Review of The Birdcage (1996) by Bernard L — 19 Aug 2011

At last a comedy where men don't just dress in drag for kicks. While "The Birdcage" certainly does get laughs for cross-dressing, director Mike Nichols and this exceptionally talented cast prove that comedies centering around gay characters can be about more than exploiting gay lifestyles for the predominantly straight public. This sensitivity is what makes "The Birdcage" a step above your average farce.

Having been adapted from Jean Poiret's play "La Cage Aux Folles," the concept for the film is nothing that someone well-read/watched in comedy hasn't seen before (a traditional farce). Of course Nichols and accomplished comedy writer Elaine May have updated this film for modern times (South Florida). Armand Goldman (Williams) owns a gay cabaret and his partner Albert (Lane) is the star. A one-time fling left Armand with a son who is now 20 and is serious about his girlfriend, enough so that her parents want to meet his parents over dinner--only her parents are right-wing political family-values oriented people. Gene Hackman is an excellent supporting role as a conservative senator in the middle of a scandal.

The duo of Williams and Lane, however, is the bread and butter. These two have a way of creating an intimacy that clearly goes beyond friendship. They are really good at all-out improvisational comedy, but also, if not better, at toning it down for the tender moments. There performances also steer clear of stereotypes. While Lane's character is definitely flamboyant, it doesn't feel unnatural or offensive. While the plot would make it really easy to use stereotypes way too much to go for some gut-busting humor, Nichols takes the sensitive approach and doesn't let the humor get in the way of some really good material centering around gay family issues.

As a viewer, even if you were to come at this film with a right-wing perspective or just wanted to get some laughs at the expense of cross-dressers, "The Birdcage" will not let you turn a blind eye to the ideas of being true to one's self while being true to one's family or preconceived family values. Even if it goes the typical path of farces that reach a climax of hi-jinx followed by the sentimental explanation, the characters are incredibly well-crafted and too enjoyable to dismiss the sentimentality as corny.

So while it might seem like an over-the-top gay comedy, it really is sensitive to homosexuals while other gay comedies don't necessarily do that. It may be difficult for someone who has very rigid values that don't include gay lifestyles to sit back and enjoy this film, but other than that group, "The Birdcage" can be enjoyed by anyone with a sense of maturity about sexuality.