• @kryptonianCodeMonkey
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    4 days ago

    Ok, so devil’s advocate here. What Robin’s character, Daniel, does in the movie is rash, immature and a bit creepy. But that is the point. He is rash and immature at the beginning of the film. It’s why they get divorced in the first place. He’s a manchild and would rather be the fun dad than a responsible dad and makes his wife have to compensate for him and be the full time disciplinarian, maid, and bread winner. What redeems him is the growth he shows by the end. In pretending to be Mrs. Doubtfire, he becomes a more mature, responsible adult. Not just with how he interacts with the kids, but also in caring for his apartment, doing a job even when it sucks, advancing his career, etc. Obviously he doesn’t mature to the point that he reveals his deceit and apologizes for it of his own volition. But he does end up in a place where he and Miranda can amicably co-parent even as they remain separated, which is a long way from where they started.

    And, in regard to the creepiness, let’s acknowledge that it could easily have been much worse. For example, he doesn’t creep on, hit on, or do anything sexually untoward to his ex-wife, Miranda, after their divorce, something I would not have been shocked to see in an early 90s comedy movie. I know that’s not a high bar, but let’s be real about the common brand of humor from films of the time. His primary crimes are, of course, misrepresentating/disguising his identity to fraudulently get a job nannying his kids, sabotaging Miranda’s ad in order to get that job, and being real low-key petty towards the new boyfriend and mildly tormenting him (the incident with the near chocking was not cool, but clearly accidental.) I personally don’t find those things, in the context of a comedy film, to be so heinous as to render the movie disgusting, appalling or without the ability to enjoy the humor. But that’s me. To each their own.

    • @[email protected]
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      84 days ago

      He does dose Stu’s food with cayenne knowing he has a pepper allergy. That’s straight up assault.

      • @kryptonianCodeMonkey
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        4 days ago

        Yeah, but he is also very drunk and uninhibited by that point because his boss keeps pushing scotches on him. He also goes to save his life without hesitation too. So not great, but again, could have been much worse.

        Edit: I just thought about it and, if I remember correctly, he is not present when Stu orders and says he’s very allergic. They decide to order while waiting for Mrs. Doubtfire who had been “in the bathroom” for a long time. So he didn’t know Stu was allergic. Daniel just hears the cook call out the “non-spicy” dish for their table in the kitchen and then adds cayenne to it to fuck with him. Petty for sure, but he didn’t intend to seriously hurt the guy.