56-558: The Birdcage is a 1996 American comedy film produced and directed by Mike Nichols . Elaine May 's screenplay adapted the 1978 French film La Cage aux Folles , itself an adaptation of a 1973 play . It stars Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a gay couple whose son ( Dan Futterman ) is set to marry the daughter ( Calista Flockhart ) of a conservative senator ( Gene Hackman ) and his wife ( Dianne Wiest ). Hank Azaria and Christine Baranski appear in supporting roles. The film marked
112-545: A conservative middle-aged woman. Armand, Val and Barbara are nervous, but Kevin and Louise are fooled by the disguise. Despite the success of the evening, trouble begins when the senator's chauffeur betrays him to two tabloid journalists , Harry Radman and his photographer, who have been hoping for a scoop on the Coalition story and have followed the Keeleys to South Beach. While they research The Birdcage, they also remove
168-452: A film's atmosphere, character, and story, and therefore, the labels "drama" and "comedy" are too broad to be considered a genre. Instead, his taxonomy argues that comedy is a type of film that contains at least a dozen different sub-types. A number of hybrid genres have emerged, such as action comedy and romantic comedy . The first comedy film was L'Arroseur Arrosé (1895), directed and produced by film pioneer Louis Lumière . Less than
224-555: A flamboyant character in Mrs. Doubtfire . When Williams decided that he wanted to play Armand, Nichols settled on Nathan Lane as Albert. Lane had already committed to starring in a Broadway production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum , but Nichols convinced producer Scott Rudin to postpone the musical so that Lane could star in the film. Gene Hackman said that taking a role in
280-483: A mainstream audience. The success of the American television show Saturday Night Live drove decades of cinema with racier content allowed on television drawing on the program's stars and characters, with bigger successes including Wayne's World , Mean Girls , Ghostbusters and Animal House . Parody and joke-based films continue to find audiences. While comedic films are among the most popular with audiences at
336-456: A message here." Janet Maslin of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, especially praising Williams's performance: "...this is one of his most cohesive and least antic performances. It's also a mischievously funny one: He does a fine job of integrating gag lines with semi-serious acting..." In his review for The Advocate , Lance Loud commented, "Taking on the conservative agenda—more prevalent in our culture today than when
392-509: A minute long, it shows a boy playing a prank on a gardener. The most notable comedy actors of the silent film era (1895–1927) were Charlie Chaplin , Harold Lloyd , and Buster Keaton , though they were able to make the transition into “ talkies ” after the 1920s. Film-makers in the 1960s skillfully employed the use of comedy film to make social statements by building their narratives around sensitive cultural, political or social issues. Such films include Dr Strangelove, or How I Learned to Love
448-422: A note that Armand has left on the door informing Katharine not to come upstairs. When she arrives, she unknowingly reveals the deceptions, leading Val to confess to the scheme and finally identify Albert as his true parent. Kevin is initially confused by the situation, but Louise informs him of the truth and scolds him for being more concerned with his career than his family's happiness. When attempting to leave, he
504-617: A separate genre, but rather, provides a better understanding of the film. Tabloid journalism Tabloid journalism is a popular style of largely sensationalist journalism which takes its name from the tabloid newspaper format : a small-sized newspaper also known as half broadsheet . The size became associated with sensationalism, and tabloid journalism replaced the earlier label of yellow journalism and scandal sheets . Not all newspapers associated with tabloid journalism are tabloid size, and not all tabloid-size newspapers engage in tabloid journalism; in particular, since around
560-498: A significant turning point in the relations between celebrities and tabloid journalism, increasing the willingness of celebrities to sue for libel in the U.S., and somewhat dampening the recklessness of U.S. tabloids. Other celebrities have attempted to sue tabloid magazines for libel and slander including Phil McGraw in 2016 and Richard Simmons in 2017. Tabloids may pay for stories . Besides scoops meant to be headline stories, this can be used to censor stories damaging to
616-443: A whole, commenting, "Our jokes were about divas, about the theater, and about the stars. And some critics responded as if they were about gay people in general. That just isn't so." The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) praised the film for "going beyond the stereotypes to see the characters' depth and humanity. The film celebrates differences and points out the outrageousness of hiding those differences." The film
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#1732793104514672-464: A young woman named Barbara. Although Armand and Albert are both less than happy about the news, they agree to support Val. Barbara's parents are the ultra- conservative Republican Senator Kevin Keeley, co-founder of a conservative group called the Coalition for Moral Order, and his wife Louise. Kevin initially opposes Barbara's engagement. However, he soon becomes embroiled in a political scandal when
728-459: Is ambushed by the paparazzi camped outside to take his picture. Albert realizes that there is a way for the family to escape without being recognized. He dresses them in drag, and they use the apartment's back entrance to sneak into The Birdcage, where, by dancing to Sister Sledge's " We Are Family ", they make their way out of the nightclub without incident. Barbara and Val are married in an interfaith service that both families attend. Mike Nichols
784-480: Is one of the oldest genres in film, and it is derived from classical comedy in theatre . Some of the earliest silent films were slapstick comedies , which often relied on visual depictions, such as sight gags and pratfalls, so they could be enjoyed without requiring sound. To provide drama and excitement to silent movies, live music was played in sync with the action on the screen, on pianos, organs, and other instruments. When sound films became more prevalent during
840-453: Is the star attraction of the club under the name Starina. They live together in an apartment above The Birdcage with Agador, an openly gay, equally flamboyant, Guatemalan housekeeper who aspires to be in Armand's drag show. Armand's 20-year-old son Val, who is a product of Armand's drunken one-night stand with a woman named Katharine, returns home to announce that he is engaged to be married to
896-594: The Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three stars out of four, writing that while the material will be familiar to those who have seen the original 1978 film or its Broadway incarnation, "what makes Mike Nichols'[s] version more than just a retread is good casting in the key roles, and a wicked screenplay by Elaine May, who keeps the original story but adds little zingers here and there ('Live on Fisher Island and get buried in Palm Beach - that way you'll get
952-718: The supermarket checkout lines. In the 1960s, the National Enquirer began selling magazines in supermarkets as an alternative to newsstands. To help with their rapport with supermarkets and continue their franchise within them, they had offered to buy back unsold issues so newer, more up to date ones could be displayed. These tabloids—such as the Globe and the National Enquirer —often use aggressive tactics to sell their issues. Unlike regular tabloid-format newspapers, supermarket tabloids are distributed through
1008-440: The 1920s, comedy films grew in popularity, as laughter could result from both burlesque situations but also from humorous dialogue . Comedy, compared with other film genres , places more focus on individual star actors, with many former stand-up comics transitioning to the film industry due to their popularity. In The Screenwriters Taxonomy (2017), Eric R. Williams contends that film genres are fundamentally based upon
1064-593: The Bomb , Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? and The Graduate . In America, the sexual revolution drove an appetite for comedies that celebrated and parodied changing social morals, including Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Fanny Hill . In Britain, a camp sensibility lay behind the successful Carry On films , while in America subversive independent film-maker John Waters made camp films for college audiences with his drag queen friends that eventually found
1120-488: The Coalition's other co-founder and Kevin's fellow senator is found dead in the bed of an underage Black sex worker. Louise convinces him that Barbara's wedding will shore up his image as an upright family man, but the Senator is concerned that Val's family will refuse to let it go ahead because of the scandal, and so insists that they cannot announce the engagement to the press until he's spoken to Val's parents and can be sure
1176-489: The arrival of The Birdcage , a comedy that celebrated being gay, "helped an audience traumatised by a decade of living day-to-day with the threat of disease and death to laugh again". In 2021, Emily Maskell of the BBC wrote, "What is particularly astute about the film's comedy is the way in which it mixes its farcical hijinks with a satirical intent, taking aim at both homophobia and the crisis of masculinity , as it navigates
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#17327931045141232-565: The best of Florida!')". In his review for The Washington Post , Hal Hinson noted the film's subversiveness, commenting, "While politicians like Keeley talk a good game of family values, it's Armand and his nontraditional clan who have the stable home life. They are a family." Desson Thomson of The Washington Post described the film as "a spirited remake of the French drag farce [that] has everything in place, from eyeliner to one-liner". Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly called
1288-738: The best parts from the rehearsals because Nichols wanted to shoot the film like a play, without too much editing. Although filming primarily took place in Los Angeles, exterior shots included the Carlyle Hotel in Miami Beach , Ocean Drive , and the Art Deco District . Although the studio had initial reservations about the film's politics, particularly its portrayal of conservative characters, Calley said, "Mike anticipated [the concerns] eight or nine months ago. He said, 'By
1344-719: The box office, there is an 'historical bias against a close and serious consideration of comedy' when it comes to critical reception and conferring of awards, such as at the Academy Awards . Film writer Cailian Savage observes "Comedies have won Oscars, although they’ve usually been comedy-dramas, involved very depressing scenes, or appealed to stone-hearted drama lovers in some other way, such as Shakespeare in Love ." According to Williams' taxonomy , all film descriptions should contain their type (comedy or drama) combined with one (or more) sub-genres. This combination does not create
1400-487: The box office. It remained on top for the next three weeks before being derailed by Primal Fear and A Thin Line Between Love and Hate . By the end of its 14-week run, the film had grossed $ 124,060,553 domestically and $ 61,200,000 internationally, eventually reaching a worldwide total of $ 185,260,553. The Birdcage received positive reviews on release. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes ,
1456-423: The cast was an opportunity for him to return to his improvisational comedy roots. Nichols originally conceived of British actor Adrian Lester in the role of Agador, but reworked the role after he and Lester came to a mutual agreement that showing a Black person in the role of a housekeeper would connote racist undertones. Hank Azaria, who was eventually cast, said, "I worked up different versions [of Agador]. One
1512-413: The film "Enchantingly witty". In Variety , Todd McCarthy called the movie "a scream", adding, "Just as in their routines when they were a team in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Nichols and May are at their best with political and cultural humor. A reactionary politician is an easy target, of course, but the digs at Hackman's public image-obsessed senator are relentlessly clever and on the mark, as are
1568-516: The film by traveling with May and production designer Bo Welch to drag shows in Chicago and Savannah. After going to a drag show in South Beach at Welch's suggestion, Nichols decided to change the film's setting from New Orleans to South Beach. Williams and Lane, both known for being comic improvisers, were allowed to improvise during weeks-long rehearsals before filming. Nichols and May took
1624-537: The film holds an 84% approval score, based on reviews from 62 critics, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Mike Nichols wrangles agreeably amusing performances from Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in this fun, if not quite essential, remake of the French-Italian comedy La Cage aux Folles ." Metacritic reports a score of 72/100 based on reviews from 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Film critic Roger Ebert of
1680-407: The film's 25th anniversary in 2021, TCM and Fathom Events screened The Birdcage theatrically as part of their Big Screen Classics series. Comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor . These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending , with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy
1736-472: The first screen collaboration of Nichols and May , who had been a comedy duo in the 1950s and 1960s. The Birdcage was released on March 8, 1996, to positive reviews and significant commercial success. It debuted at the top of the North American box office and stayed there for the following three weeks, grossing $ 185.3 million worldwide on a $ 31 million budget. It is seen as groundbreaking because it
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1792-465: The gay lifestyles on display here are decidedly old school, the characters' underlying fierce pride, along with the piece's resilient defense of an alternative family structure, will win over all but the most doctrinaire political standard-bearers." James Berardinelli wrote in ReelViews , "The film is so boisterously entertaining that it's easy for the unsuspecting viewer not to realize that there's
1848-615: The gum-chewing dancer. While Armand and Katharine dance in her office, they sing "Love Is in the Air", cut from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum . In addition to Sondheim's contributions, Tunick utilized popular dance and disco hits, such as Donna Summer 's " She Works Hard for the Money " and Sister Sledge 's " We Are Family ", along with Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine 's " Conga ". The Birdcage opened on March 8, 1996, and earned $ 18,275,828 in its opening weekend, topping
1904-457: The help of friends and club employees to redecorate the apartment to more closely resemble a traditional household. Val and Armand attempt to keep Albert out of the house, but when they fail, Albert suggests that he will pose as Val's straight uncle. Armand contacts Katharine and explains the situation; she promises to come to the party and pretend to be his wife. Armand tries to coach Albert on how to act straight, but Albert's flamboyant nature makes
1960-404: The history of U.S. supermarket tabloids was the successful libel lawsuit by Carol Burnett against the National Enquirer ( Carol Burnett v. National Enquirer, Inc. ), arising out of a false 1976 report in the National Enquirer , implying she was drunk and boisterous in a public encounter with U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger . Though its impact is widely debated, it is generally seen as
2016-676: The infiltration of conservatism into a liberal space." Many critics have said that the film's resonance is due to its core theme of family, its depiction of a loving, long-term relationship between two men, and the parents ultimately coming together to make their children happy. Nathan Lane commented, "Homophobia is still alive and well but there's something about that film that touches people because it's ultimately about family, what you do for your family, why you love your family even though they drive you crazy. Then ultimately — not to sound corny — it's about love. It's about love in both families and coming to accept one another in their differences." For
2072-528: The jibes at unscrupulous journalists. Final exchange of dialogue, involving Hackman's character, brings down the house in the manner of the famous 'nobody's perfect' line in Some Like It Hot ." McCarthy concluded, "Lane has all the showy opportunities as the ultra-feminine Albert, and this outstanding Broadway star, little seen up to now in films, makes the most of them, mincing, pouting, posing and cavorting to hilarious and heartwarming effect. Although
2128-562: The lurid and profane, sometimes used to grind political, ideological, or personal axes, sometimes to make money (because "scandal sells"), and sometimes for extortion. A Duluth, Minnesota example was the Rip-saw , written by a fundamentalist journalist named John L. Morrison who was outraged by the vice and corruption he observed in that 1920s mining town. Rip-saw regularly published accusations of drunkenness, debauchery, and corruption against prominent citizens and public officials. Morrison
2184-468: The magazine distribution channel like other weekly magazines and mass-market paperback books. Leading examples include the National Enquirer , Star , Weekly World News (later reinvented as a parody of the style), and the Sun . Most major supermarket tabloids in the U.S. are published by American Media, Inc. , including the National Enquirer , Star , Globe , and National Examiner . A major event in
2240-416: The movie's distinctive achievements is its plausible portrayal of affectionate friendship between a straight man and a gay man", it reinforces stereotypes that "homosexuals are marginal, superficial creatures with plenty of disposable income and relationships that aren't as solid as heterosexual marriages". In response to the criticisms, Nichols stressed that the film is not meant to reflect the gay community as
2296-701: The new law could be used to shut down Rip-saw . The Saturday Press was another Minnesota scandal sheet. When the Public Nuisance Bill of 1925 was used to shut down The Saturday Press , the case made its way to the United States Supreme Court which found the gag law to be unconstitutional. In the United States and Canada, "supermarket tabloids" are large, national versions of these tabloids, usually published weekly. They are named for their prominent placement along
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2352-451: The original film came out in 1979— The Birdcage goes beyond mere politics." He concluded that the film's "underlying feelings of compassion, tolerance, and understanding are this Bird ' s brightest plumage". Criticisms from the gay community opined that the film contained broad stereotypes of gay people, particularly in its depiction of effeminate gay men . In The New York Times , critic Bruce Bawer acknowledged that although "one of
2408-466: The paper's allies. Known as " catch and kill ", tabloid newspapers may pay someone for the exclusive rights to a story, then choose not to run it. Publisher American Media has been accused of burying stories embarrassing to Arnold Schwarzenegger , Donald Trump , and Harvey Weinstein . The term "red tops" refers to British tabloids with red mastheads , such as The Sun , the Daily Star ,
2464-469: The potential in-law characters as a conservative Moral Majority politician and his wife, to address right-wing anti-LGBT sentiment that was in the news at that time. Nichols envisioned Robin Williams and Steve Martin in the roles of Albert and Armand, respectively, but Martin turned it down because he did not think that he would be able to bring the camp quality required for the part, and Williams did not want to play Albert because he had already played
2520-647: The precursors to tabloid journalism. Around 1770, scandal sheets appeared in London, and in the United States as early as the 1840s. Reverend Henry Bate Dudley was the editor of one of the earliest scandal sheets, The Morning Post , which specialized in printing malicious society gossip , selling positive mentions in its pages, and collecting suppression fees to keep stories unpublished. Other Georgian era scandal sheets were Theodore Hook 's John Bull , Charles Molloy Westmacott 's The Age , and Barnard Gregory 's The Satirist . William d'Alton Mann , owner of
2576-584: The scandal sheet Town Topics , explained his purpose: "My ambition is to reform the Four Hundred by making them too deeply disgusted with themselves to continue their silly, empty way of life." Many scandal sheets in the U.S. were short-lived attempts at blackmail . One of the most popular in the U.S. was the National Police Gazette . Scandal sheets in the early 20th century were usually 4- or 8-page cheap papers specializing in
2632-496: The task difficult. Armand realizes that his plan will not fool anyone. Albert takes offense and locks himself in his room. The Keeleys arrive at the Goldmans' redecorated apartment; they are greeted by Agador, who is attempting to pass as a Greek butler named Spartacus for the night. Unfortunately, Katharine gets caught in traffic, and the Keeleys begin wondering where "Mrs. Coleman" is. Suddenly, Albert enters, dressed and styled as
2688-420: The time the movie comes out, you won't be able to parody these guys anymore; they'll be parodying themselves.'" Three songs written by Stephen Sondheim were adapted and arranged for the film by composer Jonathan Tunick . Albert's first song (as Starina) is "Can That Boy Foxtrot", cut from Sondheim's Follies . "Little Dream" was written specifically for the film, ultimately used during Albert's rehearsal with
2744-407: The wedding will go ahead. To this end, the Keeleys plan a visit to South Beach. Barbara shares with Val news of her father's plan. To conceal the truth about the Goldmans, she has told her parents that Armand is straight, named Coleman (to hide that they are Jewish ) and is a cultural attaché to Greece. Armand dislikes the idea of being forced into the closet , but agrees to play along, enlisting
2800-503: The year 2000 many broadsheet newspapers converted to the more compact tabloid format . In some cases, celebrities have successfully sued tabloids for libel , demonstrating that their stories have defamed them. Publications engaging in tabloid journalism are also known as rag newspapers or simply rags . Tabloid journalism has changed in the 21st century to more online platforms that seek to target and engage youth consumers with celebrity news and entertainment . Scandal sheets were
2856-598: Was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award . The Birdcage represented a major turning point for LGBT representation in the media . The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar also featured drag queens and were released prior to The Birdcage , but did not achieve the same level of box-office success, and studio films centering on gay people to that point, such as Philadelphia , tended to focus on tragic stories concerning HIV/AIDS . Academic Matthew Jones said that
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#17327931045142912-408: Was anything we owned that interested him. And he said, 'You own a project that has one of the greatest comedy structures.' We got the rest of the rights, and he said he wanted to call Elaine and ask her to do it. The next day she said yes." Among the changes that Elaine May added to the film's plot was renaming the character of Georges to Armand and Albin to Albert. She also adapted the plot line about
2968-507: Was convicted of criminal libel in one instance, but his scandal sheet may have contributed to several politicians losing their elections. After Morrison published an issue claiming that State Senator Mike Boylan had threatened to kill him, Boylan responded by helping to pass the Public Nuisance Bill of 1925. It allowed a single judge , without jury , to stop a newspaper or magazine from publishing, forever. Morrison died before
3024-404: Was more understated, barely obviously gay, almost a street tough. And one was the character that ended up in the movie. Both felt real to me—I had grown up with Puerto Rican street queens who were very effeminate and flamboyant and others who weren't. I tried both versions out for a friend who was a drag queen, asked which one he liked better, and got his seal of approval." Nichols did research for
3080-579: Was one of few films from a major studio to feature LGBT characters at its center. The cast received notable praise and was awarded the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast . The Birdcage also received a nomination for Best Art Direction at the 69th Academy Awards . Armand Goldman is the openly gay owner of a drag club in South Beach called The Birdcage; his effete and flamboyant partner Albert
3136-419: Was originally involved as the director of the 1983 Broadway adaptation of La Cage aux Folles , but was fired from the production by producer Allan Carr . In 1994, Nichols convinced John Calley , then the head of United Artists , who owned the rights to the original 1978 film version , to renew the option with him as a director and producer. Calley, a longtime friend of Nichols, said, "I asked Mike if there
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