Review of The Birdcage (1996) by Alex R — 19 Aug 2014

Accomplished comedy, The Birdcage is a well acted and directed picture that boasts a stunning cast of talented actors, a great story, a well thought out script and is a an engaging film that features a wonderful performance from late, great actor Robin Williams.

Aside from Williams, there are plenty of great performances here, especially that of Hank Azaria. The story has a fine blend of comedy with serious overtones in a way that makes The Birdcage standout.

The cast elevate the material, and under the direction of Mike Nichols, he crafts a near perfect film that relies on effective, memorable performances to really make this standout. We can see the result on-screen.

The Birdcage works very well and is a fun, entertaining film that is funny, dramatic and features an impressive story that is sure to delight any viewer wanting a comedy with depth and great performances.

The film may have few weak areas that could have been improved upon, but as a whole, the film has stronger points rather than weak points, and it's a film that embraces the fact that it has aspects that don't quite work, and runs with it due to the fact that a great portion of the material is well executed, and that the cast that director Nichols works with does so much to make the story and tone of the film be enjoyable for the viewer.

The Birdcage may not be great cinema, but it's definitely one of those films that features a heartfelt, amusing performance by Robin Williams and with that being said, at least we have gems like this to revisit him even if he's gone.

He was a talented comedian and actor, and he was able to adapt his unique style to any genre, and even if this film is a comedy, he added a serious angle to his role that just showed how great he really was.