The Birdcage

Watching this movie after seeing the French original is like reading wikipedia summary after reading 'Romeo and Juliet'. Robin Williams as Armand is the only actor who is playing his role somewhat close to satisfactory. He can't quite match the charm and manners of Ugo Tognazzi, though. But Nathan Lane as Albert is a disaster. You can clearly see that he is a man occasionally trying to play a gay person. It's all in the makeup and even that does not always help. When he is rehearsing a song you can't tell he's gay at all. But if you look at Michel Serrault's original performance, it's nothing short of outstanding. Every movement, every expression tells you that he's a woman in man's body. Basically, a witty script and superb actors' play make me watch the 1978 "La Cage Aux Folles" original over and over, while bland adaptation with weak acting of "The Birdcage" spoils the brilliant script. I have no clue what was the point in making this remake. Replace french lawmaker with a senator? Just go get the original. Then you can watch this remake and see if you agree with me. (BTW, if you liked Schwarzenegger's "True Lies", you might want to watch the French original, "La Totale". They have the same plot, and, surprisingly, they are both good, just shot differently!)

Comedy is one of my favorite formats and I have a wide range of tastes in that genre. I watched this film because of the actors involved and because of all the "Rage" made about the film. I found this film to be boring, very unclever and full of too much tired old schtick. I kept shaking my head wondering when something creative and funny was going to happen. By the end I figured that the film wasn't glorified because it was a good movie, but because of it's message. Whatever. Couldn't they have done that with good writing and new ideas? <<Yawn>>

Having seen the original, watched The Birdcage, and then seen La Cage aux Folles again. I can positively state that this is a very pale shadow of the original. It does not work on many levels. The best scenes are direct lifts from La Cage. What did the great Gene Hackman think he was doing in this garbage. Robin Williams of course, you would expect to see in trashy films and he fitted in well. The over the top hispanic butler too did not work and was not remotely as amusing as the black butler in the french version The original went along at a cracking pace, the Birdcage was tedious and over long. You can not review this film without comparisons being made, but The Birdcage does not compare.Please do not believe those who have given this film 9 or 10 stars.Trust me,it is rubbish.

Of all the types of comedy, it seems to me farce has dated the most, and unless you inject it with something fresh, it doesn't work well. The original movie, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, was no great shakes, but it didn't feel dated like this one does. The scene which sums it all up is the scene where Armand (Robin Williams) is trying to teach Albert (Nathan Lane), his lover, how to act like a man (Albert is supposedly a transvestite, but except when he's performing, he looks more like a couch). This has the best dialogue (when Armand pretends to be a football fan asking Albert how he felt about a bad play; Albert; "How do you think I felt? Bewildered, betrayed...wrong response?" Armand; "I'm not sure."), but also a telling scene when Albert tries to walk like a man, and asks Armand, "Too swishy?" The entire movie is too swishy, and the worst offender by far is Nathan Lane, whose performance screams, "LOOK MA, I'M ACTING!" Robin Williams, in a more subdued role, is pretty good as Armand. Gene Hackman, as the conservative senator, doesn't go over-the-top performance wise, but he makes his character into little more than a joke. The women actually come off the best here, with Christine Baranski, Calista Flockhart, and Dianne Wiest all being good because they avoid the flailing about that constitutes most of the acting, indeed most of the movie, here.

This is a funny, funny story about a gay couple pretending to be a straight couple to impress the family of the son's fiancée. There are moral lessons in this comedy to live and let live and to judge people on their character, not their sexual orientation. My girlfriend and I watched this movie together and we both howled with laughter. We still treasure this movie and watch it again and again. We had not seen either the original play or movie so this was a standalone viewing. It was just terrific. Williams and Lane are perfect as the gay couple. The look on Williams' face when Lane comes into the house when the visitors are there is priceless. 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.

I borrowed this movie at the library in my hometown, and I thought that I was going to have a few laughs with Birdcage. How wrong I was, as this is one of the worst films ever. A teenage-boy is in love with a girl, and the girl is in love with the boy. There is one problem though, the father of the girl is a very conservative senator, and the father of the boy is gay+the owner of the Birdcage club. From there on, it`s easy to guess what is going to happen, and the fact that it`s filled with poor acting, is not exactly helping. One positive thing though: the senator is played by Gene Hackman, who acts good as usual. Hackman is the reason why I don`t give this movie the lowest score. 2/10

OH.. my GOd! What a wonderful story, what a comedy.. I have no words to describe what I felt when I watched this. You see Robin Williams in this whole new character , he has never played this kind of role before.. well it suits him, don't you think? HE did a pretty good job with Armand Goldman, but what about his partner.. Nathan Lane, well what about him? He played perfectly his SHE.. Albert slash Starina Goldman slash Coleman role. They both do "fosse,fosse,fosse.. Martha Graham.. Martha Graham.. MADONNA ..MADONNA! Who else could be a "mother", a "Wife" and "just a guy" if not Nathan Lane, his shrieking is so funny, he is a true woman in this picture. I can say nothing more about the "Birdcage", you better watch it and find out the rest yourself..

"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. Even though it is a bit stereotypical, it was played with charm and energy and is absolutely irresistible. I really enjoyed "The Birdcage" because it had a lot of serious issues, yet managed to turn into a fun joke. 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! Again, I know it was stereotypical, but I have a couple friends that do actually act like that. So, I was more than willing to go with it. I loved the whole Nathan being the Mom dinner scene. It was just too hard not to laugh. I am little surprised by the rating of 6.5. I think people should see this film and just have a good time with it. Trust me, it's just a fun movie and it's not offensive in any way. 10/10

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.

This blatantly mediocre 1996 remake of "La Cage aux Folles" has none of the charm and nuance of the French classic. If you have NOT seen the original, there is a twinge of enjoyment to be found. If you HAVE seen the original, this experience will be a total bust. Robin Williams (as Armand) admirably downplays his role as a gay cabaret owner who showcases his brittle other half (Albert) in nightly drag revues. In a role that would seem tailor-made for the larger-than-life talents of the usually impressive Nathan Lane, the actor instead comes off (surprisingly) unfunny and (not surprisingly) hammy, indulging himself in the `see-how-hilarious-I-am' school of comedy acting. Lane's one-dimensional character merely comes off nasty and needy, while the relationship between the lovers seems forced and superficial. Not once did I believe them as a couple. The absolute lack of chemistry between these two comedy masters remains a mystery. Masquerading as a heterosexual pair (with Lane ending up in matronly drag) to appease Arnaud's straight son who wants to pass off his family as `straight' to his fiancee's parents, the film offers the stars endless comic possibilities. The resulting series of mishaps sputters at every turn. As the fiancee's parents, Gene Hackman, in particular, betrays his serious character by going for obvious laughs, while Dianne Wiest, who has demonstrated her Academy Award talent as a farceur, looks lost and uncomfortable. Dan Futterman and a pre-Ally McBeal Calista Flockhart are a cute enough young couple in love, and Hank Azaria as the flaming houseboy certainly has his moments prancing about. Christine Baranski comes off grounded but basically ineffective as the boy's real mother who tries to help out. The sad truth is that the film has no truth...no heart...no joire de vivre. There is little place for this movie to go but down the tubes. So PLEASE, PLEASE do yourself a favor and rent the 1978 French film from whence this mess came. It is alternately hysterical and touching. But, most importantly, rent the French version with subtitles for the full comic effect, NOT the atrociously-dubbed English version. Some Americanized versions of French films have not done badly ("Three Men and a Baby" for one). As for `The Birdcage,' avoid it like the guillotine!