 60-year-old Scottish nanny, she also realized that Daniel didn't do anything wrong and just wanted to be in their children's lives.
The judge was right in stating that Robin IS a very gifted actor and he gave a terrific performance throughout the whole movie!! But the judge probably thought Daniel was putting on act while giving his little speech and not meaning what he said.....the judge knew Daniel was an actor....
I will never allow an outsider (judge) determine what is best for my family.
I am positive he/she would not want someone deciding their fate, either.
I have alot of respect for fathers like this who would go out their way to love and support their children, i know fathers who just dont care and yet they think they have it all, im a single mum raising my 2 Children their fathers dont care about their existence, so i say to any parent going through this it will be hard and i know you can do it so be the parent your child needs
How its painful
Cant stop my tears every time i watch
I never really understood this scene as a kid. All I knew was he made a dumb choice of taking a party way to far, but now looking at it again, Miranda finally realized all he wanted was to now change his life around.
I have been threw a simular situation with my ex friends children. While they aren't mine by birth they are by my heart. But my friend and I parted ways years ago and she took her children away from me. I know I have to move on but it's very hard.
30 years later, and the courts and divorce lawyers still take every penny of two well meaning but separating adults. From Mrs. Doubtfire to Marriage Story nothing has changed
LYDIA, CHRIS, AND NATALIE DISLIKED THIS CAUSE THEY KNEW THEIR FATHER DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG
He did. He did put pepper on Stu's food causing him to choke and he did con Miranda and the kids as Mrs. Doubtfire which he violated the court order for him to see the kids once a week and he threw fruit at Stu's head and he did put on the birthday party without Miranda's consent because Miranda forbade Chris to have a birthday party due to failing with his studies. Daniel did mean well as Mrs. Doubtfire and he only wanted to see his kids. His jealousy of Stu did bring out the worst in him and he did have too much to drink at the restaurant and he realized he went too far when Miranda pleaded with him to save Stu. "Oh! no! I killed the b******!". He did the right thing and saved Stu and did apologize.
Daniel Williamson Daniel is a good man. However, I can understand where the judge is coming from. On the contrary, Miranda, shouldn't have just allowed this and explained why he did what he did.
There was a deleted scene where Daniel attempted to apologize and explain himself to Miranda. However, she was so angered by what he done in conning her and told him to leave. Their last fight is what got Lydia, Chris and Natalie to finally stand up and tell both their parents off how they truly felt about it. That they hated both Daniel and Miranda for continuous fighting and putting the children in the middle of their dispute. He immediately understood how they felt, but it took her watching the judge give out his verdict against him for her to realize how much she played a huge role in the divorce. Miranda realized she was just as much to blame for the whole mess as Daniel
Well his Lawyer is Useless that's why he didn't stand up for him and that's why he didn't need a lawyer this time.
All he wanted was to be with his children... Such a pain to watch a dreadful turn of events....
As a kid, you see the judge as an unreasonable jerk.
As an adult, and probably someone in law, you start to realize that if you had to read all of what Daniel has done, you'd probably suggest psychological testing and treatment too. Like imagine if you replace Daniel with Jame Gumb (Buffalo Bill), and made him a dad who's stalking his wife and trying to dress as a woman to see his kids, despite having a restraining order on him. YOU'D PROBABLY GIVE A SIMILAR VERDICT.
If you look closely, you can see Gloria and Mrs. Sellner in the courtroom. 0:13
im crazy about my kids..........an unrelenting love of a father truly doing anything to be with his kids.
God, I 100% would've done the same thing in that judge's shoes, but fuuuuuck if this isn't heartbreaking
Still an underrated movie.
2:59 she is like "OMG what i have done" :(
Aunt May and the Genie is having Divorce Court Custody on who gets to handled the children
my parents are not divorced, but this entire thing is unfair.
God that lawyer is everything wrong with family court. She doesnt give two shits about whats best for her clients kids, all she wants is to stamp another "Win" in her folder, no matter who gets run over in the process
Her job was to get what her client asked for and she did. Why wouldn’t she be happy about that. It’s not her fault that her client jumped the gun when she asked for full custody. She’s a lawyer, not a therapist.
i really hated miranda here
She was already remorseful for her behavior. Granted that she was angry at Daniel for masquerading around in women's clothing as Mrs. Doubtfire, but she realized that he didn't do this to embarrass her. He just wanted to remain a part of their children's lives and she appealed to the judge to overturn his decision. Miranda took responsibility for herself and apologized to Daniel for hurting him. With them having joint custody, he's allowed to spend time with his kids after school and which he wanted from the beginning of his divorce.
@@ladyfire44 she could have spoken up and appealed the order. later in the movie she says 'she was angry'
WTF did she do?
I hate judges.... they always fuck up when innocent people show passion, hell they just too focus on whos next and a big pay out and great life in their semi ivory tower.
I know we are all rooting for Daniel as the main character. But if this actually happened that judge would have been seen as very lenient. Everything he did was creepy as hell and would likely not only lose him custody but also have a restraining order placed against him. Thankfully this is just a light hearted comedy film and it didn't show the couple getting back together, which would have been very toxic.
Pause at :23...Miranda's lawyer Ms Robeson gives Daniel an evil look like "your gonna lose your kids"....
The judge reminds me of that old chairman of the committee in bicentennial man also starring Robin Williams and also directed by Chris Columbus and that chairman denies Robin his rights on being a human when in fact he’s a robot. And says nothing more like this judge does in this film.
I'm just putting this here cause not enough children of divorce parents know this. If you are a child that has visitation say every week or every other weekend and you are not happy when you go go the home you are visiting, around the age of 13- it will depend on the state- you can stop going to that house. No one can force you and the court is on your side. Know your rights.
Don Rickles was brutal.
That's not Don Rickles, it's Scott Beach
@@AaronJrBrundidge Let me have my fun.
@@seanwebb605 fuck your fun lol
Hate the judge here.. but this is reality for many Dads and Robins words here echo and the fear many Dads live so deeply and why Dads can get sad or fear.
Hang out with a bunch fo criminals and its the worst crime since the holocaust but this is somehow ok. Even if the father is disabled. Makes me sick knowing what all the harassment I endured for 8 years was leading up to
This is why male suicide is so high in the US.
Now he can go back to neverland, again.
This courtroom is empty
😭 I’m not crying you are
Why men need to be careful before getting married. The court is rarely going to side with you.
That's was hurts
I wish they would get back together
What does the judge mean Daniel's behavior is potentially harmful? How is it harmful?
He deceived his ex wife by pretending to be someone that he wasn’t so he didn’t have to comply with a court order.
He did food poison stu.
@@melanieparker He didn't poison Stu, he snuck into the kitchen of Bridges Restaurant and put pepper in his jambalaya after Stu told the waiter that he was allergic to pepper.
Why didn't Daniel have a lawyer with him??? Not that guy at the 1st court hearing....but a better more pricy attorney?
Because he couldn’t afford a good lawyer, since he had no home or income at the beginning, but here he decided to act as his own attorney.
Was there a main reason Miranda ❤ felt bad for getting so mad 😡 at Daniel 😔 just wondering
Extremely sad 😢 scene 😔
Everyone be thinking the judge is unreasonable, but Robin Williams committed what was likely a bunch of crimes over the past two months. He secured a false identity to gain access to his ex-wife's home, violated the terms of the previous custody arrangement, stalked and harassed both his ex-wife and her new boyfriend,etc. The judge may have phrased his reasoning badly (i.e. ''unorthodox lifestyle''), but he'd be an idiot the grant this man joint custody of his children, even if he is being sincere.
How come the kids weren't there? Maybe Natalie might have been too young but Lydia and Chris were old enough to speak up; they should have been there to tell the judge how THEY feel. Why should some court judge rule what can and can't be done without taking into account input from the kids themselves?
It's a shame cos the children could had testified on Daniel's behalf. However, court rules may strict to only allow Daniel and Miranda at the court hearing.
The rule of US custody battle was to keep the children out of their parents' fight. Daniel and Miranda both had this problem because they kept putting Lydia, Chris and Natalie in the middle of their dispute with their constant fighting. The deleted scene reveals how bad their fighting truly is because neither could resolve their issues. Daniel went to visit Miranda to apologize for his behavior and let him explain himself. She was so angered that he conned her as her beloved housekeeper and ordered him to leave. During their last fight, Lydia, Chris and Natalie were fed up and told both parents off about how they truly felt. How they hated both parents for their continual fighting over their supposed loved for them, when it was their own egos they love more. Daniel immediately understood that the children were upset over the fighting, but it took Miranda watching the judge give out his verdict for her to realize how much they hated her too. When they couldn't resolve their issues peacefully which is this case, the court has to be the middle party to judge base on professional opinions and the well being of the children's future.
Even though two of the children were old enough to plead their case in regards to Daniel, the judge refused to subject Chris, Lydia and Natalie further in his and Miranda's dispute.
@@ladyfire44 I know. The judge could have met with the kids privately in his chamber. This way the kids wouldn’t have been in court at the same time as their parents but the judge could have made his decision with much more information and perhaps in a much more fair and amicable fashion
@@danielwilliamson6180 I know. The judge could have met with the kids privately in his chamber
@@RaySchwarz. True.
Never liked Miranda... 😡
WTD did she do?
I watched this as a kid, with a shit dad who earned decent money but drank and didn't care about me and I was jalous of this dad.
Semi off topic, but Mrs. Doubtfire was supposed to be 60? She looked way older!
F.... The system....
Honestly this gives him more time for Xbox now
Unorthodox yes. But he was inadvertendly being a parent
Even tho Daniel was sort of irresponsible, the judge was dead ass wrong for giving Daniel that harsh sentence and Miranda, even she was no better, could tell that was harsh.
made me cry
Daniel might have felt he done the right thing, but the law is the law, and he violated the terms. He's lucky he wasn't thrown in jail for contempt here. But at the same time Miranda was such a vindictive bitch and a non-caring mother that I feel as though the courts were wrong in their decision, but unfortunately the courts don't care about the caring level of parents, only the monetary status. Miranda was seen as being more financially stable and was able to win near full custody because Daniel couldn't keep his emotions in check.
Was there a main reason Miranda felt bad what she did to Daniel just asking
I felt soz for him he just wanted to see his children
Of course these Americans went to court
Just make new kids with someone else.
I know its emotional and the music makes the mood intense. But in reality what he did by lying and being deceitful in order to get close to his children is extremely troubling. Imagine if you were her what would you think.
This is how courts and judges do to men in the US
U.K. too
@@timriggins70 Australia too
This judge is an arse-hat. this movie makes the wife out to be very harsh. How can anyone subject a father of this caring nature to this kind of treatment.
Also how can the judge tell from that point if Mr.Hillard was acting or not. You can't 'judge' someone like that, you need to look at facts and evidence. Plot's like this annoy me where the good guy still gets frowned upon.
Still love the movie in all it's glory, it was just this bit got to me
The fact he even worked hard to get to see his kids proves he's a good father. He might have been a Lil weird in seeing his kids meaning he shouldn't have fooled people with his old lady thing but he only did it to see his kids cuz his ex wife is a bitch who refused to hear him out. A child needs BOTH their parents no matter what circumstances there are. And there are some situations where the father doesn't love his main kid and only loves the youngest ones who don't see his real self. But in this movie, she went too far. He went too far. The kids are the only one losing here. She only cares about herself and that new bf she gets. And he tries too hard to get to see the kids he also helped create. If she just sat back and let him in, he wouldn't have done all the things he did. Just cuz they got divorced doesn't give her ANY right to act like she's the only one who can see the kids. She should've changed things too. Not just him.
Never liked this movie, but man, was Williams a gifted actor!