The Birdcage (1996)
Director: Mike Nichols
Starring: Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest
Primary genre: Comedy
Nominated for: Best production design
Revisiting “The Birdcage” a few decades after its release reveals just how heartwarming and feel good Mike Nichols’ 1996 flick can be. Despite being pushed as a typical 90s comedy by the marketing department, “The Birdcage” carries a well-intended and subtle message in regards family, and the lengths that parents will go to ensure their offspring’s happiness avoiding preachy undertones and ham-fisted commentary.
“Oh, what interesting china. It looks like young men playing leap frog”
This cultural subversion plays intelligently familiar tropes against each other: Armand and Albert can be camp, own a drag club and surround themselves by effeminate gay men and drag queens. Yet their unorthodox “family” is more stable than it seems by having a deep affection for each other, appreciating art and loving unconditionally Armand’s biological son. And although Albert is comedically exaggerated for the sake of entertainment, Nathan Lane imbues his role with several layers of sophisticated characterization venturing away from initial stereotypical mannerisms. His longtime partner played by a restrained Robin Williams is the reason why these two work well together producing comedic fireworks and illustrating in the long run the original point of pure LGBT activism: one simply wants to live their life like everyone else. Simple and on point.
Mostly taking place in Armand’s and Albert’s house, the stage is set theatrically (sometimes literally) for Williams’ and Lane’s back and forth “confrontations” energizing a wicked script that at the hands of lesser actors would have been a banality to sit through. Boasting a stellar supporting cast who come and go according to their cues, no one oversteps the movie’s tone (although the youngsters who decide to get married are the only ones with a straight face in the whole running time).
Enduring criticisms from conservatives in the 90s and now ironically from the so-called modern “progressives” for being too camp, the film’s story remains steadfast and full of charm. Reflecting on “The Birdcage” and its context reveals a meticulous display of how to masterfully subvert the characterization of human relationships unaffected by the then climate of the 90s that is certain to bring a smile on your face. Bypassing the notion of pointing fingers on alternative lifestyles as well as “shoving this type of lifestyle in our throat”, Nichols takes the smart approach by presenting sincerely adorable characters (i.e., Agador Spartacus is one for the ages), delicious cultural and political zingers, excellent verbal improvisations (e.g., “Fuck the shrimp!‘), left-in-the-cut bloopers and a wonderful soundtrack which amplifies the feel-good oozing vibes of the drag queen shenanigans.
While this remake could be considered an unnecessary English retread, the relocation from Sant Tropez to the tropical Palm Beach of Miami was a smart move capitalizing on gorgeous bodies, the Caribbean sun and Latin culture all which are elevated by Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography (e.g., “Sleepy Hollow” (1999)), Bo Welch’s (“Edward Scissorhands” (1990), “Batman Returns” (1992)) Oscar nominated production design which takes inspiration from drag queen fashion, Greek aesthetics and kitsch sensibilities and Ann Roth (“The English Patient“ (1996)) wonderful costumes.
Funny, sensitive, enchanting and most importantly, sensible, “The Birdcage” is one of the best comedies Hollywood dared to make focusing on telling a complete (and non-mainstream) story as opposed to lecture the audience and undermine everyone else’s experiences. It remains delirious continuing to remind us an era where this type of films were naive enough to entertain the unsuspecting moviegoers while making a side statement in a balanced way.
Delirious comedy
+Cast, cast, cast
+Absolutely hilarious
+Beautiful message
+Snarky lines
+Excellent production design
+Ultra feel-good soundtrack
+Sincere and honest film
+Non cliche family characterizations