The Birdcage

B-

Woody Allen once said that the trick to making funny movies is shorter running length. That's probably true. The longer a comedy movie is, the longer it drags. And that's very true in the case of Mike Nichol's The Birdcage. Trimmed to 90 minutes, this movie would have gotten less scorn from me, if not a recommendation, depending on how they edit it. But at 2 hours, the laughs become sparse, and the movie overstays its welcome before the best parts even begin.

Essentially, this movie is about a meet-the-in-laws dinner. The daughter of Mr & Mrs Keeley (Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest) is going to marry the son of Armand Goldman (Robin Williams). Mr Keeley is a right-wing senator who thinks the Pope "too controversial" and Billy Graham "too liberal". Armand Goldman is a South Beach night club owner, in which the main attraction, drag queen Albert (Nathan Lane), is also his life partner. As two worlds collide, almost inevitably, tragedy (and quasi-hilarity) ensues.

The Birdcage is adapted from the French play (which was later adapted into a French movie) La Cage Aux Folles. One wonders if the earlier movie version is better. The problem with Mike Nichol's interpretation is that it takes too long to get to the point. It indulges in glacial pace, as characters talk incessantly. There's humor in almost every scene, but then they are few and far between. Also, the story doesn't completely gel, so while each scene is enjoyable in itself, the whole is still less than the sum of its parts.

The Birdcage spend more time with the Goldmans as they scramble, with an army of drags, to redecorate the home and find a suitable role that Albert could fit for the night. And throughout the first hour of the movie, Robin Williams and Nathan Lane are given ample chances to show both their comedic and dramatic range. I thought they pulled it off well. Nathan Lane personified Albert almost perfectly, if only resorting to a little over-acting. Robin Williams is at once believable and hilarious, look out for him giving directions for his new act and then springing suddenly into a barrage of dances. Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest are fine as the ultra conservative white parents. Callista Flockhart, looking radiant, plays the Keeley daughter, Dan Futterman plays her fiance. I must say I abhor Dan Futterman, he makes Val Goldman unlikable, whether the fault was his own or not. It was important that we want the happy couple to end up together - but why would we want the beautiful and sweet Barbara Keeley to end up with a first class prick?

So as I said, The Birdcage is a mixture some well-made individual scenes, with their own funny moments, but it doesn't work as well when taken as a whole. So despite some good performances, and hearty laughs along the way, The Birdcage isn't as good a movie as it could have been.
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