Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, November 25, 1993                   TAG: 9311250118
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 6   EDITION: HOLIDAY 
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

'DOUBTFIRE' IS A HIT IN SPITE OF ITS FLAWS

First there's Robin Williams doing the machine-gun impersonations and character bits that were so effective in "Aladdin" and "Good Morning, Vietnam." Then there's the shamelessly emotional plot that conjures up memories of "Home Alone," "Tootsie" and "Kramer vs. Kramer." To finish, there's a supporting cast of adorable kids. Altogether, it's a potent mixture that's so effective viewers may not notice how manipulative it is.

Daniel Hillard (Williams) is a temperamental voice-over actor who has never really grown up. He walks away from well-paying jobs on a whim, and when it's time for a birthday party, he's the one who disrupts the whole neighborhood by importing a petting zoo for his kids Lydia (Lisa Jakub), Chris (Matthew Lawrence) and Natalie (Mara Wilson). His wife, Miranda (Sally Field), finally has had enough. Unable to put up with four children, she files for divorce.

Despite his immaturity, Daniel really is a loving father. When the judge says that he can have only one visit a week until he proves that he's a responsible adult, Daniel is crushed. It's more than he can bear. Then he learns that Miranda is in the market for a housekeeper to look after the kids after school.

Through his own abilities as a mimic and his brother's (Harvey Fierstein) talents as a make-up designer, Daniel transforms himself into Mrs. Doubtfire, the perfect nanny.

Also on hand to provide the necessary complications are Robert Prosky, as a TV-station owner who might give Daniel the break he needs, and Pierce Brosnan, as a wealthy old beau of Miranda's who's still carrying a torch.

Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon, who based their script on Anne Fine's novel, deserve credit for making the characters believable and flawed. They're really perceptive in their view of marital conflicts, making neither Daniel nor Miranda a villain. The children are accurately portrayed, too, though Mara Wilson is simply too cute for words, and a little of that is more than enough.

And cuteness is the film's main flaw. In his huge "Home Alone" hits, director Chris Columbus didn't exactly rein in the sappy side of the story. Here he lets it overpower everything else. Note Howard Shore's treacly score. Balanced against that sweetness, there is a strong vein of Robin Williams' vulgar, bawdy humor.

Finally, flaws and all, "Mrs. Doubtfire" is a real crowd-pleaser that's going to be extremely popular.

\ Mrs. Doubtfire: ***

A 20th Century Fox release playing at the Salem Valley 8 and Tanglewood Mall Theatre. 122 min. Rated PG-13 for rough language, sexual humor.