The Birdcage

Plot synopsis:
Armand Goldman is the openly gay owner of a drag club in South Beach called The Birdcage; his partner Albert, an extremely effeminate and flamboyant man, plays "Starina," the star attraction of the club. They live together in an apartment above The Birdcage with Agador, their flamboyant Guatemalan housekeeper who dreams of being in Albert's drag show as well. One day, Armand's son Val (born after Armand had a one-night encounter with a woman named Katherine) comes home to visit and announces that he has secretly been seeing a young woman named Barbara, whom he intends to marry. Though initially unhappy with the secrecy, Armand is thrilled by the news, along with Albert, who cannot wait to celebrate the wedding. Unfortunately, the couple learns that Barbara's parents are the ultraconservative Republican Senator Kevin Keeley and his wife Louise. Keeley, who is a co-founder for a conservative group called the "Coalition for Moral Order"—a society developed on traditional views and moral codes—becomes embroiled in a political scandal when his co-founder and fellow Senator is found dead in the bed of an underage black prostitute. Louise and Barbara convince Senator Keeley that a visit to his daughter's fiancee's family would be the perfect way to stave off bad press, and plan to travel to South Beach as soon as possible.
Barbara shares news of her father's plan to Val; to cover the Goldmans' alternate lifestyle, she has told her parents that Armand is a straight man and cultural attaché to Greece. Armand dislikes the idea of deception, but agrees to play along, hiring contractors to redecorate the family's apartment to more closely resemble a traditional household. Albert initially wants to use his skills as a drag artist to play Val's mother, but Val and Armand fear that the trick will not work, and instead convince him to pose as Val's uncle. Armand contacts Katherine and explains the situation; she agrees to the farce, promising to come to the party and pretend to be his wife. Armand then tries to coach Albert on how to be straight, but Albert's flamboyant nature makes the task difficult. When Albert overhears Val and Armand discussing how he might ruin the whole charade, he takes offense and locks himself in his room.
The Keeleys arrive at the Goldmans' (who are calling themselves the "Colemans" for the evening to hide their Jewish heritage) redecorated apartment; they are greeted by Agador, who is passing himself off as a Greek butler named "Spartacus" for the night. Despite a few near misses, including Louise discovering that all of the old-fashioned books on the shelves are Nancy Drew mysteries, Agador only preparing a soup for dinner, and the dinner plates themselves featuring Greek depictions of homosexuality, things seem to be going smoothly. Unfortunately, Katherine gets caught in traffic, and the Keeleys begin wondering where "Mrs. Coleman" is. Suddenly, Albert enters, dressed and styled as a conservative middle-aged woman. Armand, Val, and Barbara are nervous, but Kevin and Louise are tricked by the disguise, especially when Albert delivers tirades about the collapse of morality in the United States; the act is so convincing that Louise even becomes jealous of Albert, accusing her husband of flirting with her.
Despite the success of the evening, trouble begins when Senator Keeley's chauffeur betrays him to two tabloid journalists who have been hoping for a scoop on the Coalition story. While they research The Birdcage, they also remove a note that Armand has left on the door informing Katherine not to come upstairs. When she finally arrives, she unknowingly reveals the deceptions. Though Armand and Albert scramble to find a new cover story, Val instead confesses to the scheme and identifies Albert as his true parent. Senator Keeley is initially confused by the situation, but Louise both informs him of the truth and scolds him for being more concerned with his career than his family's happiness. He agrees to the marriage (and even asks the Goldmans to vote for him in an upcoming election), but discovers that the paparazzi are waiting outside to take his picture. Albert then realizes that there is a way for the family to escape without being recognized: he dresses Kevin and Louise in drag, and they use the apartment's back entrance to sneak into The Birdcage, with Armand introducing them as a part of the club's nightly act. They all dance out of the nightclub door (with Louise even being propositioned by a man who thinks she is a drag queen) and reach safety, preventing a disaster. The film concludes at Barbara and Val's interfaith wedding, which both families, including Katherine and Agador, attend.

Tags: comedy, queer

Review:
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.
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.
First off; I can understand why people would dislike this movie; The characters are all portrayed in an extremely stereotypical way, the acting is considerably over the top most of the time, the story is rather cheesy and not very believable - I mean which gay couple would (or COULD) transform their eccentric home into a monastery-like environment in 24 hours to pretend to be a cultured family to impress the son's fiancée's parents?...Yet I couldn't stop laughing all the way through, even after the 10th time.
This isn't a movie portraying life in the gay society; and everyone who expects realistic (and hence probably rather unfunny) portrayal of such a theme is better off NOT watching a comedy featuring gays (don't most comedies thrive on making the stereotype seem funny?) It may not be politically correct all the way, but hey; society's too hung up on all this political correctness as it is,.
However they're brought to life so well by the actors playing them that it doesn't make you shake your head in frustration over yet ANOTHER movie portraying stereotypes, but rather makes you shake your head in laughter over the deadpan things they say and do, which are so obviously unreal at times that anyone who thinks this movie will promote a false picture of the gay community needs a reality check.
Both Robin Williams and Nathan Lane are very fine comedians who have the touch it takes to play a role like this one.
Dianne Wiest is her normal, ditzy self but is a scream here and Gene Hackman in that last scene...well, I don't want to give away anything.Half of the fun of this film is the verbal repartee between the characters, especially anything between Hank Azaria, Nathan Lane or Dianne Wiest.If you haven't seen this film, you owe it to yourself to just have fun and laugh the night away.
"The Birdcage" is a hilarious movie about a happily "married" gay couple, forced to play straight for the marriage for Armond's son and his conservative in-laws.
We take the politic stand on gay marriages so seriously, that I think this was needed just for a good laugh at it.Nathan Lane and Robin Williams, what terrific performances!
Robin Williams and Nathan Lane are phenomenal and hilarious, but the best performance throughout the film is by Hank Azaria, as Agador, the adorable flaming butler.
I think this is such a cute film, and if you haven't seen it, or if you happen to be in the mood for a laugh out loud movie rent The Birdcage.My Rating: 9/10.
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.
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.
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.
What makes this movie so wonderful is how good a job Robin Williams and Nathan Lane do as portraying loving, dedicated parents.
Aside from the amazing soundtrack and the fun antics, it is their sheer goodness as human beings that stays in your head for a long time.A fun thing to do is compare this movie to La Cage Aux Folles and see how different characters are interpreted differently.
Robin Williams and Nathan Lane give hilarious performances as the lead couple.
The actors have done a superb job of creating humour out of an awkward situation -- two men who happen to be gay, live together, own a business and must "play it straight" for the benefit of their son's in-laws.I think I understand why the critical review has been mediocre -- it's likely because critics keep comparing 'The Birdcage' with the original 'La Cage Aux Folles'.
I'm surprised there were no academy award nominations for Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Robin Williams and especially Hank Azaria, that entertainer-extraordinary wannabe, the "Goldman's faithful houseman", LOL...I am laughing as I write this review, you must see it to appreciate it.....10 of 10 EXCELLENT!.
Robin Williams headlines but Nathan Lane is the star of this filled festival of frolicing, where everybody throws in their characters worth and has the audience on the floor laughing.Robin Williams and Nathan Lane play two gay Jewish lovers in Florida who own a drag club called The Birdcage.
Williams does well too, but probably the best counterpart to Lane is Hank Azaria in a hilariously gay role and Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest as the conservative parents.
Robin Williams & Nathan Lane have always been favorites of mine for a while & they pulled their roles off effortlessly.Hank Azaria to me was the biggest shock to me when he dances on the patio to Miami Sound Machine!The way politics are currently you can't help but love how the conservatives act when the truth finally comes out of who everyone really is.I've seen the original "Le Cage" of the 80's and I can honestly say I love them both.
Williams is a great straight guy (pun intended) for Lane's antics.I judge this movie on the amount of laughs it gave me and that has to be a "10." Gene Hackman is perfect, as usual, as a moralizing, hypocritical Senator..
It's hard to imagine saying this about an outrageous comedy, but Robin Williams - who made his career (at least the early part of it) by doing outrageous comedy (and the more outrageous the better) is completely, totally and absolutely outshone in "The Bird Cage" by Nathan Lane.
He was fine, but Lane was simply over the top funny as the very feminine drag queen Albert, the gay lover/spouse of Armand (Williams).
Barbara's father is the extremely conservative Senator Kevin Keeler (Gene Hackman) and he'll be none too pleased by the family his daughter is marrying in to.You'll laugh pretty much the whole way through at Lane, and it isn't just Lane.
There's Albert and Armand's "maid" Agador Spartacus (Hank Azaria) who's almost as funny as Lane, and (while I don't want to give too much away) when you catch a glimpse of Hackman in drag near the end of the movie you'll be in stitches.It's great fun, burdened a little bit by an unnecessary decision to have Keeler involved in a political scandal.
Add to it the fact that it was written by Elaine May (Heaven Can Wait) and directed by Mike Nichols (Closer), and you have a formula for success.Just look at the cast: Robin Williams (The Fisher King), Nathan Lane (Encore!
Robin Williams and both brilliant but of course it is Nathan Lane who runs away with the show as the cross-dressing screaming queen Albert.
The way love is shown between two grown men is both humorous and touching, without falling into the trap of showing uncomfortable situations which always removes movies like this from a 'family outing' list.Gene Hackman is especially good as the conservative politician and Robin Williams & Nathan Lane are excellent as the parents.
but I just can't bring myself to find a lot of redeeming qualities in this film.What we have is a gay couple (Nathan Lane and Robin Williams) who have a grown son, and he is engaged to the daughter (Calista Flockhart) of a powerful conservative senator (Gene Hackman).
And Calista Flockhart looks about as attractive as she ever could in this movie, which is the nicest thing I can say about her poor acting and usually poor screen presence.The over-the-topness ruins some of what this film was trying to do, because it makes gays out to be extremely unlike other people, which I don't generally think is true.
The Birdcage starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane is a laugh out loud hilarious film about a gay couple and their son.
The thing that makes this movie so hilarious is when Wiest and Hackman come over for dinner at Lane and Williams's apartment above the drag club that Williams owns.
I love the late Robin Williams;Here,we see him at his very comedic best.The great part of the film is dancing,comic humor and sheer folly.The saying "laughter is good medicine" has truth and meaning with this wonderful film..
Robin Williams underplays but still delivers the laughs solidly, while Gene Hackman proves he is great as a comic actor.
Robin Williams and Nathan Lane are just completely stupid and funny in this movie.
A gay cabaret owner Armand Goldman (Robin Williams) and his drag queen partner Albert (Nathan Lane) put up a straight front to appease their son Val (Dan Futterman) when he brings his girlfriend Barbara Keeley (Calista Flockhart) with her right wing parents Senator Kevin Keeley (Gene Hackman) and Louise Keeley (Dianne Wiest).The gay stereotypes get very tiring.
The movie really is great in some ways, and has terrific moments, but it doesn't transcend, as the best Nichols films certainly do.Robin Williams, the apparent big name on the marquee, is the weakest link in the cast (not including the two young people, who are fine but routine).
But the rest of the main actors, Nathan Lane as the drag queen most of all, but Gene Hackman as a conservative senator and Dianne Wiest as his wife, are an amazing ensemble.
Robin Williams and Nathan Lane: The Movie.
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?
Just reading the plot line of this film, I knew they had the right cast with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.
.), but the movie is still well-written & a true comedy classic.Apart from the obvious leading team of Williams, Lane, & Azaria, I can't help but love Gene Hackman in his role, as I can never resist a high-caliber serious mostly-dramatic actor who's not afraid of a role that basically has him looking foolish..
The cast is superb and all suit their characters perfectly, Robin Williams and Nathan Lane certainly have the best scenes together, improvising the majority of their lines, I also thought Hank Azaria was outstanding as Agador, and seeing Gene Hackman play such a serious role in a goofy film was very funny.
The Birdcage is a fine movie that is based off it's wonderful performances, especially from Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.
Remake of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES about son Futterman trying to disguise his gay father Williams as a Greek cultural attaché in order to impress fiancé Flockhart's conservative parents (played perfectly by Hackman and Wiest).
This film probably had the greatest comedic cast ever assembled: Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, Dianne Wiest, Hank Azaria, Christine Baranski, and Dan Futterman.In addition, the screenplay is by Elaine May, who also did Primary Colors and Heaven Can Wait.Mike Nichols, who won an Oscar directing The Graduate, directs this film to perfection.The lines in this movie are a hoot and a great improvement on the French film it is based upon.Robin Williams shines..
The cast of Nathan Lane, Robin Williams, Diane Wiest, Hank Azaria and Gene Hackman was perfect!
I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a great story, good laughs, and a wonderful cast!
They're all great, but Nathan Lane and Hank Azaria steal the show, and I don't think I've ever seen Gene Hackman as funny...I didn't know he could do comedy.
Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Calista Flockheart, Dianne Wiest, Dan Futterman, and Hank Azaria did a great job in this movie.My favorite part of the entire movie was when the Goldman's and the Keely's were singing "I Could've Danced All Night" and Agador starts singing along with them.
This sensitivity is what makes "The Birdcage" a step above your average farce.Having been adapted from Jean Poiret's play "La Cage Aux Folles," the concept for the film is nothing that someone well-read/watched in comedy hasn't seen before (a traditional farce).
A mid 90s comedy with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in it.In Miami, Florida; there is a gay neighborhood with a night club/bar called the BirdCage.
Hank Azaria does one of his best performance as Agador, its hard not to laugh when he enters the scene.With rapid fire comedy, The Birdcage never falls flat.
Hmmmm, perhaps they could include new special features such as:*Movie Commentary--Maybe an audio conversation with the directors, cast key crew members as they watch the film (With Robins Williams/Nathan Lane in the "dish" mix, it could really be a funny, unique feature).*Special Documentary--"Uncaging the Birdcage"--a look at what effect The Birdcage has had on film and society.
Nathan Lane is simply brilliant (how dare you say he did a bad job!)and so are Robin Williams and Gene Hackman.
Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, and Hank Azaria are the highlighted actors in this great comedy romp through the world of gays.
The guys father is played by Robin Williams who is a middle-aged fag that is the owner of a Drag Club on South Beach, Florida.Great Movie to watch over and over again and again...I gave it 9 out of 10 STARS!.
Personally, I think the best actor in this movie is Hank Azaria, as he perfectly executes the roll of the gay maid to Robin Williams and Nathan Lane ( the gay couple)  The movie's setting is perfect, Miami, This type of movie couldn't work in any other setting.
And casting of Nathan Lane and Gene Hackman and Robin Williams together and the screen writers have put together one of the most entertaining films I have ever seen.
Okay, so here we have Nathan Lane, Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, and Hank Azaria all in a movie about a gay couple in Miami who have to play it straight for one night.
Williams and Lane's delivery/timing together is impeccable and Nathan Lane plays a hilarious role as the over-the-top drag queen.My favorite character in this film however, is "Agador", the gay servant played by Hank Azaria.
A worthwhile remake of the French film, "Le Cage Aux Folles" (1978) where Robin Williams and Broadway star Nathan Lane star as the two lovers.
Robin Williams and Nathan Lane are great together in this film.
Directed by Mike Nichols with Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, Dianne Wiest, Dan Futterman, Calista Flockhart, Hank Azaria).
Not this one.A remake of "La Cage Au Folles" (literally, "The Birdcage"), this film combines humor, chemistry, acting and plot.Williams and Lane work perfectly together, bringing a chemistry to the screen that you'd expect of an actor and his leading lady...
Not directly based on the original (but with a similar main plot) this version tells the story of a gay couple, Armand and Albert Goldman (Robin Williams and Nathan Lane--in a role he should have been Oscar-nominated for) who own a drag club along the Florida coastline with Lane playing drag as the star (aka "Starina") receive startling news from Williams' son, Val (Dan Futterman), that he is getting married to the daughter of a die-hard conservative narrow-minded couple (2-time Oscar winners Gene Hackman & Diane Wiest) who are still clinging to the family values and make a subtle hint about being against Jews .
Robin Williams is incredibly subdued in his role as Armand, playing the straight man to Nathan Lane during most of the movie.
Gene Hackman is wonderfully blubbering in his role as a senator, Dianne Weist is charming as an oppressed housewife to the senator, and Hank Azaria STEALS the show as a gay butler trying to play it straight by doing a "Sparticus" impression.Now, the film has gotten a lot of slack because it can't compete with it's original, French version "La Cage Aux Folles." This is true that "La Cage..." is the funnier of the two, but it doesn't detract from "The Birdcage" at all.
Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane..., Agador (Spartacus), Val, Barbra, Katherine...
Robin Williams and Nathan Lane make a great comic team in this remake of a classic French film.
THE BIRDCAGE, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Robin Williams, Nathan Lane and Gene Hackman, tells essentially the same story but with an American bent.
Here, Robin Williams plays a more subtle comedic character as Armand, the owner of the titular Birdcage, a drag club where his partner Albert (Nathan Lane) is the star performer.