# Mrs. Doubtfire - did Robin Williams commit a crime? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 12, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112 "2013-02-12T20:15:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/1 "2013-02-12T20:15:49Z")
I watched Mrs. Doubtfire again last night (you may now mock me for having thoroughly enjoyed it) and the following question came to me: After he is exposed, Robin Williams’ character doesn’t really suffer any consequences other than the family judge saying his lifestyle was “highly unorthodox”. Is this just Hollywood license, or did he really not break any laws in his performance as Mrs. Doubtfire? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/2 "2013-02-12T20:19:11Z")
Against whom would he have committed any crime? IIRC, most of the crimes I can think of would’ve been against his wife, and I doubt she’d be inclined to press charges, given her children, apparent personality, and events of the film. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/3 "2013-02-12T20:23:45Z")
If hammy acting is a crime, then Robin Williams is a recidivist. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/4 "2013-02-12T20:25:07Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Against whom would he have committed any crime? IIRC, most of the crimes I can think of would’ve been against his wife, and I doubt she’d be inclined to press charges, given her children, apparent personality, and events of the film. This was a woman who did her best to make sure her kids spent as little time with her father as possible. Not because he was evil but because he was immature. You’d think she’d try to throw the book at him and prevent him from ever seeing his kids again. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/5 "2013-02-12T20:25:39Z")
At the very least I would say fraud and possibly forgery. He presented himself as another person, and (unless his wife was employing him under the table (another crime), he filled out his W-4s as Mrs Doubtfire. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/6 "2013-02-12T20:27:50Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > This was a woman who did her best to make sure her kids spent as little time with her father as possible. Not because he was evil but because he was immature. You’d think she’d try to throw the book at him and prevent him from ever seeing his kids again. She did. The judge essentially banned him from seeing the kids again, and his ex-wife went along with it to punish him. It wasn’t till the very end of the movie that she “forgave” him and let him be the after school guardian again. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/7 "2013-02-12T20:39:05Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > This was a woman who did her best to make sure her kids spent as little time with her father as possible. Not because he was evil but because he was immature. You’d think she’d try to throw the book at him and prevent him from ever seeing his kids again. She also hired a nanny/housekeeper without bothering to do a background check, check references, or ask to see ID. She’s pretty far from mother-of-the-year material. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/8 "2013-02-12T20:51:40Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > She also hired a nanny/housekeeper without bothering to do a background check, check references, or ask to see ID. She’s pretty far from mother-of-the-year material. I’m willing to file that under “poetic license”. If she had done those things, there wouldn’t be a movie. I just have a hard time believing that there were no criminal laws broken. Pretending to be someone you’re not in order to gain access to someone else’s home (who specifically doesn’t want you there) seems… off somehow. BTW, has everybody seen the [alternative trailer](http://youtu.be/N3bgipCebuI) to Mrs. Doubtfire? It casts a different light on the events of the film… ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/9 "2013-02-12T20:57:08Z")
IANAL, but… “fraud” would imply that he dressed as a woman and gave a false identity for financial gain. Clearly this is not the case: he just wanted to see his kids everyday. Try to impanel a jury to convict him on _that._ That said, he _might_ get a indictment against him for (and this is stretching it) custodial interference, due to seeing his kids outside the court-established visitation orders. OTOH, it’s hard enough getting contempt orders enforced against deadbeat dads. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/10 "2013-02-12T20:58:33Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > If hammy acting is a crime, then Robin Williams is a recidivist. he does Jonathan Winters better than Jonathan Winters. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/11 "2013-02-12T20:59:22Z")
> [@Pitchmeister](#): > > I’m willing to file that under “poetic license”. If she had done those things, there wouldn’t be a movie. I just have a hard time believing that there were no criminal laws broken. Pretending to be someone you’re not in order to gain access to someone else’s home (who specifically doesn’t want you there) seems… off somehow. Off certainly, but I don’t see any reason it would be illegal, assuming you aren’t doing it to defraud someone. Merely lying isn’t illegal. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/12 "2013-02-12T21:20:19Z")
I don’t know if what Daniel did was illegal, but when the judge gave his ex full custody, that pretty much ripped Daniel’s heart out. God bless you always!!! Holly P.S. Yeah his ex isn’t much of a mother. A good mom would have tried to call the families that were written down on Mrs. Doubtfire’s resume and then would have realized that the woman was a hoax. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/13 "2013-02-12T21:31:43Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > IANAL, but… “fraud” would imply that he dressed as a woman and gave a false identity for financial gain. I don’t remember many details of the movie, but did he/she work for free? ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/14 "2013-02-12T21:40:41Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t remember many details of the movie, but did he/she work for free? He told the caseworker that he had two jobs: the film production company and “cleaning houses.” So it’s probably safe to assume that, no, he wasn’t working for free. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/15 "2013-02-12T21:49:39Z")
He did perform a drive-by fruiting. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/16 "2013-02-12T22:36:53Z")
Aside from his acute case of being Robin Williams, why did the ex-wife dislike him? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/17 "2013-02-12T22:51:38Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Aside from his acute case of being Robin Williams, why did the ex-wife dislike him? No specific cite (haven’t seen it since it came out), but the synopsis on IMDB indicates his wife thought he was too goofy and immature. In other words, he was Robin Williams, so you had it right the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/18 "2013-02-16T18:38:57Z")
I don’t think he committed any crime. As the saying goes: In a democracy, if it’s not illegal, it’s permitted. In a dictatorship, if it’s not illegal, it’s compulsory. > [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > If hammy acting is a crime, then Robin Williams is a recidivist. He’s certainly violated California’s eleven-strikes-and-you’re-out law. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/19 "2013-02-16T18:46:06Z")
> [@Pitchmeister](#): > > BTW, has everybody seen the [alternative trailer](http://youtu.be/N3bgipCebuI) to Mrs. Doubtfire? It casts a different light on the events of the film… Seems like that version should be a sequel to _One Hour Photo_… ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112/20 "2013-02-16T20:17:33Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > He did perform a drive-by fruiting. Technically, all he _performed_ was a regular fruiting. The accusation of a drive-by fruiting was just to deflect blame. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrs-doubtfire-did-robin-williams-commit-a-crime/650112.md?page=2)