Production Year: 1996 - Comedy - Director: Mike Nichols - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest, Nathan Lane, Hank Azaria, Dan Futterman, Calista Flockhart, Christine Baranski more
Advantages: well written, well acted, well directed. Superb. Disadvantages: A wasted opportunity for a kicking disco soundtrack
...run a drag club in the heart Florida's gay community. When the son they raised brings home the daughter of an ultra-conservative politician as his bride-to-be, they have to decide whether or not to hide their sexuality, and if so, how.
Now it seems clear from the start that there will be plenty of jokes in there at the expense of the gay community, and thre are. Albert shrieks and whoopsies his way through the film, and even the relatively butch ...
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Advantages: Sharp witty and intelligent despite being fairly simple Disadvantages: Could be considered to be making fun of gay people
...of manners and switched identities. The story follows gay couple Robin Williams and Nathan Lane when their son (by William’s former girlfriend) announces that he’s getting married, to the daughter of the most homophobic senator in the US. With a meeting of the two families scheduled they try to tone down the whole place and pass themselves off as a straight household. Despite the overtones of humour at homosexual’s expense, this is awesome, and credit ...
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...Stiller, Almost Live, Kids in the Hall, and The State being cancelled). It was incredibly successful at the box-office for many good reasons. Not nearly as exploitive as I thought it would be. Robin Williams is amazingly restrained throughout, he just lets Nathan Lane take the whole show. Gene Hackman is perfectly cast. A good movie all-round and you should make time to see. ...
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...redoing Pedro Almodovar's Woman On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown for American audiences petered out before it began.
Therefore, its with some relief that Mike Nichols' The Birdcage is pretty darn entertaining, Fortunately, with Elaine May's screenplay as a point of departure, the Americanized version of the 1978 French hit, La Cage Aux Folles (which itself spawned two sequels and a Broadway musical), delivers laughs at the expense of a "right" ...
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Advantages: The acting of Nathan Lane and Robin Williams. Excellent. Disadvantages: Seems to end a little too soon and abruptly.
The Birdcage was always going to be a success in my eyes, given that Robin Williams plays a prominent role in the movie. His acting ability is something to be savoured and he is no different in this movie.
The film is set in South Beach, a place where to be straight is rather unusual but to be gay is very much the norm. Armand (Robin Williams) and his partner Albert (Nathan Lane) own a club called the Birdcage. One day Armand's son comes to visit ...
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Advantages: Hilarious! Disadvantages: None at all!
...Chewing gum? Huge crucifixes on the wall? You got it all, and more!
Robin Williams excels himself in this, as do all the actors involved (see a young Ally McBeal for instance!). He is a gay man whose son has just got engaged to a young woman (Ally McBeal!), but her father is the political representative of a political party which is dedicated to upholding moral superiority... i.e. gay men are not included in their friends' lists!
But disaster ...
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Advantages: Funniest movie I've seen in a while Disadvantages: younger audiences would not appreciate the humor
...a homosexual father dealing with the fact that his son is not telling the truth to his fiancee's parents, because he is embarrassed about his father and his father's partner. They twist in a very stressed politician who is meeting the parents of his daughters love interest and hoping that the "wholesome" family image will save him. Finding out that not everything you think is "wholesome" is. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane are fantastic actors who ...
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28.07.2000
Bit of a Drag Review ofThe Birdcage (DVD)by
elspeth334
Advantages: good cast Disadvantages: over the top drag queen
...is an updated version of the classic farce La Cage aux Folles relocating the story to MiamiBeach.
It stars Robin Williams and Nathan Lane who play a gay couple called Armand and Albert who are forced to play it straight for the sake of Armands son who has just got engaged. Lane really is over the top in outrageous drag queen gear while Robin Williams is unusually subdued by his standards. One of the funniest scenes is when Armand try to teach Albert ...
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...burst out in hysterical laughter. The plot of two gay men trying to put on false heirs in order to impress their son's fiance's father and mother is written well and acted to, what I believe, to be comic perfection. Robin Williams is incredibly subdued in his role as Armand, playing the straight man to Nathan Lane during most of the movie. Nathan Lane is a bit too manic, but, nevertheless, manages to pull most of the laughs as a feminine drag queen. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: lots of funny bits Disadvantages: plot is quite slow
the birdcage is an OK film, i wouldnt call it hilarious, or really funny! the film seems to take a while to get going, so the best time to watch it is when your in the mood to watch a LONG plot that finally unfolds to a rather funny ending. Robin Williams is quite good for the film, however he isnt totally beleivable, he kind of seems 'out of place' in this sort of film. on the other hand the whole hilight of the film is Nathan Lane who brings it ...
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Advantages: laugh out loud, absorbing, Disadvantages: not for the serious or the homophobic
The cast boasts some excellent actors (Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman and more) but in theis quirky tale they are two families from very differant backgrounds. Albert and Armand are a gay couple who have brought up Armands son Val, whilst running a night club - whose main attraction is Alberts alter ego drag queen Starina. When Val wants to marry a politicians daughter who comes from a very conservative background. The two families meet, ...
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The Birdcage DVD
Robin Williams delivers his funniest performance since Mrs Doubtfire in this non-stop ... more
hilarious comedy audiences and critics adore. Williams stars as Armand the outlandish owner of a wild Miami Beach nightclub whose partner Albert is also the star ...
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
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