The Birdcage

The Birdcage is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Mike Nichols, written by Elaine May, and starring Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, and Dianne Wiest. Dan Futterman, Calista Flockhart, Hank Azaria, and Christine Baranski appear in supporting roles. It is a remake of the 1978 Franco-Italian film La Cage aux Folles by Édouard Molinaro starring Michel Serrault and Ugo Tognazzi.
== Plot ==
Armand Goldman (Robin Williams) is the openly gay owner of a drag club in South Beach called The Birdcage; his partner Albert (Nathan Lane), an 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 (Dan Futterman) born after Armand had a one-night stand with a woman named Katherine (Christine Baranski) comes home to visit and announces that he has been seeing a young woman named Barbara (Calista Flockhart), whom he intends to marry. Although unhappy by the news, Armand agrees to support his son. Unfortunately, Barbara's parents are the ultraconservative Republican Senator Kevin Keeley (Gene Hackman) and his wife Louise (Dianne Wiest).
Keeley, who is co-founder of a conservative group called the Coalition for Moral Order, 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 straight and a cultural attachéto Greece. Armand dislikes the idea of being forced into the closet, but agrees to play along, enlisting the help of friends and club employees 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 realizes his plan won't fool anyone, he takes offense and locks himself in his room.
The Keeleys arrive at the Goldmans (who are calling themselves "Coleman" for the evening to hide their Jewish heritage) redecorated apartment; they are greeted by Agador (Hank Azaria), who is passing himself off as a Greek butler named "Spartacus" for the night. 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.
Despite the success of the evening, trouble begins when Senator Keeley's chauffeur (Kirby Mitchell) 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, 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 and reach safety, preventing a disaster. Barbara and Val are married in an interfaith service, which both families attend.
== Cast ==
* Robin Williams as Armand Goldman
* Gene Hackman as Senator Kevin Keeley
* Nathan Lane as Albert Goldman
* Dianne Wiest as Louise Keeley
* Dan Futterman as Val Goldman
* Calista Flockhart as Barbara Keeley
* Hank Azaria as Agador Spartacus
* Christine Baranski as Katherine Archer
* Tom McGowan as Harry Radman
* Grant Heslov as National Enquirer photographer
* Kirby Mitchell as Keeley's chauffeur
== Soundtrack ==
A number of songs written by Stephen Sondheim were used in the film. The song that Albert rehearses during the sequence with the gum-chewing dancer is entitled "Little Dream" and was written specifically for use in the film.[3] Albert's first song as "Starina" is "Can That Boy Foxtrot", cut from Sondheim's Follies. The song that Armand and Katherine sing and dance to in her office, "Love Is in the Air", had been intended as the opening number for the musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 1962. The song was cut from the show and replaced with Comedy Tonight.[4]
== Reception ==
The film opened on March 8, 1996, and grossed $18,275,828 in its opening weekend, topping the box office.[5] It remained at #1 for the next 3 weeks before being derailed by the openings of Primal Fear and A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. By the end of its 14-week run, the film had grossed $124,060,553 domestically and $61,200,000 internationally, eventually reaching a total of US$185,260,553 worldwide.[2]
The film received positive reviews upon its release, and as of 2017, the film holds a 79% approval rating on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 47 critic reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "Mike Nichols wrangles agreeably amusing performances from Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in this fun, if not quite essential, remake of the French-Italian comedy La Cage aux Folles."[6]
The review aggregator Metacritic reported that the film received "generally favorable" reviews, with a score of 72% based on 18 reviews.[7]
James Berardinelli wrote, "The film is so boisterously entertaining that it's easy for the unsuspecting viewer not to realize that there's a message here."[8]Desson Thomson from The Washington Post described the film as "A spirited remake of the French drag farce [that] has everything in place, from eyeliner to one-liner."[8] Owen Gleiberman from Entertainment Weekly called the film "Enchantingly witty".[8]
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) praised the film for "going beyond the stereotypes to see the characters' depth and humanity. The film celebrates differences and points out the outrageousness of hiding those differences."[9] The film was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.[10]
=== Accolades ===
Association 	Ceremony Date 	Category 	Recipient 	Results
20/20 Awards 	2017 	Best Costume Design 	Ann Roth 	Nominated
20/20 Awards 	2017 	Best Art Direction 	Bo Welch 	Nominated
Academy Awards 	March 24, 1997 	Best Production Design 	Bo Welch
Cheryl Caraski	Nominated
American Comedy Awards 	1997 	Funniest Lead Actor in a Motion Picture 	Nathan Lane 	Won
American Comedy Awards 	1997 	Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture 	Hank Azaria 	Nominated
American Comedy Awards 	1997 	Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture 	Dianne Wiest 	Won
American Comedy Awards 	1997 	Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture 	Christine Baranski	Nominated
Art Directors Guild Awards 	1997 	Feature Film 	Bo Welch
Tom Duffield
John Dexter	Nominated
Awards Circuit Community Awards 	1997 	Best Adapted Screenplay 	Francis Veber
Edouard Molinaro
Marcello Danon
Jean Poiret
Elaine May	Nominated
Awards Circuit Community Awards 	1997 	Best Art Direction 	Bo Welch
Cheryl Carasik	Nominated
Awards Circuit Community Awards 	1997 	Honorable Mentions 	Mike Nichols 	Nominated
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards 	1997 	Favorite Supporting Actor - Comedy 	Gene Hackman 	Won
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards 	1997 	Favorite Supporting Actress - Comedy 	Dianne Wiest 	Won
Casting Society of America Awards 	1997 	Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy 	Juliet Taylor
Ellen Lewis	Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 	1997 	Best Supporting Actor 	Nathan Lane 	Nominated
Cinema Audio Society Awards 	1997 	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Feature Films 	Lee Dichter
Gene S. Cantamessa	Nominated
GLAAD Media Awards 	1997 	Outstanding Film - Wide Release 	N/A 	Nominated
Golden Globe Awards 	January 19, 1997 	Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical 	N/A 	Nominated
Golden Globe Awards 	January 19, 1997 	Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical 	Nathan Lane 	Nominated
International Monitor Awards 	1997 	Theatrical Releases - Color Correction 	David Bernstein 	Won
MTV Movie + TV Awards 	June 10, 1997 	Best Comedic Performance 	Robin Williams 	Nominated
MTV Movie + TV Awards 	June 10, 1997 	Best On-Screen Duo 	Robin Williams
Nathan Lane	Nominated
Online Film & Television Association Awards	1997 	Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical 	Mike Nichols 	Nominated
Online Film & Television Association Awards	1997 	Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical 	Nathan Lane 	Nominated
Online Film & Television Association Awards	1997 	Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy/Musical 	Hank Azaria 	Nominated
Satellite Awards 	January 15, 1997 	Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical 	Nathan Lane 	Nominated
Satellite Awards 	January 15, 1997 	Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical 	Gene Hackman 	Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards 	February 22, 1997	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role 	Nathan Lane 	Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards 	February 22, 1997	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role 	Hank Azaria 	Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards 	February 22, 1997	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture 	Hank Azaria
Christine Baranski
Dan Futterman
Gene Hackman
Nathan Lane
Robin Williams	Won
Writers Guild of America Awards 	March 16, 1997 	Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published	Elaine May 	Nominated
==References==
Category:Pages stolen off Wikipedia