The Birdcage (DVD) > Reviews

Advantages: Hilarious
Disadvantages:

...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" ... Read review

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 ... Read review

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 ... Read review

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 ... Read review

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 ... Read review

Advantages: funny
Disadvantages: not in french

...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. ... Read review

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 ... Read review

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, ... Read review