The Birdcage (1996)

The great Elaine May adapted the 1978 Franco-Italian film 'La Cage aux Folles' as 'The Birdcage' and her long time creative partner Mike Nichols directed it. The film stars Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a long time South Beach gay couple who must 'play it straight' when their son brings his fiancés conservative Ohio parents to meet them, one of whom (Gene Hackman) is a Republican Senator (Dianne Wiest plays his wife). The couple at the center of this Dan Futterman and Calista Flockhart are probably the least interesting people in the movie, which also shows Christine Baranski to good effect and Hank Azaria in a role that might be offensive now, I'm not sure. In addition to a bevy of now refreshingly quaint mid 90's political references, it is hard not to divorce the film from its time, this would have been quite radical then in its mainstreaming a gay couple as the center of a major American comedy release (grossed $185.3 million on a $31 million budget). While not often laugh out loud funny, it is funny, as well as observant, empathetic, and in a strange why tonally restrained, while still very much over the top in other ways. It has a heft to it that serves it well and makes it last, this could have been an awful throw away movie in lesser hands. ***1/2