MRS. DOUBTFIRE Director Chris Columbus Confirms There Is an R-Rated Cut of the Film
At the end of last week, a Tweet from @factsonfilm went viral that stated, “While filming 'Mrs. Doubtfire' (1993), Robin Williams improvised so much that there were PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 cuts of the film.” Entertainment Weekly reached out to the film’s director, Chris Columbus, who confirmed that there are three different versions of the film, including PG, PG-13, and R-Rated, but not an NC-17.
Columbus recalled:
"The reality is that there was a deal between Robin and myself, which was, he'll do one or two, three scripted takes. And then he would say, 'Then let me play.' And we would basically go on anywhere between 15 to 22 takes, I think 22 being the most I remember."
As a result, he says, Williams came up with new versions and new lines in every take. He went on to clarify:
"He would sometimes go into territory that wouldn't be appropriate for a PG-13 movie, but certainly appropriate and hilariously funny for an R-rated film. I only [previously] used the phrase NC-17 as a joke. There could be no NC-17 version of the movie."
When asked if he would consider releasing another cut of the film, Columbus said the best cut is the one we have out in the world now, but he would consider releasing a documentary that could share all the great footage he got of Williams. He said:
"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," Columbus says. "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."
That would be fun to watch! I love Mrs. Doubtfire, and it would be fun to see new footage of Williams going off the rails and improvising behind the scenes. Would you want to see a documentary from the making of Mrs. Doubtfire?
