THE BIRDCAGE
A film review by Will FitzHugh
Copyright 1997 Will FitzHugh
Yes! Finally, Hollywood makes a version of 'La Cage Aux Folles' that the average American can appreciate. Now that we've been softened up by the adorable 'Mrs. Doubtfire' and 'To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Lee Meriweather', cross-dressing and homosexuality can be funny without being disturbing to grandma and grandpa.
This is good, I suppose. Better than 'Philadelphia' which seemed like a calculated 'gay' movie and much better than director Mike Nichols' recent work ('Wolf', 'Working Girl', 'Regarding Henry' and the massively disappointing and suppressed 'Closing Time'). There's political humor as a gay couple's son wants to marry the daughter of an Alan Simpson-like ultra-conservative senator (played by Gene Hackman, who Simpson might want to consider as a double the next time he angers reasonable citizens. Full-time job, that). He somehow convinces his parents, Robin Williams (not in a dress, and luckily, much less annoying than he is on talk shows) and Nathan Lane, to act like a nuclear family for the senator and his wife (Dianne Wiest, doing an impersonation of a giant mouse). This plan is doomed to failure but good for lots of laughs.
The cast is rounded out by Hank 'Apu' Azaria as the nutty houseboy Agador and Christine Baranski (from 'Cybill') as Williams' ex-wife. Lane's mincing wears a bit thin in spots but he picks up a full head of steam when impersonating the traditional mom that the senator expects. Hackman, who realizes somethings up, takes to mom as a Barbara Bush- type wonder woman and forms an opinion of Williams as a playboy. Well, the whole charade unravels, people fall down, there's a fair amount of semi-naughty good humor and a happy ending. I had a good time at this movie, really, but let's think about this a minute.
After seeing a few Hollywood 'gay' flicks, your average small-town moron thinks that these people are funny, good with makeup and have nice tans. A lot of them have kids and ex-wives, too, for some reason. Makes a good link to the heterosexual world, I reckon. The closest 'The Birdcage' comes to sex is some risque dinnerware and the closest Nichols comes to any lasting satire is Hackman in a dress. He doesn't seem to realize that crowd-pleasing can only get you so far. Alan Simpson would have taken one look at that white knee-length item and foamed at the mouth. I realize the ending was probably the same in the French version so he can use that as an excuse but sharper writing could have made more of this.
You fuck! Can't even go out for a good laugh without bringing politics into it. You and Robert Redford can go make boring movies together in your Aspen love-nest. Hollywood big shots have just as much right to free expression of thought as Barbara Streisand does. People who want a little current events can go suck on Barbara Walter's (or Hugh Downs', if you must) glass teat and shut up so I can relax after a hard days work at Philip Morris. Now go home and wait for Sylvester Stallone's or Demi Moore's (I can't tell them apart in a PG-13 flick) next movie and leave me alone.
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