The Birdcage
Mike Nichols required that Nathan Lane and Robin Williams filmed at least one good take of each scene sticking to the script before he would allow them to improvise (something both of the actors are known for).,In the kitchen scene where Armand and Val realize Agador never prepared an entrée, Armand slips and falls while bringing the sweet & sour peasant soup pot back into the dining room; as he then tells Val "go, go, she'll be here any minute, go", he is clearly laughing.,Armand: What are you giving him drugs for? What the hell are Pirin tablets?
Agador: It's aspirin with the "A" and the "S" scraped off.
Armand: My God, what a brilliant idea!
Agador: I know.,In the November 12, 1998 ABC-TV network airing of The Birdcage (1996), approximately 13 minutes of added footage was restored to the film:
After Albert and Armand have discussed the upcoming marriage with Val, there is a scene where the cake Albert had ordered earlier is delivered. Albert shrieks because the cake says "To My Piglet From His Uncle" instead of "...From His Aunty" like Albert had requested. Then Albert and Armand have an amusing discussion of what it will be like to have Val and his wife live with them and what it will be like to be grandparents.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Before and After/Rumble in the Bronx/Mary Reilly/Unforgettable/Mr. Wrong (1996),La virgen lloraba
Written by La Lupe (as Lupe Yoli)
Performed by La Lupe
Courtesy of Sonido Records,This film has the distinction of being quite possibly the funniest film that I've ever seen. I remember seeing this film the night it opened and laughing so hard that my friend told me she'd get up and leave me there if I didn't shut up!

Almost everyone I've talked to over the years swears by how hysterical this film is. There is a reason for that: Nathan Lane. This guy is a comic genius. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance but should have been nominated for an Academy Award as well if you ask me. Originally when I first saw it, I didn't care for Robin Williams' character at all but the more I've seen it over the years (over fifty times) it grows on me. Dianne Wiest is her normal, ditzy self but is a scream here and Gene Hackman in that last scene...well, I don't want to give away anything.

Half of the fun of this film is the verbal repartee between the characters, especially anything between Hank Azaria, Nathan Lane or Dianne Wiest.

If you haven't seen this film, you owe it to yourself to just have fun and laugh the night away. Enjoy it!!!

My rating: 4 stars,Take a side-by-side look at some of Hollywood's biggest reboots and remakes.,