Overview
A hilarious clash of cultures unfolds when a drag nightclub owner must hide his true identity from his future in-laws.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- irreverent
- campy
- comedy night
- group movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the remake highly entertaining, praising its casting, witty screenplay, and subversive treatment of conservative hypocrisy while noting its familiar premise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Senator Kevin Keeley publicly champions the Committee for Moral Order while Armand and Albert provide the film's stable family environment.
Armand and Albert attempt to present their household as conventionally heterosexual when Val's conservative future in-laws visit.
Armand owns a drag nightclub in South Miami Beach, and Albert performs there as Starina.
The film targets the senator's public image and conservative moralism through flamboyant performance and cultural satire.
Films like The Birdcage, and why
La Cage aux Folles
shared screwball farce, family deception, queer themes, and politically charged social satire
Tootsie
shared witty ensemble comedy, mistaken identities, class tensions, and escalating social performance
In & Out
shared cross-cultural family conflict, comic misunderstandings, and warmly subversive satire
The Dinner Game
shared theatrical farce, tightly wound domestic chaos, and sharp class and moral hypocrisy humor
Movie Details
- Director
- Mike Nichols
- Release Date
- 1996-03-03
- Runtime
- 119 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (1425)
Cast
- Robin Williams
- Gene Hackman
- Nathan Lane
- Dianne Wiest
- Dan Futterman
- Calista Flockhart
- Hank Azaria
- Christine Baranski
- Tom McGowan
- Grant Heslov
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Birdcage about?
- A flamboyant South Beach household stages a frantic imitation of respectability when a conservative political family comes to dinner.
- What is The Birdcage like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Birdcage as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Birdcage violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Birdcage.
- What did critics think of The Birdcage?
- Critics broadly found the remake highly entertaining, praising its casting, witty screenplay, and subversive treatment of conservative hypocrisy while noting its familiar premise.
- Which films are like The Birdcage?
- Films with a similar feel include La Cage aux Folles, Tootsie, In & Out, and The Dinner Game.
- How long is The Birdcage?
- The Birdcage runs 119 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Birdcage?
- In United States, The Birdcage is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex.
