I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Why on earth do Americans haD to remake such an enormously successful French film as "La Cage aux Folles"? Because America is a country, maybe THE country, of immigrants and all they do or redo is imported, particularly in the cultural field. Think of Walt Disney and European culture. Even Mickey Mouse has a European taste and flavor in its diapers. The only thing they haven't been able to acclilmatize is French cheese. But think of Swiss pastry, Danish pastry, French fries, and so many other things. Whiskey comes from Ireland or maybe Scotland (though they will never be able to imitate tar-Scotch), vodka comes from Russia. And in this field of drinks, only Coca-Cola is really American. Even Canada Dry is Canadian by name, and root beer is so old in Europe and other continents that we cannot really credit it as American. And standard American beer is lilke diluted beetroot juice when compared to the super-strong European beers climbing up to 12% or more.But what about this film? A film about drag queens in the USA, in Florida, in Miami or some other seaside resort, seems to be extreme for American taste, and even in fact very tentative. To Americanize the whole thing, they added a son to the couple, a girlfriend to the son, a wedding between the two, I mean a "normal" wedding between a man and a woman, with a man who declares in the presence of his genetic mother that the drag queen of a spouse his father has is his mother. And yet that was not enough. So they added a conservative senator and his conservative wife as the parents of the girlfriend. Brilliant! Then since it is political it can be accepted as a comedy because all things political are comedy, comical, funny, lies and make-believe. So then it works and they added a Latino servant in the house who cannot wear shoes without falling every other step, and a meal that is so miserable that it is an insult to the gay community that is known for its good taste in food and drinks. Enjoy the entertainment and do not forget same-sex marriage today is legal in the USA, like in many, if not most countries in the world. Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU

I love this movie, & can't even count how many times I've seen it.Yes, yes, I understand all of the naysayers whining about stereotypes & political correctness (I also frankly wonder how many of them have spent any time in drag clubs. . . .), but the movie is still well-written & a true comedy classic.Apart from the obvious leading team of Williams, Lane, & Azaria, I can't help but love Gene Hackman in his role, as I can never resist a high-caliber serious mostly-dramatic actor who's not afraid of a role that basically has him looking foolish.

Don't believe all the pretentious snobs who want you to know that they've seen the french version. This is funny whether it's a copy or not. Nathan Lane and Hank Azaria are fantastic. They show it here on free to air about four times a year and it's hard not to watch it yet again. It's worth me watching just to hear my wife laughing her head off. I think those who criticise the movie as being insensitive are trying to take it too seriously when it's just meant to be a bit of fun. If it wasn't a comedy and gay people were portrayed this way then it might be offensive but it's a comedy and so there are stereotypes and the stereotypes are meant to be funny - not to be taken seriously. Watch it and have a laugh.

In the tradition of comedies about cross-dressing guys such as "Some Like it Hot" (1959), "Tootsie" (1982), and "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993) comes another such comedy with Mike Nichols' 1996 picture "The Birdcage". To my knowledge, this is the second cross-dressing picture that the late Robin Williams had starred in, after "Mrs. Doubtfire". And this time, though he doesn't dress as a nanny, he is married to a drag queen (Nathan Lane) that he runs a drag nightclub, named "The Birdcage", with. They have a son (Dan Futterman) who has just gotten engaged to the daughter (Calista Flockhart) of an ultraconservative senator (Gene Hackman in a juicy supporting role). Due to pressing circumstances at home, the senator, his daughter and his wife (Dianne Wiest) head down to Miami to meet the groom's parents. However, because his parents' sexual orientation will lead to controversy for the senator's re-election, the son tries to get his reluctant parents to act like a "normal" family for the sake of the engagement. Will the gay couple and their son be able to pull off this difficult act? Right out of the gate, the most surprising element of "The Birdcage" is just how restrained the performance by Robin Williams is. Every time I watch this picture, I always seem to forget that Robin Williams is in this because he doesn't act like the skilled impersonator that he usually acts like in films such as "Aladdin" (1992). Yes, he does a couple of physical impersonations in a few scenes early on. But for the most part, he maintains a steady balance both comedic wise and dramatically between acting like a normal homosexual dad and a stressed out director. When I say that I forget Robin Williams is in this, I do not intend that as an insult. If anything, I intend that comment as a compliment to what Robin Williams accomplished as an actor. A good actor disappears into character, and a good comedic actor incorporates the right amount of humor into serious and/or stressful situations. Robin Williams accomplished both with his work in this picture which in turn makes it the perfect summary of his distinguished career in a nutshell. Amongst the other standout performances that "The Birdcage" offers, the most notable one of all is the work by Gene Hackman. Who doesn't love the idea of a fictional senator who insists that he needs candy and/or chocolate to help him cope with stressful situations? Every joke made about this character's addiction to candy hits their target, but the writers don't make it the only joke to this character. This senator is very paranoid because every little thing he could do that would be considered wrong will most likely end up in sleazy magazines like National Enquirer. His paranoia is a result of everything that is wrong with a celebrity lifestyle in a way. He's cranky, but always in an enjoyable and often hilarious way. You'd easily be convinced that people like him exist in real-life. He's written in such a way that you would believe that anyone similar to him would react the same way that he does to all the things his character experiences. Nathan Lane's performance is also worth noting. Let's recap the requirements for his particular role. He has to convince the audience that his character has been acting like a woman his whole life. Furthermore, he has to show us his character's physical struggles toward doing manlier things such as walking like John Wayne or smearing mustard on toast. The scene where Robin Williams helps physically man his character up demonstrates in a nutshell why Lane's performance pays off well. With any scene having Nathan Lane in it, one can clearly tell that he's studied how women physically and mentally behave. As far as the chemistry between Williams and Lane goes, their relationship consists of more arguing than sharing a connection which takes away from the experience a bit. But to be fair, there is at least a scene or two that shows them doing something that's meaningful for their relationship whether it's helping each other out or anything of that sort. The character of the son that these two raised sadly is kind of a prick. I'm having trouble deciphering what it is about this guy that rubs me the wrong way, but it basically boils down to his grating neediness. He wants his parents to get rid of all the homosexually suggestive decorations in their apartment to appease the other family. I get the reasons behind taking that course of action, but he gets his parents to do it in such a way that they practically have no choice. Either help him out with making this wedding successful or never see him again. Well, anyway you slice it, they're still not going to see him again either way. And yes, you get a scene or two where he appreciates what his parents are doing for him. Even with that said though, his character is executed in such a way that he becomes more of a burden to the plot rather than enhancing the conflict for our main leads. And I'm sorry, but the relationship between him and the senator's daughter didn't feel that legitimate to me. Their so-called romance is just a plot device and nothing more. My mom seems to consider "The Birdcage" her favorite film and to a certain degree, I can see why that might be. It's a light and fluffy piece of escapism that's ideal for a good evening's entertainment. The jokes and laughs this picture provides are plentiful, but most importantly, they're accompanied by a worthy narrative and characters that complement the laughter that "The Birdcage" offers. Check it out, it's worth two hours of your time.