The Birdcage

The Birdcage
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMike Nichols
Screenplay byElaine May
Based on
Produced byMike Nichols
Starring
CinematographyEmmanuel Lubezki
Edited byArthur Schmidt
Music byJonathan Tunick
Production
companies
Distributed byMGM/UA Distribution Co.
Release date
  • March 8, 1996 (1996-03-08)
Running time
117 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$31 million[1]
Box office$185.3 million[2]

The Birdcage is a 1996 American comedy film produced and directed by Mike Nichols. Elaine May's screenplay adapted the 1978 French film La Cage aux Folles, itself an adaptation of a 1973 play. It stars Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a gay couple whose son (Dan Futterman) is set to marry the daughter (Calista Flockhart) of a conservative senator (Gene Hackman) and his wife (Dianne Wiest). Hank Azaria and Christine Baranski appear in supporting roles. The film marked the first screen collaboration of Nichols and May, who had been a comedy duo in the 1950s and 1960s.

The Birdcage was released on March 8, 1996, to positive reviews and significant commercial success. It debuted at the top of the North American box office and stayed there for the following three weeks, grossing $185.3 million on a $31 million budget. It is seen as groundbreaking because it was one of few films from a major studio to feature LGBT characters at its center. The cast received notable praise and was awarded the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. The Birdcage also received a nomination for Best Art Direction at the 69th Academy Awards.

  1. ^ "The Birdcage". TheWrap. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference BOM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).