Alias Madame Doubtfire

''Madame Doubtfire'', known as ''Alias Madame Doubtfire'' in the United States, is a 1987 novel written by English author Anne Fine for teenage and young adult audiences. The novel is based on a family with divorced parents. Well received upon its publication in the UK, it was shortlisted for awards, including the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and Whitbread Children's Book Award.

In November 1993, six years following its publication, the novel was adapted into ''Mrs. Doubtfire'', a film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field.

Synopsis

Daniel and Miranda Hilliard are separated and Miranda, a successful businesswoman, severely limits the amount of time Daniel, a neurotic, out-of-work actor moonlighting as a nude model for an amateur art class, is allowed to spend time with their three children Lydia, Christopher and Natalie. She justifies her decision by telling Daniel that he is irresponsible, a bad father, and a poor role model.

When Miranda decides to hire a nanny, Daniel learns about it and uses his acting experience to pose as "Iphigenia Doubtfire", an elderly Scottish former housekeeper. Lydia and Natalie immediately know who Doubtfire really is, with Lydia explaining to Christopher, but Miranda is oblivious. Daniel uses his disguise to spend time with the children while trying to prove to himself that he can be a good parent. Though his cooking and cleaning skills are terrible, he proves to be an excellent gardener and a willing disciplinarian.

Daniel's art class needs to find a place to convene, and Miranda grudgingly offers the use of her home. After Miranda discovers Daniel's secret, they have a terrible argument in front of the children, culminating in the three kids announcing that they hate both of their parents. Realizing how bad things have gotten, Miranda finally resolves the situation by giving Daniel a steady job as her gardener so that he can continue to be around their children.

Awards and nominations

* 1987: Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (shortlist)“Awards and Honours”
Annefine.co.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2019
* 1987: Observer Teenage Fiction Prize (shortlist)
* 1987: Whitbread Children's Book Award (shortlist)

Film adaptation

The feature film adaptation was produced by 20th Century Fox (with a budget of $25 million) and was released on 24 November 1993. The adaptation was directed by Chris Columbus, and written by Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon. Robin Williams stars as the title character, and Sally Field plays his wife Miranda.

In the film, Daniel's disguise includes a prosthetic mask, which is so convincing that no one in his family recognizes him at first. Greg Cannom, Ve Neill, and Yolanda Toussieng received the Academy Award for Best Makeup for creating ''Mrs. Doubtfire''. Grossing $441.3 million worldwide, it became the second-highest-grossing film of 1993, behind only ''Jurassic Park.''

The film also served as the basis for the 1995 Filipino comedy-drama mockbuster ''Wanted: Perfect Father'' starring Dolphy, with some scenes directly lifted from ''Mrs. Doubtfire''.

Origin of the "Doubtfire" name

Author Anne Fine based the name of her novel on a 1970s-era second-hand store, "Madame Doubtfire", located at the corner of Howe Street and South East Circus Place in Edinburgh. The shop was owned by Annabella Coutts, who named her shop after her first husband, Arthur Cyril Doubtfire.

See also

* ''Avvai Shanmugi''
* ''Chachi 420''

References

{{Anne Fine
1987 British novels
1980s in comedy
Literary characters introduced in 1987
British comedy novels
British young adult novels
Comedy literature characters
Novels about actors
Cross-dressing in literature
British novels adapted into films
Comedy novels adapted into films
Costa Book Award–winning works
Novels by Anne Fine
Hamish Hamilton books