Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a re-watch.Can it really be 25 years since The Birdcage became an unexpected box office smash?
It’s true: 1996 saw the Robin Williams-Gene Hackman-led comedy bring gay life and relationships into the American zeitgeist…not to mention some of the best one-line zingers ever committed to film.The plot, in case you’ve forgotten: The Birdcage resets the classic French comedy La Cage aux Folles to South Beach.
Armond (Williams) and his longtime boyfriend Albert (Nathan Lane) own a drag club together, where Albert performs as the show’s leading lady.