The Birdcage (1996)
Directed by Mike Nichols
Starring: Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest
The great improvisational comedy team of Mike Nichols and Elaine May reunited to
(respectively) direct and write this update of the French comedy La Cage Aux
Folles. Robin Williams stars as a gay Miami nightclub owner who is forced to
play it straight and ask his drag-queen partner (Nathan Lane) to hide out when
Williams's son invites his prospective--and highly conservative--in-laws and
fiancée to a meet-and-greet dinner party. Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest play the
straight-laced senator and his wife, and Calista Flockhart (from television's
Ally McBeal) plays their daughter in a culture-clash with outrageous
consequences. May's witty screenplay incorporates some pointed observations
about the political landscape of the 1990s and takes a sensitive approach to the
comedy's underlying drama. Topping off the action is Hank Azaria in a
scene-stealing role as Williams's and Lane's flamboyant housekeeper, "Agador
Spartacus." (Jeff Shannon)
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