Dumpster Raccoon: THE BIRDCAGE (1996)

Join Dumpster Raccoon Cinema as it kicks off Pride season early and says farewell to Gene Hackman as only we can – with Mike Nichols (!!) & Elaine May’s (!!!) adaptation of the smash hit La Cage aux Folles, queer classic THE BIRDCAGE!!! 

When a handsome but complicated young man (Dan Futterman, cute as a button) falls in love with the willowy daughter (Callista Flockhart) of a conservative senator (Gene Hackman) and his pearl-wearing, pie-baking wife (Dianne Wiest), he realizes he’ll have to introduce them to his parents…the louche gay owner of a drag club (ROBIN WILLIAMS!) and his operatically dramatic headlining star (NATHAN LANE!!!).

Hijinx upon hijinx ensue, rising to a spectacular drag crescendo, but thanks to Nichols & May’s careful, whip-smart script and precise direction, the film also manages to deliver incredible pathos and self-reflection amid the daggers thrown and candy-coloured eleganza. The film simultaneously catapulted Nathan Lane (already a Broadway icon) into divinity while giving Williams, at his request, a chance to show surprising depth and heart in a role that could easily have instead been calibrated to his capacity for wild antics. The result is a treasure of remarkable sensitivity and heart, rising above dragsploitation schtick to become an enduring classic in the queer canon.

With special LIVE PERFORMANCE, video preshow by host Anthony Oliveira, and cocktails by the Shameful Tiki Room – sponsored by Bay Street Video!

Part of the Dumpster Raccoon series!

Cast/Crew Info
Director: Mike Nichols | Cast: Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, Dan Futterman, Dianne Wiest