Runtime: 125 minutes
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Starring: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Lisa Jakub, Matthew Lawrence, Maia Wilson
From: 20th Century Fox
As a result of Prime having a 4K stream of this that won't be free for me any longer in 2022, that is why I watched this for the first time in at least 25 years. The last time this was viewed, I was a kid so of course I was tickled pink by Robin Williams, who is indeed someone I still miss. Viewing this now, there are some flaws.
I mean, the entire premise is absurd, although it is easy to roll with and it's supposed to be silly instead of a scenario where you're supposed to ponder what impact this deception would have on his children. This is perhaps too long at a hair over two hours-and among other things, they shoehorned in some moments where Williams did his manic riffing even though it was not needed. Furthermore, I don't know if it was the intention to make Pierce Brosnan's character not that bad a guy... sure, he's a rich dude who drives a Mercedes but as he's someone who stated his intentions to finally settle down AND he likes all the children. His biggest “crime” is dating a divorced woman; Sally Field as the wife isn't always painted w/ the kindest strokes.
All that duly noted, this was still a pretty good time. Most importantly is that with the variety of humor on display, I laughed a decent amount, especially in the final act. The lead guy definitely is a flawed character (an immature guy who can't hold a steady job and is rather lax when it comes to raising the children; no wonder his successful businesswoman wife is upset) who does learn from his mistakes and even if the method is rather unorthodox, he learns important life lessons & skills which do make him a better parent. The award-winning makeup does help with the illusion yet to me the nicest aspect is that the real life drama of divorce and a fractured family is addressed. While my parents were married for 40 (!) years and I never had to deal with a divorce, many kids do have this experience and the way it was presented here was more “realistic” and difficult than what you get in Hollywood, as long as you ignore the whole cross-dressing angle.
This does not have as much nostalgic love w/ me as it has with many others; that said this was about as good as I remembered it from the halcyon days of my youth.
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