Just perfect...

Absolutely Fantastic

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Edouard Molinaro's 'La Cage aux Folles' is a charming comedy that tells the story of two gay men (Renato and Albin) who own a nightclub. One day Renato's son arrives to tell them that he's getting married and that he wants his father to meet his conservative future-in-laws. This leads to hilarious turns of events that are best witnessed directly on film. I've heard many say that the French have distinct taste in humour but the international success of 'La Cage aux Folles' already speaks of its universal appeal. The actors have great comic timing. Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault are very amusing as the odd couple. On the surface not a lot of affection is shown between the two but their strong bond is apparent. The art department has done a fine job especially with the look of the nightclub. Molinaro keeps it all together. He sheds some light on the French gay culture of the 70s. I only felt that, storywise, the ending was a little rushed with the conservative parents' sudden change of decision.In the end, 'La Cage aux Folles' is a classic. Watching it yesterday, it felt fresh and made me laugh a lot.

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?!

French cinema at its best. Witty jokes, nice plot and absolutely outstanding actors' play. Ugo Tognazzi and especially Michel Serrault play they roles so naturally that it's hard to believe they are not gay. Every movement, every expression shows that Albert is a woman in man's body - and it's not the makeup that makes you think that!. It's played and directed so good that can watch this movie over and over, one of the best movies on my list. Even if you know the plot you are going to enjoy this movie every time you watch it. Sequels aren't nearly as good - mainly because of weak plot. US-made remake is the expected disaster.

The issue between this film and its American remake, "The Birdcage", is not whether the second film glossed over the issues of homosexuality. French culture in 1978 simply did not allow a diplomat's daughter to marry the son of a nightclub owner, regardless of whether or not the nightclub was a drag club or not, or regardless of whether or not the diplomat was the secretary of the Union for Moral Order. Molinaro's point about Albin as a drag queen and Renato as his partner was made quite well, and several of the scenes where Albin "goes straight" are quite funny--but they weren't really the point of the movie. But this film couldn't be PERFECTLY remade, retaining all of the original facets of the French movie. Mike Nichols couldn't possibly have made a comparison about the two cultures clashing in the film, in 1996 America. ANYWHERE in 1996 America, for that matter, not just "South Beach" Florida. If you criticize the movie on those grounds, it's not quite fair. Molinaro's original was made to amplify the horror of the culture clash, by using a gay pair as the groom's parents. Nichols' remake is meant to ONLY accentuate the fact that Armand and Albert are liberally gay--flagrantly so--and not that they aren't in Kevin Keeley's class. The original is better for audiences who want something deeper and more meaningful, in that sense; but it doesn't mean that the remake is any worse for it. "La Cage" is less of a farce than "Birdcage", and that was intentional. I give both about the same rating--that is, excellent.