The Birdcage

My mother loved this movie because of Williams. We would watch from time to time. She passed 5 yrs ago and I watched for first time since then. It's still funny and Nathan Lane is fantastic.

If it weren't for the fact this movie has as its world a gay nightclub and gay men, it could have starred Cary Grant and been one of those wacky comedies of the forties. This is absolutely a hoot. To start with, you have Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, two of the most amazing, on their feet comedians ever. Throw in the plot of "if we could pull this off for one night," and everything else is up for grabs. The dialogue is excellent with all its double entendres and dramatic irony. We have the Senator, thoroughly enjoying himself, without realizing he is flirting with a man, and everything else relating to that. Of course, there is constant backtracking and improvisation. You have to laugh.

Though nothing can beat "La Cage aux Folles," the film on which this American version is based, I still found "The Birdcage" delightful fun and hilarious at times, thanks to the comic geniuses of Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. Lane is the dramatic Albert, an over the top drag queen who has lived for years with Robin Williams, Armand, the owner of The Birdcage, where Albert performs. Armand once had a liaison with a woman, which produced a son, Val, who now wants to be married to the daughter of a conservative politician. In order for that to occur, Armand has to become butch, all gay art work, etc., needs to exit the apartment - and Albert must disappear for a few days.

Williams is hilarious - my two favorite scenes are his rehearsal with Albert and a young man appearing with him on stage, and the scene where he coaches Armand on being macho - priceless. Nathan Lane's shtick is familiar to me, as I've seen him in "The Producers" and "The Odd Couple" - he's a riot as the insecure, jealous, easily hurt Albert.

The role of Val is problematic, because how does one keep him from looking like a complete bastard as he shuts out Armand, who raised him. But Dan Futterman and Calista Flockhart as Barbara make a lovely young couple. Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest are very funny as Barbara's befuddled parents.

It's been a long time since I've seen the French "La Cage aux Folles," and I saw the musical on Broadway as well. The French is superior to any version. The musical is quite poignant and emphasizes its statement in the song, "I Am Who I Am." The joy of the French film is that the actors playing the lovers, Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault, play their roles very seriously, and the humor and poignancy come out of the situation and the outrageousness of the Armand character (Albin/Zaza in the French). In "The Birdcage," it's played for comedy all the way. That's okay. You'll still enjoy it. But see the original.

THE BIRDCAGE is the hysterically entertaining Americanized version of the French classic LA CAGE AUX FOLLES. In this version Robin Williams plays the gay owner of a Florida nightclub who learns his straight son (Dan Futterman) is coming home and is engaged to be married. Williams learns from his son that his fiancée's parents (Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest) are straight-laced and ultra-conservative and will not be comfortable meeting his gay father or his even more flamboyant lover (Nathan Lane) and suggests Williams send Lane out of town while Hackman and Wiest are in town. Instead, Lane puts on his best drag and meets the parents as Williams' wife in one of the most hilarious dinner party scenes ever filmed. This film is chock full of sparkling dialogue and sharp performances. I also found it rather refreshing to see Robin Williams playing straight man to Lane, who along with Hank Azaria as their housekeeper, practically steal the film from everyone else in one of the most entertaining comedies of the 90's. And the sight of Gene Hackman in drag is something everyone must experience.

What do you get when you get two comedy legends like Nathan Lane and the brilliant Robin Williams and tell them to be as camp and lovable as possible? This movie. It's heartwarming how much Albert (Nathan Lane) tries to make himself 'normal' for his stepson's girlfriend, just to finally see he is normal. He's a wonderful mother figure, and that's all that matters. It's a funny, smart and sweet story that's a good thing to watch whenever you just want to feel better.