(Mike Nichols, US 1996, 117 min., DCP)
Adapted from the celebrated French-Italian farce La cage aux folles (1978), The Birdcage tells the story of Miami drag club owner Armand Goldman (Robin Williams) and his star performer and partner Albert (Nathan Lane) as their beloved son Val not only announces his engagement, but requests they feign heterosexuality for his fiancée’s conservative political figure father (Gene Hackman). This hilarious yet at times touching comedy benefits enormously from acclaimed screenwriter Elaine May’s substantial wit, and yet it is the marvelous cast which really brings the film to life. Robin Williams especially enriches the film with a sense of balanced absurdity and authentic frustration, allowing truth to break through his character’s mask at just the right moments.
DCP from Park Circus.