ThiefHott Too much of everything

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

gizmomogwai La cage aux folles (1978) is not as hilarious or as impressive as I hoped it would be. However, it is funny in places, and at times provides the needed kick in the ass to the establishment. It's a story of a gay owner of a nightclub, Renato, whose son becomes engaged to a young woman with conservative parents. Her father heads a party for "Moral Order"; they are old-fashioned, reactionary and hypocritical (their president dies having sex with an underage prostitute). When the two families meet for a dinner party, the gays attempt to cover up their homosexuality, and downplay their association with the club.It's good to see such bigoted people be slapped in the face, metaphorically-speaking. The girl's father gets quite a shock opening a nook and finding a homoerotic ornament that had been hidden. Some clues to the gays' lifestyle are out but concealed- they quickly fill a plate with ancient Greek images. Renato's gay lover shows up in drag- that's a real kicker, though a stretch the girl's parents would be convinced he's a woman.Being straight, I wondered if this movie would be for me. Though not great, it's a light, enjoyable little film, worth checking out.

rooprect Like many Americans, I saw the remake "Birdcage" first. Only recently did I get a copy of the original. "La Cage aux Folles" is a great comedy, well deserving of its praise and classic status; I just wish I had seen it before I saw "Birdcage".The reason is (through no fault of the original French filmmakers and actors), the American remake is one of the few films that did a good job of suiting it for American audiences. They got some of the most recognizable and endearing actors, and they really played on the humor of America's brutal division between Conservatives and Liberals. In other words, it hits home."La Cage" carries more of a nostalgic distance, in the fact that it's both European and an older 70s film. Like watching "Casablanca", you can get engrossed in the film, but you never quite picture yourself in context ...especially when you keep thinking of Robin Williams and Nathan Lane who both did an excellent job of staying true to the original characters played by Tognazzi and Serrault.OK, enough irrelevant comparisons. I just wanted to get that out first, in case you're pondering whether to watch "La Cage" or "Birdcage" first. Definitely start with "La Cage"."La Cage aux Folles" is simply fabulous. With a screenplay by Francis Veber, whose pinpoint comedy and wit makes him a modern day Moliere, you can't go wrong. Gags are handled with the perfect finesse, even the corny slapstick ones. The scene where Michel Serrault is learning (very unsuccessfully) how to butter his toast "like a real man" had me howling. I can't imagine how Ugo Tognazzi could keep a straight face.Other memorable gags happen throughout the film, and whether you're French, American or Martian, you've got to understand the universal language of comedy. Serrault's high pitched yelp gets my vote for funniest and most infectious sound uttered by a human since Homer Simpson's "D'OH!" The story itself, while purportedly being about drag queens of loose moral character (haha), is safe, clean and absolutely fun for the whole family. Sexuality aside, it's simply a classic comedy of errors that anyone can enjoy.

evanston_dad This French farce lacks the energy and whimsy of the 1996 Mike Nichols remake, "The Birdcage." Perhaps it's a cultural difference, but the original "La Cage aux Folles" seems to take itself too seriously, and moments that were uproarious in the Nichols version aren't very funny here. I suppose some might say that Americans need their humor to be broader and more obvious in order to appreciate it, but whatever.It's hard to understand now how bold this subject matter -- transvestites, openly gay lifestyles, etc. -- was for 1979, and that probably has played a large role in the life this film has had since (thanks largely also to the hit Broadway musical based on it).I bet people who saw the original first like it better than "The Birdcage," and vice versa.Grade: B

moonspinner55 French-Italian co-production based on Jean Poiret's play about a drag queen and his lover hoping to pass as straights for the sake of the lover's son, who has announced he's getting married. In its time, a rather obvious sex farce, made even more so today in the wake of two sequels and the 1996 American remake "The Birdcage". Mixture of bitchy bickering, door-slamming slapstick, and semi-serious overtures regarding the kowtowing of gays to straights creates a bumpy cinematic rhythm. Worse, the overall results--though popular at the box-office--are undermined by a dreariness that never goes away. May prove fascinating for "Birdcage" enthusiasts eager to compare the two, but this version offers even fewer laughs, with dramatic outbursts awkwardly and embarrassingly staged. ** from ****