Rating: 
Summary: Outrageous With a Huge Range Of Talent
Review: Talent alone does not assure a great film or even a good film. When there is a great tale and a great cast, all that is needed for a wonderful film is in hand, and, 'The Birdcage", has the needed ingredients in abundance. Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, Diane Wiest, and Robin Williams are just the start of an exceptional ensemble cast. Dan Futterman does a wonderful job as the son who is about to marry a young woman in the film, who has since become very well known as the star of, "Ally Mcbeal", Calista Flockhart. An in a performance that deserves to be mentioned on its own, Hank Azaria steals virtually every scene he appears in.Gene Hackman is a US Senator that is so conservative that he thinks Robert Dole is not only dark but too liberal, and even the Pope is too controversial. Now take his daughter who is going to marry Val no matter what her parents feel, and add that both of Val's parents are men, you can imagine the fireworks. The male couple is comprised of Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, and they are as funny a duo as have played onscreen together. I hope another film or perhaps a theater opportunity presents itself for these two actors to work together, as they are brilliant, both alone and as a pair. Much of the film surrounds a massive effort at deception and takes large roundhouse swipes at every political cliché, the more to the right or left, the more damage the position will suffer. The film is an absolute riot from beginning to end; you will be hard pressed to find a funnier one hour and 59 minutes of comedy with a cast of this caliber in another film.
Rating:
Summary: Robin and Nathan as homosexual men: Who would have thought
Review: This is one of my favorite videos. Robin and Nathan together as homosexual men is so funny. Robin gives one of his best performances. I have watched this video so many times I think it's time for a new copy.
Rating: 
Summary: Awful and P.U.
Review: I thought this movie was contrived, designed to reinforce the dumb, if not pervasive sterotypical views of gay men and generally just bloody awful. Robin Williams's son in the movie was rotten, unaccepting, and self-centered. It wasn't so much that the boringly,unoriginal view of gay men was so awful, unimaginitive and (yawn)dull, but that the writing, the script,well, I just didn't find it funny. I thought the entire film was a bit offensive and compared to the original, it really stinks.
Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious and Insightful
Review: At about the same time this movie came out, "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar" was also a hit. Though both are inferior to "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," this was the stronger American picture. This movie isn't as good as "La Cage aux Folles," on which it's based, because the American subcultures it tries to satirize aren't as distinct from our society as they are from the French equivalents. The two divergent families have more in common than the two gay lovers in the original. Still, as Americans are famously resistant to films that aren't in English, a Yank remake isn't a bad idea. The picture is blessed with nuanced performances from Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Dianne Weist, Dan Futterman, Calista Flockhart (wow, she really CAN act), and Hank Azaria. The strong ensemble is necessary, as the picture is predicated not on "jokes" as such, but on situational subtlety and absurdities. A lesser cast, or one with even one weak actor, would have fallen down on this material. The cast at hand soars. This movie focuses on the conflicted station of homosexuals in our society, and with its willingness to partly suspend judgment, it's a breath of fresh air in an often heated debate. But it also takes on race and gender issues, class concerns, and even the dim view of actors held by the upper classes. There is so much potential for this picture to fall down and embarrass everyone addressed, and yet it doesn't happen. There is a tendency to stereotype the right-wing characters into slavering Rush Limbaugh caricatures, which undercuts the picture some. "To Wong Foo" made this same mistake, and only "Priscilla" has really allowed its conservative forces the latitude they deserve. This flaw, though big, is really the only one this picture brings to the table, and as long as it isn't a deal-breaker, you'll surely enjoy the film, even if you don't agree with it. In the glut of "Gay Crisis" movies put out in the 1990s, this one stands near the pinnacle for its straightforwardness, accessibility, and humor. If only more movies were like this to address ANY social concern.
Rating: 
Summary: Huh?
Review: I don't know if anyone else caught this, but when the girlfriend is telling her father she wants to get married, he says "You're not even 18 yet!" However, the guy had told his "dads." that he'd been dating her for a year at college. Did I miss a line about her skipping a grade or two as a kid? LOL.
Rating:
Summary: NOT a bad copy!
Review: A remake of anything French is a step in the right direction. Except Amelie, leave that alone.
Rating:
Summary: hilarious
Review: Very very funny. This is one of those movies that makes you laugh out loud...
Rating:
Summary: Bad copy
Review: The movie is a bad version of the original and excellent french movie.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely must see! Funniest move you'll ever see...
Review: I have seen this movie over a dozen times, and I think I laugh harder than the last time I saw it each time! It is so funny and has so many nuances that you will catch every new viewing! Robin Williams is excellent, Nathan Lane is brilliant, and Hank Azaria steals every scene he is in... You have to see this movie and be prepared to laugh til you drop! Five stars!
Rating:
Summary: Funny Williams, Superb Nathan Lane
Review: American audiences flocked to this remake of the French classic, "La Cage Aux Folles" - perhaps the funniest comedy ever released in ANY language. It's no surprise that the US viewer could easily lose his or herself in this laugh riot, especially with the incomparable Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in starring roles. Lane is delicious here as the top billed female impersonator and star at Birdcage, a drag extravaganza club owned by his better half Williams. While Williams tones down his Mork routine and actually softens as a result, as funny as he his, Lane steals the movie, with a warm, knowing performance that ranks up there with STeve Martin in "All of Me" as one of the best comedic works ever on film. Dan Futterman (brilliant in "Urbania") plays Williams' son with the right mix of charm and apprehension, while Calista Flockhart (yes, Ally McBeal herself) is strong as his fiance. And that's Hank Azaria (of "The Simpsons" and the ex-Mr. Helen Hunt) as the butler, in a HYSTERICAL mode. Gene Hackman is a hoot as the bride-to-be's right-wing Jesse Helms-like character...and his final scene in drag (think Robert Preston in "Victor Victoria" mixed with Martin Landau in "Ed Wood") alone deserved Oscar consideration. Both Hackman and Lane were robbed at Award time, unlike Ugo Tognazzi (who played the Robin Williams role in the original) who scored an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Williams doesn't come close to achieving Tognazzi's utter sincerity and charm, but the movie works regardless. If you've seen and enjoyed the "Birdcage" do yourself a HUGE favor - suspend all fears about reading subtitles and rent thyself "La Cage Aux Folles" (part ONE, not part TWO, which is a poor continuation.) Even in French - perhaps even more as a result of being in French - "La Cage" soars now as it did long before the "Birdcage" was let out of the bag. Its universal themes speak to us in ANY language, but on-screen, the chemistry between its two main characters (indeed, their "marriage" and intimacy) is exceptional - laugh-out-loud funny, utterly winning and full of life. Whereas both Lane and Williams at times seem to be floating through the material, the actors in "La Cage" are clearly taking major risks, especially 20+ years ago when it was first released to wide acclaim. They swish and bicker themselves into your heart and soul, physically and emotionally transforming themselves into shadow images of ANY mom-and-pop couple I've ever known, whether hetero or not. "La Cage" is flawless. If you've seen La "Birdcage" experience this one-of-a-kind masterpiece and you'll be rewarded with a raw and rowdy comedy that's pure genius.
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