Since I like Robin Williams, I tend to see most of his movies.  I first saw The Birdcage several years ago when it first came out in theaters.  Since then, I have seen it several more times.

Armand Goldman owns a drag club is South Beach.  He has been in a long term relationship with his partner Albert who performs as Starina, the star drag queen.  Armand has a son, Val, who has just gotten engaged to Barbara Keeley and Armand isn't happy since Val is so young.  Barbara's parents, Senator Kevin Keeley and Louise, aren't happy about the news either.  Kevin is very conservative, so  Barbara tells her parents that Armand has some kind of diplomatic post in Greece, that Val's mother - meaning Albert - is a housewife, and that their last name is Coleman.

Senator Keeley doesn't want to deal with a potential wedding because he is in the middle of a reelection campaign.  That changes when he is pulled into a huge scandal after Senator Jackson, who co-founded the Collation for Moral Order with Keeley is found dead with an underage prostitute.  The Keeleys decide that they need to meet Val's family and that the wedding can be used to promote morals and family values.  Val asks for his father to go along with what Barbara told her parents.  Armand isn't happy about it, but he agrees and even contacts Katherine, Val's mother.

The Birdcage is based on the 1978 French film La Cage aux Folles.  The movie was very popular and two sequels were made.  I haven't seen the French movie, so I don't know how close this version of the movie is to it.  The story has also been done as a musical.

The plot for The Birdcage really isn't that complicated even though a lot happens.  Armand is already having to deal with some issues with Albert and his insecurities before Val arrives with his marriage news.  Once Armand goes along with Val's idea for dealing with Barbara's family, the issues get a bit worse because they don't tell Albert what is going on for a while.  That does add complications to what is going on.  Some of what happens is predictable, but there are a few surprises as well.

Families are very important to what is happening in The Birdcage.  Armand, Albert and Val aren't a typical family and wouldn't be considered normal by many people, but they are a family.  Armand and Albert have been together for years and managed to raise a nice young man in Val.  Barbara's parents are very conservative, so she and Val are worried about how they will react to Armand and Albert.  Barbara doesn't want to upset her parents, so she spins a tale about Armand and his wife.  Val then pressures Armand to pretend to be something he's not to keep her parents from getting upset.  Armand isn't happy about that, but he goes along with it because he loves his son.  Many of the characters are doing questionable things to keep their family happy, and those things do add a bit of drama and complications to what is going on.  The fact that Armand and Albert are gay may bother some viewers, and the movie isn't one for everyone.

There is a lot of humor in The Birdcage and I think the movie is very funny overall.  Some of what is done for humor is a bit suggestive or crude, so it could offend some viewers.  A few characters are more stereotypes of gay men and over the top.  I do think they are funny characters, but since they are stereotypes, that might bother some people.  Albert is really funny with how he over reacts and freaks out every so often.  Armand also adds humor, though he is a bit more restrained.  Some of the humor is a bit twisted, but that works perfectly for what is going on.  Senator Keeley is mostly a reserved character, but he ends up in a really funny situation by the end of the movie.  

Val and Barbara have a firmly established relationship when The Birdcage begins.  They have been together for a while and have decided to get married even though they are both young.  Val is only twenty and Barbara is described as not even being eighteen.  It is made clear that they have a sexual relationship.  There are some sexual discussions throughout the movie as well as a few suggestive situations even though there aren't any sex scenes.  A few relationships are featured in the movie, but there really isn't any romance to what is going on.

Armand owns a successful drag club.  He doesn't perform, but he is involved in planning the acts.  He clearly loves his son and Albert, though he doesn't always make that clear.  Armand does make a few bad decisions.  Robin Williams is wonderful in the part.  The performance is a bit more subdued than what he has done with many other parts.  Albert is more flamboyant and over the top.  He is very emotional and does over react at times, but it is clear what he cares about.  He is an interesting and entertaining character.  Nathan Lane is wonderful in the part and I can't imagine anyone else in the part.  

Agador works for Armand and Albert as some sort of butler or housekeeper.  Agador knows how to deal with Albert when he is upset and is able to calm him down better than others.  Agador wants to perform in the club, but so far, Armand isn't letting him.  Hank Azaria does a good job with the part.  Katherine is Val's mother.  She and Armand had a one night stand when he was experimenting.  She hasn't been involved in Val's life in any way and hasn't even met him, but she gets involved when Armand contacts her about the situation.  Christine Baranski does fine with the part.  

Val seems like a nice guy and he does love Armand and Albert even though it isn't always clear by his actions.  Val does want his parents to do certain things to impress Barbara's parents.  Val does come off as a bit of a jerk at times because of how he acts.  Dan Futterman is fine in the role.  Barbara is worried about how her parents will react to Val's family, so she lies about certain things, which sets up much of what happens.  She doesn't deal with things well, probably because of how young she is.  This is the first role I saw Calista Flockhart in.  She does fine with the part.

Senator Kevin Keeley and his wife Louise are very conservative.  Kevin seems to deal with a few things better than his wife.  He has definite ideas about certain things.  He ends up in the middle of a media frenzy because of something another Senator does.  Kevin and Louise are a bit judgmental at times, but they aren't bad people.  Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest are really good in the parts.  

Main Cast

Hank Azaria - Agador
Christine Baranski - Katherine
Calista Flockhart - Barbara
Dan Futterman - Val
Gene Hackman - Senator Kevin Keeley
Nathan Lane - Albert
Dianne Wiest - Louise Keeley
Robin Williams - Armand

Mike Nichols - Director

DVD Information

I picked up The Birdcage on DVD not that long ago.  The DVD has the widescreen version on one side of the disc and the full screen version on the other side.  There are no extras, which is disappointing.  I do have an issue with the DVD.  When I put it in my DVD player, it just starts playing instead of loading up a menu.  Pressing any button on the remote did nothing until the movie actually started to play.  On the scene selection menu, the colors used make it very difficult to tell what is selected.  I don't know if there are other DVD versions of the movie that have extras or not.

The Birdcage is a very fun, entertaining movie that is worth watching, though it won't appeal to everyone.  Fans of the cast should give it a chance.

This review is part of CaptainD's Good Movie EpiGuide 3 Write Off.

Robin Williams Movie Reviews
Aladdin ~ August Rush ~ Dead Again ~ Death to Smoochy ~ The Final Cut ~ Happy Feet ~ Insomnia ~ Jumanji ~ License to Wed ~ Man of the Year ~ Mork & Mindy: The Complete First Season ~ Night at the Museum ~ Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian ~ Old Dogs ~ One Hour Photo ~ Popeye ~ Robots ~ RV ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD