The Birdcage

The Birdcage is a 1996 American comedy film produced and directed by Mike Nichols. Elaine May's screenplay adapted the 1978 French-Italian film La Cage aux Folles, itself an adaptation of a 1973 play. It stars Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as Armand and Albert Goldman, a gay couple whose son Val (Dan Futterman) is set to marry Barbara Keeley (Calista Flockhart), the daughter of conservative senator Kevin (Gene Hackman) and his wife Louise (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 by MGM/UA Distribution Co. in the United States and by United International Pictures in international markets 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 million worldwide 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.