The Birdcage
Armand Goldman is the openly gay owner of a drag club in South Beach called The Birdcage; his partner Albert, an extremely effeminate and flamboyant man, plays "Starina," the star attraction of the club. They live together in an apartment above The Birdcage with Agador, their flamboyant Guatemalan housekeeper who dreams of being in Albert's drag show as well. One day, Armand's son Val (born after Armand had a one-night encounter with a woman named Katherine) comes home to visit and announces that he has secretly been seeing a young woman named Barbara, whom he intends to marry. Though initially unhappy with the secrecy, Armand is thrilled by the news, along with Albert, who cannot wait to celebrate the wedding. Unfortunately, the couple learns that Barbara's parents are the ultraconservative Republican Senator Kevin Keeley and his wife Louise. Keeley, who is a co-founder for a conservative group called the "Coalition for Moral Order"—a society developed on traditional views and moral codes—becomes embroiled in a political scandal when his co-founder and fellow Senator is found dead in the bed of an underage black prostitute. Louise and Barbara convince Senator Keeley that a visit to his daughter's fiancee's family would be the perfect way to stave off bad press, and plan to travel to South Beach as soon as possible.
Barbara shares news of her father's plan to Val; to cover the Goldmans' alternate lifestyle, she has told her parents that Armand is a straight man and cultural attaché to Greece. Armand dislikes the idea of deception, but agrees to play along, hiring contractors to redecorate the family's apartment to more closely resemble a traditional household. Albert initially wants to use his skills as a drag artist to play Val's mother, but Val and Armand fear that the trick will not work, and instead convince him to pose as Val's uncle. Armand contacts Katherine and explains the situation; she agrees to the farce, promising to come to the party and pretend to be his wife. Armand then tries to coach Albert on how to be straight, but Albert's flamboyant nature makes the task difficult. When Albert overhears Val and Armand discussing how he might ruin the whole charade, he takes offense and locks himself in his room.
The Keeleys arrive at the Goldmans' (who are calling themselves the "Colemans" for the evening to hide their Jewish heritage) redecorated apartment; they are greeted by Agador, who is passing himself off as a Greek butler named "Spartacus" for the night. Despite a few near misses, including Louise discovering that all of the old-fashioned books on the shelves are Nancy Drew mysteries, Agador only preparing a soup for dinner, and the dinner plates themselves featuring Greek depictions of homosexuality, things seem to be going smoothly. Unfortunately, Katherine gets caught in traffic, and the Keeleys begin wondering where "Mrs. Coleman" is. Suddenly, Albert enters, dressed and styled as a conservative middle-aged woman. Armand, Val, and Barbara are nervous, but Kevin and Louise are tricked by the disguise, especially when Albert delivers tirades about the collapse of morality in the United States; the act is so convincing that Louise even becomes jealous of Albert, accusing her husband of flirting with her.
Despite the success of the evening, trouble begins when Senator Keeley's chauffeur betrays him to two tabloid journalists who have been hoping for a scoop on the Coalition story. While they research The Birdcage, they also remove a note that Armand has left on the door informing Katherine not to come upstairs. When she finally arrives, she unknowingly reveals the deceptions. Though Armand and Albert scramble to find a new cover story, Val instead confesses to the scheme and identifies Albert as his true parent. Senator Keeley is initially confused by the situation, but Louise both informs him of the truth and scolds him for being more concerned with his career than his family's happiness. He agrees to the marriage (and even asks the Goldmans to vote for him in an upcoming election), but discovers that the paparazzi are waiting outside to take his picture. Albert then realizes that there is a way for the family to escape without being recognized: he dresses Kevin and Louise in drag, and they use the apartment's back entrance to sneak into The Birdcage, with Armand introducing them as a part of the club's nightly act. They all dance out of the nightclub door (with Louise even being propositioned by a man who thinks she is a drag queen) and reach safety, preventing a disaster. The film concludes at Barbara and Val's interfaith wedding, which both families, including Katherine and Agador, attend.
comedy, queer