For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

An riotous French chamber farce, I have already watched LA CAGE AUX FOLLES II (1980, 7/10), now finally come across the original one which would spawn a Hollywood remake THE BIRDCAGE (1996) by Mike Nichols and stars Robin Williams and Nathan Lane reprise the iconic couple Renato and Albin (Tognazzi and Serrault). It had remained No.1 foreign film in USA box-office for years and nominated for 3 Oscars (BEST DIRECTOR, SCREEN PLAY and COSTUME DESIGN). Albeit the film's generic "Meet Your Parents" plot-line, director Molinaro pluckily engineers the sub-culture of homosexuality and transvestite, Renato is the owner of a smoke- enshrouding drag club "La Cage Aux Folles" which is infamous for its alternative performance and target clientèle, and Albin, his partner for twenty-years, is a woman trapped in a man's body and also the premier star of the show. One night Laurent (Rémi Laurent), Renato's 20-year-old son, arrives and announces that he will marry her sweetheart Andréa (Maneri) and her parents is coming for dinner the next day, the trick is that Andréa's parents Simon (Galabru) and Louise (Scarpitta) belong to an ultra-moralistic party who just recently lost their president in a prostitute scandal. Under the grilling, Andréa lies about Renato's real identity and claims him to be a cultural attaché, so to counterbalance the bad image of the party, they decide to operate "a perfect marriage" and meet Laurent's parents. Things turn into a predictable but hysterical stew accordingly, Albin makes a fuss of the exclusion of him in the dinner and Renato has to ask aid from Laurent's birth mother Simone (Maurier), which lights up the jealousy of Albin. But, eventually, the farce will meet its moment of truth. Through and through, all the gags are incredibly conceived (including those with Jesus on the cross), and what's more gratifying the sublime rapport between Tognazzi and Serrault, together they can make the corniest jest scintillate with vigor and induce involuntary laughters without a hitch. It is a grand showboating for Serrault in particular, his mincing mannerism and effeminate verbal-ism has been unrivaled since, a true trailblazer for the now stocky stereotype of feminine gay man. To elevate the contrast in beliefs, Galabru also goes out on a limb to caricature and ends up with a side-splitting cross-dressing for amusement. Not to mention Benny Luke as the sissy black butler, who cannot wear shoes because they are trip-easy. Ennio Morricone's prominent score triumphantly conjures up the upbeat ambiance and tallies with the performance adroitly to indicate the characters' predicament or ridicule. Indeed, the film is a timeless uproar, and its winning magnetism can appreciated ubiquitously.

The remake "the Birdcage" is one of my favourite films. I first watched it with pals while one of our friends was in bed with migraine. Just after we finished watching it she left her sickbed to see what we were laughing about so much. So that she didn't feel left out we watched it again straight away and laughed even more. I have watched it again several times and always enjoy it.Yesterday I watched La Cage Aux Folles. This was on Netflix and had English dubbing. It often seemed stilted and flat. At times some of the characters came across as uncomfortably angry rather than comedy angry. I have wanted to watch the original for a long time as it is so well spoken of. I can only conclude that the dubbing must have robbed the film of its soul.

Yes, 10 out of 10. Considering this is my first review, you might think my concept of the ratings method is somewhat juvenile, that I'm not taking it seriously or that my bar is low! But I assure you, I understand what 10 out of 10 means. This movie has been special to me since the first time I saw it in 1979, here in Toronto at the Uptown Theatre, which I'm sad to say no longer exists. I'll never forget how much these characters touched me. This movie is so camp, so hilariously funny that it's easy to forget it's really a love story. When you take away all the laughter and farce, that's what's left, a story about tolerance and love. If you delve even deeper than the obvious, you'll notice the characters who are judged and ridiculed the harshest are the ones, who in the end, tolerate and even save those doing the judging and the ridiculing! I think it's this kind of movie that accomplishes a mountain of understanding without even trying. Love is everywhere, even in places some might think it doesn't belong...it flourishes. Not only does it flourish, but it's healthy, normal and accepted wherever it's found. And that's how a movie that is NOT a message movie becomes a message movie! So there! :o) I was really sad to discover that Michele Serrault, who played the title role of Albin/ZaZa, passed away in July of 2007, leaving behind a wife and a daughter. I also had no idea what an acclaimed actor he was in his native France. He's so strongly associated with his portrayal of ZaZa that I couldn't see him playing anyone else, and I'm sure I'm not alone! I wonder how he felt about being so closely associated with ZaZa, almost to the exclusion of all the other work he did. I imagine that's only in North America though. We're the ones who discovered him as ZaZa Napoli and because he touched our hearts so deeply we can't envision him playing Othello or Hercules! OK, I'll speak for myself! I can't envision him playing Othello or Hercules, OK?! I'm looking forward to seeing him in other roles. I might not like the idea of him playing anyone other than ZaZa, but I'll give him a chance! After all he IS an actor right?!

This film along with the later "Birdcage" should be compulsory viewing for all late teen agers at school. I found both films enjoyable but then I had already been to see the Stage show the films are based on, about 22 times at latest count. The show/film is a study of true love between two gay men being tried and tested and shown to be true. I can recommend both films, but I do SO wish they would make a true film of the stage show, after all, the story the film is based on is actually a Musical. Remember, the Supreme Gay Anthem << "I am what I am!" >> is taken from the musical stage production. Watch either of the two films and come away with satisfaction, see the stage show and weep with joy. Having said all of that, I did find "La Cage 2" made me cringe a bit. sorry.