Retro Film Review: The Birdcage (1996)
For today's guardians of "political correctness" sight of a man in woman's clothes isn't a laughing matter. Same sight served as a basis of comedy in many different cultures and time periods, but in today's "enlightened" world anyone laughing at cross-dressers is supposed to be a bigot disrespectful of alternative lifestyles. Authors of The Birdcage, 1996 farce directed by Mike Nichols, got away simply by making even more laugh out of more "acceptable" targets.
The plot of the film is based on 1978 French classic La Cage aux folles, later adapted for Broadway. It starts in South Beach, Florida where Armand Goldman (played by Robin Williams), openly gay owner of a drag bar, lives together with his biggest star, flaming drag queen Albert (played by Nathan Lane). Their idyll is spoiled thanks to Val (played by Dan Futterman), product of Armand's one and only relationship with the member of opposite sex. Val doesn't seem to mind his father's lifestyle, but the parents of his fiancée Barbara (played by Calista Flockhart) certainly would. Val's future father in-law is Kevin Keeley (played by Gene Hackman), ultra-conservative Republican senator from Ohio whose major ally has just died in the bed with underage black prostitute. In desperate need to remind voters of his family values Keeley decides to meet his future in-laws and travels to Florida with his wife Louise (played by Diane Wiest). Armand and Albert are caught off guard, and before senator arrives they must "clean up" their act and pretend to be "normal" heterosexual couple.
Made during the election year, The Birdcage had the original plot updated and served as an excellent opportunity for pro-Clinton Hollywood to remind the audience that having Republican into White House was fate worse than death. Elaine May's script makes a savage attack on the bigotry, hypocrisy of right-wing Republicans; this serves as good way for the film to shield itself from the more sensitive elements within American gay community, at least those who would loudly complain about cliched and stereotypical portrayal of gay characters as flaming drag queens. May's script provides few very funny moments and the acting is mostly good, especially in the case of Robin Williams who gives surprisingly constrained portrayal of "butch" homosexual. On the other hand, some of the actors aren't very memorable, especially Futterman and Flockhart in really thankless roles. And the opportunities for even more farce are wasted, mostly thanks to Mike Nichols whose directorial style gives impression of turning Jim Carrey's comedy into Ingmar Bergman's drama. The Birdcage, especially at the end, starts looking less like a film and more like a stage play. In the end, despite few laughs, many viewers are going to be disappointed and completely aware that the opportunity for really hilarious film was wasted.
RATING: 4/10 (+)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on May 9th 2003)
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