While ’90s classic Mrs Doubtfire is generally remembered as a wholesome childhood flick, it turns out that there is a version out there that’s a whole lot raunchier, although sadly for those who are curious, it seems this particular cut may never see the light of day.
Earlier this week, a tweet went viral, claiming that Robin Williams improvised so much when shooting Mrs Doubtfire that there exist multiple versions of the film, including some that would be classified as R and NC-17 in the United States.
While filming ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ (1993), Robin Williams improvised so much that there were PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 cuts of the film pic.twitter.com/vjYUCmyrj2
— Film Facts 🎬 (@Factsonfilm) March 18, 2021
Director Chris Columbus spoke to Entertainment Weekly to clear this up, and said it’s partly true. While there is no NC-17 version of the film (the toughest rating, not suitable for anyone under 17), there are several different versions, including an R-Rated one.
Per the US system, this rating means that a film contains “adult material” and that anyone under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
He explained that this came down to Robin Williams’ notoriously freewheeling improvised comedy style, saying that he and the actor had a deal wherein they’d do a few scripted takes, then he would “play”, doing anything up to two dozen improvised ones.
He said that the amount of improv did yield “three or four” versions of Mrs Doubtfire, some of them definitely not kid-friendly, but that these will never see the light of day. He added:
“I would be open to maybe doing a documentary about the making of the film, and enabling people to see certain scenes re-edited in an R-rated version. The problem is, I don’t recall most of it. I only know what’s in the movie at this point because it’s been a long time. But I do remember it was outrageously funny material.”
So there you have it. Columbus says he’d never do another cut of the movie as he believes the definitive one is already out there, so unless we get that documentary, this footage will stay in the vault.
