The Birdcage

The Birdcage (1996)

  • 77% of critics liked it
    (43 reviews)

  • 75% of users liked it
    (96,265 ratings)

Director Mike Nichols teams up with his former partner/screenwriter Elaine May for the first time in many years and for the first time together in films to create this sophisticated, remake of the phenomenally popular French musical farce La Cage aux Folles that stars Robin Williams, Nathan Lane,… More

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R,
Directed By
Written By
Elaine May
Genres
Gay & Lesbian, Comedy
In Theaters
Mar 6, 1996 Wide
MGM Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    This isn't the supreme masterpiece it might have been, but Nichols's direction is very polished and some of the lines and details are awfully funny.

  • Hal Hinson, Washington Post

    If The Birdcage isn't exactly the Mike Nichols-Elaine May movie of our dreams, it does manage to transform what was formerly a campy bit of French fluff into one of the loopiest, most hysterical family-values movies ever made.

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    The Birdcage is a scream.

  • , Time Out

    It doesn't so much champion diversity as celebrate conformity.

  • Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

    A glossy miscalculation with Nathan Lane and Robin Williams.

Read all 15 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Bethany M


    A pretty funny film. A must see!

  • Spencer S


    There have been some exaggerations of the gay lifestyle, but I've never felt they were as in your face as the performances of Lane and Williams in The Birdcage. Equally atrocious was the anti-gay Hackman, and the uber gay Hank Azaria. It felt a bit forced, like an awkward family… More

  • Cassandra M


    I love La Cage Aux Falles, this film is good for a remake and I'm disappointed to see that some people can't appreciate the brilliance in this film! Robin Williams is on top form, with 'you're taking your toothbrush to the grave, how Egyptian' brilliantly… More

  • Anthony L


    Not a bad remake but I would recommend the original French film over this.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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