La Cage aux Folles (1978)

Directed by Édouard Molinaro. Starring Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Serrault, Rémi Laurent, Michel Galabru, Carmen Scarpitta, Luisa Maneri, Claire Maurier, Benny Luke. [R]

Gay nightclub owner Tognazzi, living in the South of France with his drag queen lover (Serrault), is anxious to learn that his son (Laurent) is engaged to be married to the daughter of a dyed-in-the-wool government official (Galabru) who’s slavishly opposed to the homosexual lifestyle, and it only gets worse when it comes time to meet the in-laws. A frivolous but clockwork farce as opposed to an LGBTQ+ spin on Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and extremely popular in both Europe and the U.S., even earning director Molinaro a stunning Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Since it’s based on predictable story inventions and stereotypes, it falls upon the comic timing and performances to work—they’re not bad, periodically effective, but even more surprising than Molinaro’s name popping up on Oscar ballots is that the American remake (The Birdcage), almost twenty years “late to the party,” manages to be slightly superior in most categories. Playwright Jean Poiret adapted his own stage play alongside the director, Marcello Danon and Francis Veber. Followed by two sequels.

56/100