MovieChat Forums > Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) Discussion > Stu - was he a bad guy?

Stu - was he a bad guy?

posted 12 years ago by elusivemolly
48 replies | jump to latest

I'm confused about Stu.

Obviously, because he was presented as the anti-Daniel, we're expected to hate this suave, handsome, charming man from the get go.

But at the pool, when Stu talks to that man by the bar about the kids... I was expecting him to go full out and say he was only buttering Miranda up. For what reason, I dont know.. the movie doesnt make it clear what Stu would be using Miranda for.

But Stu ends up saying how wonderful the kids are.

And there were no other instances in the movie where Stu was terrible to either Miranda or the kids. So what was he - a good guy or a bad guy??

[–] SisterSuzy101 (361) a year ago

No, Stu isn't a bad guy. Not even close. It is, however, somewhat understandable why Daniel feels resentful towards him - considering the circumstances (not that I condone vandalism, throwing fruit, deliberately spoiling food etc.)

Perhaps labelling Daniel a "loser" behind his back at the pool was a harsh and oversimplified description of him, and he would've been better off wording it like this:

-"What can I say? From how Miranda describes him, I'm sure he's a swell guy that means well, but he seems to have a hard time accepting that he's a man now. He spent too much time being his kids' slightly immature, excessively fun-loving, fair-weathered friend that feeds immature behaviour and attitudes while not realizing that his kids don't need him to be their friend. They need him to be their father. While a father should enjoy the company of his kids, to be sure, he also has to be mature enough to guide them into adulthood. Sadly, that's why their marriage fell apart. Miranda was tired of looking less like a mother and more like a warden in her own home due to her ex's behaviour and parenting methods. Wish the guy well, though. I hope he acts more mature the next time around."