Roger Ebert gave the film two and a half stars, saying it is not as amusing as the premise and that there were long stretches when he had had quite enough of Mrs. Doubtfire.
Ebert said Tootsie grew out of real wit and insight while this film has the values and depth of a sitcom; the reading draws a 'Come on' reaction.

Casting What-Ifs

Tim Allen; Blake Lively

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:03:10Read transcript

Tim Allen, then perhaps the biggest TV star in the world, was offered both Mrs. Doubtfire/Daniel and the Pierce Brosnan role and rejected both.
Without Robin Williams's voices the tricky premise would not work; with Tim Allen audiences would say absolutely not.
Asked which Tim Allen casting would be worse, the Pierce Brosnan role is chosen, though the movie cannot work with him as Mrs. Doubtfire either.
Mara Wilson, who was in a Ringer Films documentary (transcribed 'ShowBiscuits'), won the little girl's role over Blake Lively; she is called electric, with the line reading of the decade.

Recasting Couch

No affirmative selection

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:07:59Read transcript

The Sally Field part is recast since the movie wasted her talents: someone 35 to 42 with 80s cachet, as with Terry Guard in Mr. Mom, maybe not a major star.
Kathleen Turner is floated and called not bad.
But the role is not wished on anyone liked, so it goes to a random person who needed the job.

Half-Assed Internet Research

2640 Steiner Street; Williams in costume around San Francisco; cut neighbor scenes; eight-piece makeup; real childhood nanny; 'dear' count; cast divorces; Lisa Jakub's expulsion

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:09:07Read transcript

The house is at 2640 Steiner Street; stories say Williams walked through San Francisco as Mrs. Doubtfire, including buying sex toys at a sex shop to see what he could get away with; 30 minutes of deleted scenes with the nosy neighbor were cut.
A prosthetic mask was a prop; the real makeup was eight separate pieces taking four to five hours; the character drew on Williams's real British childhood nanny, Lolly.
How many times the word deer (dear) is said in this movie: 29 times, 38 and 101 are offered.
Sally Field was going through a divorce while filming, and Williams later divorced his wife to marry the nanny.
Lisa Jacob, who played the oldest daughter, took five months off her Toronto school and was expelled; Williams wrote asking them to reverse it, and they framed the letter instead.

Picking Nits

Kitchen fight within the kids' earshot; no babysitting chance; no alias planned; Brosnan's character choosing a divorced mom; college breakup; her hair and clothes; kids watching Dick Van Dyke

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 01:14:36Read transcript

No divorcing parents would fight in the kitchen where the kids can overhear; you always go in the car.
She should have given the dad one more chance to babysit from three to seven before hiring the maid.
Daniel had no name planned when calling about the job and took Doubtfire from the newspaper; he could have come up with Evelyn.
Counter: Daniel is established as disorganized and not thinking ahead, though a more concrete strategy would help.
Would Brosnan's character really settle on a divorced mom with three kids? They are meant to have dated in college, with her dumping him, itself a nit; maybe he is putting away the bachelor lifestyle.
He probably realized over an expensive brown drink that he needed the one woman who loved him before he was rich and handsome.
Her hair and clothes are atrocious; the reply places the bob in early-90s working-woman style in line with the Nora F Ron and Nancy Myers yuppie look.
Kids watching Dick Van Dyke is implausible for a 14-year-old; pushback cites Nick at Night, where Mork & Mindy was seen, plus Green Acres and Mr. Ed.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Did she ever like Daniel?; Does she end up with Brosnan's character?; Was the pepper attack attempted murder?; Could you tamper with restaurant entrees?

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 01:18:18Read transcript

Did she ever like Daniel? Everything likable about him she hates; perhaps years of his job failures made her see him as a loser.
They are caught at the end of a relationship in which she could no longer count on him; her surprise at his clean apartment signals he was a disaster, yet the movie makes us root for him over her, like a Jedi mind trick.
He is meant to get his life together, learning homework, schedules, cleaning and parenting; they probably made sense as a couple in their 20s before kids.
Does she end up with Pierce Brosnan? It feels like four endings were filmed; why would they break up, unless he left after the shrimp-choking incident?
Was Mrs. Doubtfire's pepper attack attempted murder, and should she have gone to jail?
Could you waltz into a kitchen and tamper with the entrees? The kitchen seemed to have a different cook for each table.