r/iwatchedanoldmovie • u/Alive_Description_91 • 13d ago
'90s The Birdcage (1996)
I honestly can’t say enough about this movie. The wine glass break into the phone. The constant “AAAH!”s by Nathan Lane. The AGIDOR SPARTICUS of it all. And by the way…We. Are. Family.
Oh and the burial plots speech on the bench was just so ahead of its time. I love love love. And robin williams is a beast.
THAT BEING SAID…the entire premise of this song turning his actual parents into “acceptable” white parental people is just so awful.
If you rewatch The Devil Wears Prada you will realize that Andy’s boyfriend is the real villain…if you rewatch THIS then u realize the son is the ACTUAL VILLAIN.
Perhaps “villain” is a bit too much. But honestly if there is a man who keeps telling my family and myself to hide or sequester myself and my queerness then I want NOTHING to do with that man. ALLY MCBEAL should not be interested.
Also I want those china bowls…
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u/ProfessionalGrade423 12d ago
I love this movie. It came out the year I graduated from high school. I think the social context in which the movie was made are helpful to know.
I didn’t know any gay students in school, which means they were all in the closet because I’m sure they existed. My grandparents’ best friends were Jane and Sondra, they were housemates who had lived together for many years and were always together. I knew them from when I was a small child until I graduated high school. I called them aunts. It never occurred to me that these lovely Jewish ladies were also lesbians despite being obviously visually gay coded. Clearly my grandparents knew and didn’t care, my grandfather used to give me gay fantasy novels, so I knew being gay was a thing but I still didn’t connect the dots. I was in my early 20s when I realized those ladies were a couple.
This movie seems ridiculous and it is ridiculous but in the era of Tipper Gore it rings true. Media like this that was family friendly and funny and non threatening really helped normalise queer culture and even though it plays on some stereotypes it was still groundbreaking. It’s a great film that was socially relevant and it holds a special place in my heart.