The Birdcage (1996)

A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion agree to put up a false straight front so that their son can introduce them to his fiancée's right-wing moralistic parents.

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writers:

Jean Poiret (play), Francis Veber (earlier screenplay),

Stars:

Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robin Williams	...	Armand Goldman
Gene Hackman	...	Sen. Kevin Keeley
Nathan Lane	...	Albert Goldman
Dianne Wiest	...	Louise Keeley
Dan Futterman	...	Val Goldman
Calista Flockhart	...	Barbara Keeley
Hank Azaria	...	Agador
Christine Baranski	...	Katherine Archer
Tom McGowan	...	Harry Radman
Grant Heslov	...	National Enquirer Photographer
Kirby Mitchell	...	Keeley's Chauffeur
James Lally	...	Cyril
Luca Tommassini	...	Celsius
Luis Camacho	...	Goldman Girl
André Fuentes	...	Goldman Girl (as Andre Fuentes)

Storyline

Armand Goldman owns a popular drag nightclub in South Miami Beach. His long-time lover Albert stars there as Starina. "Their" son Val (actually Armand's by his one heterosexual fling, twenty years before) comes home to announce his engagement to Barbara Keely, daughter of Kevin Keely, US Senator, and vice president of the Committee for Moral Order. The Senator and family descend upon South Beach to meet Val and his father and "mother..." and what ensues is comic chaos.

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Plot Keywords:

senator | drag | beach | nightclub | south beach | 

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Taglines:

What could possibly come between a match made in heaven? The parents. Dinner. And a nightclub called... (The Birdcage)

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

MGM/UA site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Birds of a Feather

Filming Locations:

MacArthur Causeway, Miami, Florida, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

JPY 73,721,900 (Japan) (13 December 1996)

Gross:

JPY 249,131,200 (Japan) (3 January 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hank Azaria realized after filming that he had actually based his voice on his grandmother's.

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Goofs

In the bakery, Albert says "the Schnecken beckons". He should have said, with perfect rhyme, "the Schnecken beckon.". In Yiddish/German, Schnecken is plural. It's a sweet pastry rolled in the shape of a snail, hence the name, which in German means snail. Singular Schnecke, plural Schencken.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[singers are performing "We Are Family" on-stage]
Cyril: [backstage, into a telephone] Agador! Where is Starina? She goes on in 5 minutes!

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Connections

References A Star Is Born (1954)

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Soundtracks

"TO THE FOUNDATION"
Written by Carlton Hines

User Reviews

A Scream!

I saw "The Birdcage" because I'd already seen "La Cage aux Folles." And I thought this one was a great remake, if not better. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane give hilarious performances as the lead couple. I haven't seen "La Cage" in ages, but there were tidbits in "The Birdcage" that I remembered from the original. Of all American remakes of French movies, this is by far my favorite!