On Friday, director Chris Columbus revealed that a censored version of the beloved 1993 comedy “Mrs. Doubtfire ”exists – although there is no NC-17 cut of the film.
Confirmation came first from Weekly entertainment after a viral tweet that noticed Robin Williams, who played the namesake Euphegenia Doubtfire, improvised so much that there were PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 cuts from the film. The official film is classified as PG-13.
While filming ‘Mrs. Doubtfire ‘(1993), Robin Williams improvised so much that there were PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 cuts from the film pic.twitter.com/vjYUCmyrj2
– Film Facts 🎬 (@factsonfiIm) March 18, 2021
Columbus explained that the various cuts came as a result of Williams asking for “let me play” after doing some scripted shots. He then did 15 to 22 takes with his own improvised lines.
“He sometimes entered a territory that would not be appropriate for a PG-13 film, but certainly appropriate and hilarious for a censored film,” Columbus told Entertainment Weekly.
In addition to the fact that there is not really an NC-17 version, a full minor edition of “Mrs. Doubtfire ”will always be available. But that does not mean that the public may not receive more from Williams’ comic genius.
“I would be open to perhaps making a documentary about the production of the film, and allowing people to see certain scenes reissued in a censored version,” said Columbus.
HBO released a comprehensive documentary about the actor in 2018, several years after his death in August 2014. Unlike the cinematic portrait of “Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind”, Columbus’s possible documentary would address the importance of a single role . Columbus said it could include interviews with him, editor Raja Gosnell and producer Marsha Garces Williams.
“I think that would be the best approach. I am very proud of this film, ”he said.