Director: Mike Nichols
Writer: Elaine May; based on the screenplay of "La Cage aux Folles" by Marcello Danon, Edouard Molinaro, Jean Poiret, and Francis Veber.
Cast: Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Hank Azaria, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest, Dan Futterman, Calista Flockhart, Christine Baranski

I never saw "La Cage aux Folles," of which this film is a remake, so I cannot compare it to that classic. I don’t usually like remakes when I’ve seen the original, just as I normally don’t like films based on books I’ve read. Seeing "The Birdcage" without prior knowledge of the film it is based on, however, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an entirely engaging comedy, without being mean-spirited at the homosexual stereotypes it lampoons.

As a South Floridian who has been to South Beach—where the film takes place—it was amusing to see the liberties taken with this area. Yes, there are some strange people who inhabit and traverse South Beach. According to the film, however, you’d be hard pressed to find any "average" people or tourists. In other words, South Beach isn’t quite as campy as the film would have you believe—but that’s what movies are for.

Plot synopsis: Val (Matthew Futterman) comes home to announce his marriage (to a girl) to his father, Armand (Robin Williams), his father’s companion, Albert (Nathan Lane), and their houseboy, Aggedor (Hank Azaria). They own and run a transvestite nightclub in Miami’s decadent South Beach, where the main attraction is the drag shows they put on, with Lane as the star performer. Luke’s fiancee, Barbara (Calista Flockhart), and her parents—her father, Senator Kevin Keeley (Gene Hackman), is a right-wing senator running for reelection—are coming to dinner, to meet their daughter’s in-laws-to-be. Val convinces his parents to play it straight for the evening, leading to comic misadventures galore.

Dianne Wiest’s character, as the wife of Senator Keeley, seems wasted in this film. Her character, as the quiet, mousy, accepting wife of the blowhard senator, doesn’t really have much to do or say. The other characters and performances were very good. Robin Williams gave a subdued and intelligent performance, as the less colorful, more stable member of the gay, middle-aged couple.

Nathan Lane was excellent as the prancing, effeminate caricature of a drag queen. And Hank Azaria steals every scene he’s in, as the less-than-straight houseboy to Williams and Lane. He puts in a classic physical comedy performance, first prancing around shirtless, and later falling all over himself in the more traditional butler garb.

Gene Hackman is also good as the straight man. He plays a right-wing senator trying to overcome some poor judgment on the part of his running mate.

"The Birdcage" is a very good farce, with lots of laughs and plenty of good physical humor. In addition, it closes with the funniest final line in a movie I’ve seen in a long time.