Queer Classics: “The Birdcage”

The Mike Nichols film continues to make us laugh, even 25 years after its initial release.

This week on the pod, we’re talking about one of my all-time favorite gay films, The Birdcage. Since I adore it so much, I figured I’d devote some space over here on the publication to talking in more detail about what makes it such a fabulous film, and why it still manages to be so funny 25 years after it’s initial release.

For those who haven’t seen it, the movie is based on the French farce La Cage aux Folles. This film version focuses on a middle-aged gay couple, Armand (Robin Williams) and Albert (Nathan Lane), who desperately try to transform their life and their home so that they will be acceptable to the parents of their son Val’s fiancee, one of whom is a conservative senator and co-founder of the Coalition for Moral Order, Kevin Keeley (Gene Hackman). Things quickly go awry, however, and farcical hilarity ensues.

To begin with, it’s important to point out that this film is, in my view, one of the funniest movies ever made. Everyone, from the performers to the director (Mike Nichols) to the writer (the great Elaine May) are at the top of their game, and it shows. The comedic timing is impeccable, the dialogue is sparkling and vivacious, and the performances are some of the best that…