This 'Mrs. Doubtfire' Scene Is Genius

I will never forget the first time I saw Robin Williams’ 1993 hit comedy Mrs. Doubtfire: Six-year-old me begged my parents to rent the PG-13 movie after my aunt let it slip that it wasn’t too risqué a flick. After we left my aunt's house, we stopped at the local video rental store, snatched up the movie, headed home, popped some Orville Redenbacher, and watched it as a family. And then, I watched it again. And again. And again. I was a girl obsessed. A lot of the humor went right over my French-braided head, but that didn’t matter. It was just about the funniest movie I’d ever seen. His fake boobs catch on fire! What a hoot!

Mrs. Doubtfire would go on to become my go-to "had a bad day at school"/"had stressful day at work"/"just need to have a good chuckle" flick. My movie version of a comfort blanket.

After I read about Williams' tragic passing Monday evening, I pulled up clips from Mrs. Doubtfire. Every time I caught myself laughing at one of Williams' wacky voices or a cake mask-wearing Daniel/Mrs. Doubtfire scaring the bajeezus out of the social worker, the waterworks would fire up. My movie comfort blanket was no match for the heartbreaking news that hovered over the day.

To pick a favorite scene from Mrs. Doubtfire is just about impossible, but Daniel's meeting with the social worker (Anne Haney) has always been in my top five. Watching it Monday evening, the scene reduced me to tears within moments, and the tears did not stop:

It’s been said before, and it’ll be said again, but damn if the world didn’t lose an incomparable gem.

Image: 20th Century Fox