My deep affection for this film is something I share with my mother. We even had a cat for many years named after one of the characters, Aggador Spartacus.
The premise of the story, which is based on a French film, is that two gay men, Armand and Albert own a night club in South Beach called The Birdcage, where Albert's show of "Starina" is the main attraction. Armand has a young adult son, Val, from a relationship in his youth, and Val comes home to visit and tell his pops he is getting married. His beautiful bride, played by Calista Flockhart, is sweet and charming. But, her father, played by Gene Hackman, is a conservative senator who would not approve of Armand and Albert's relationship, nor the fact that Armand is Jewish.
When Barbara and her family come to South Beach to meet the family, Armand hatches a plan to "play it straight" and hilarity ensures.
What I love about this story is more than the fact that the acting is superb and I laugh until I cry. The message at the core of the story is to be faithful to who you were created to be. Armand, in trying to do anything he can for his son (as any parent wishes to do) to make him happy, sacrifices his true nature, and that of his partner, Albert. It is a lesson in embracing your true self and being proud of your history, your life, and the people you love. It is also a good lesson for families who are coming together in marriage-- this will be your extended family now; why would you want to fake that relationship for the rest of your lives!? Finally, it teaches a genuine truth about the nature of judgment. Throughout the story, the senator has to come face to face with his judgments of others and the hypocrisy that is so often found among politicians. He comes to find that some things are more important than the political slant, the newspaper headlines. He comes to understand love and family in a deeper way.
No comments:
Post a Comment