The Birdcage
Director: Mike Nichols
Actors: Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman
PlotArmand Goldman is the openly gay owner of a drag club in South Beach, Miami, where his flamboyant partner, Albert, performs as the star attraction. Armand's life takes a sudden twist when his son, Val, from a previous heterosexual relationship, announces his engagement to Barbara Keeley. Barbara's parents, the ultra-conservative Senator Kevin Keeley and his socially conscious wife Louise, decide to visit the Goldmans to meet their future in-laws. To avoid scandal and ensure the engagement proceeds smoothly, Val pleads with his father to hide their true lifestyle and pretend to be a conventional family.
Armand reluctantly agrees and attempts to transform their eclectic home into a bastion of traditional values. This includes hiding all traces of the club and asking his loyal but eccentric housekeeper Agador to pose as a butler. Despite Armand's efforts to coach Albert on how to act straight and even enlisting biological mother Katherine as a front for Val's mother, the facade proves difficult to maintain. The Keeleys arrive, prompting a series of misunderstandings, comic mishaps, and escalating tension as everyone struggles to uphold their fabricated identities.
Writers: Jean Poiret, Francis Veber, Édouard Molinaro
Release Date: 08 Mar 1996
Runtime: 117 min
Rating: R
Country: United States
Language: English
Home Video Reviews
'The Birdcage' Blu-ray offers timeless comedy with excellent performances and solid audio, but video transfer is underwhelming; still, it's a recommended purchase.
Read our review of The Birdcage Blu-ray to find out more