To celebrate its 25th anniversary, The Birdcage (1996) was re-released as part of TCM Big Screen Classics in June. When that year's biggest blockbusters came out during the holiday season and summer, this unlikely classic, which was released in March, was a top 10 box-office hit and also the first mainstream film centered around a gay couple.
According to Ben Mankiewicz, who spoke before and after the re-release of the film, The Birdcage was a catalyst for future films centered around gay characters.
The Birdcage was written by Elaine May and based on the play "La Cage aux Folles," which was also a film under the same name written by Marcello Danon, Édouard Molinaro, Jean Poiret, and Francis Veber. The American re-make stars Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest, and was directed by Mike Nichols.
Here are five screenwriting takeaways from The Birdcage:
1. What’s the story about?
Here’s the imdb.com synopsis: A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion agree to put up a false straight front so that their son can introduce them to his fiancée's right-wing moralistic parents.
That is true, but on a deeper level it’s about a man who loves his son so much that he will do anything to make him happy, including compromising who he is as a person and changing his entire life for the initial meeting. Armand Goldman (Williams) will not only go out of his way for his son, but his love for Albert (Lane) makes his character empathetic and heartwarming. Amid all the fighting, Armand constantly chases after Albert, refusing to let the love of his life go.
Screenwriters can see both the empathy in a character like Armand but also how the film brings both conflict and comedy to the situation by his love. It’s important to know what the heart of your story is and allow that to help guide your characters’ decisions.
2. Two normal worlds
At the beginning of The Birdcage we’re taken on a ride through a drag queen cabaret theatre in South Beach, Florida; Armand’s frustrations as the owner, and his dramatic relationship with Albert and the houseman, Agador (Hank Azaria). He’s frantic and flustered, trying to stop the little fires in his life from growing out of control.
This is Armand’s normal world — his life as we know it.
Then we meet the Keeleys. Senator Keeley (Hackman) is a lawmaker who recently helped found the Coalition for Moral Order to help push ultraconservative causes. His supportive wife, Louise (Wiest), is always at his side and they reside in a large, quiet home in Ohio. This is their normal life.
Armand and Keeley’s worlds couldn’t be more opposite and it will take Barbara Keeley (Calista Flockhart) and Val Goldman (Dan Futterman) to bring these two together.
Screenwriters can observe how to build worlds that can maximize conflict when the two collide. It builds expectations, curiosity and tension, and gets the audience invested in the film as the misunderstanding of cultures are destined to meet.
3. Everything leads to the final act
The Birdcage sets up the finale extremely well throughout the first two acts. We know so much about these characters and their thought processes that as viewers, we are excited to see what happens when the two families meet.
Writers can observe how slowly building up the motivations of all the characters comes together in the final act. Situations seem to go well before they all go to hell. There is the conservative senator who is hiding from a scandal and hoping his daughter’s marriage will fix his problem. There’s Albert, who struggles to act “manly” in hopes that he can pass as the uncle. What adds to the comedy and enjoyment of the third act is the culmination of everything before it.
4. The truth will set you free
The Birdcage is about trying to get away with a lie. As the lie builds, it adds stress to everyone involved. Each character is trying to escape the truth, thinking that the lie is the key to their freedom. Two examples are Armand and Albert.
Armand must lie about who he is. Everything from his religion, his last name, his sexuality, and even his career and his manners must be changed. The more he builds the lie for the sake of his son’s happiness, the more his anxiety increases. When he can finally be the person he is and reveal the truth about his life, the tension melts away.
And then Albert, who tries to learn how to play a stereotypical male figure, finds his truth when he (spoiler alert) uses his talents to literally turn himself into the vision of Val’s mother — although Val always saw him as a mother figure. His ability to play the stereotypical matriarch actually works, until the truth is revealed. What’s stunning is how easily and convincingly Albert slips into this role as Armand and Val continue with the lie hoping everything turns out okay.
Once everyone accepts their truth — and the truth of the others — the film can conclude in a satisfying way.
5. Comedy is about the unexpected
From one-liners to large jokes, The Birdcage shows how comedy is about the unexpected. One of the first big laughs of the film is when Albert is getting ready to do his cabaret show playing the drag queen Starina. The last thing you would expect is for him to pull out an electric razor and start shaving his stubble.
The biggest laughs of the movie come from these unexpected moments, yet they remain completely within character. This leads to the final scene of the film, when ultraconservative Senator Keeley and his family must escape the drag queen cabaret unseen by news reporters eager to chat about the scandal of his colleague.
A strong set-up plus unexpected moments equals comedy gold, and The Birdcage is filled with them.
A final takeaway
I remember being a teenager and watching The Birdcage in theaters a few times. Twenty-five years later, it was more enjoyable seeing not just powerhouse actors on the screen but appreciating the sharp writing and great storytelling that the film shares.
The Birdcage is available on several streaming services, DVD, and maybe even VHS if you can find it.