One of the joys of watching good performers is seeing them fall so deeply into their role that when their character is asked to change, the change is so uncomfortable it either creates drama or comedy. In this case, we have comedic gold. Robin Williams headlines but Nathan Lane is the star of this filled festival of frolicing, where everybody throws in their characters worth and has the audience on the floor laughing.<br /><br />Robin Williams and Nathan Lane play two gay Jewish lovers in Florida who own a drag club called The Birdcage. William's straight son is going to get married to the daughter of a Rightest Senator from Ohio. Williams and Lane decide to try to play it straight for a night, which means turning everything in their comfortable world upside down and inside out to pull it all together.<br /><br />The writing is simply excellent, great dialog and very quotable. Even if the movie itself ended up terribly, it would have had good camp value regardless. However, the movie itself is supported strongly by the fantastic work of the acting, especially Lane because he is able to not only convince the audience about his character, but have his character try and act as well, thus creating multiple levels of personality hard to come to terms with inside of just one person. Williams does well too, but probably the best counterpart to Lane is Hank Azaria in a hilariously gay role and Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest as the conservative parents. They actually make the conservatism the movie pokes at believable while not becoming too mocking or too caricaturistic.<br /><br />All in all, it's a good time, and great fun for the whole (openminded) family.<br /><br />--PolarisDiB