U.S. Remakes of Foreign Blockbusters

The beauty of The Birdcage is that it feels so alive in its own world that some people forget it had a life before Miami. But it did, and a vibrant one. La Cage aux Folles had already proven that the situation worked brilliantly: a gay couple running a nightclub must play straight, respectable hosts when family expectations come crashing through the door. In the American remake, Mike Nichols directs, Elaine May writes, Robin Williams plays Armand with surprising restraint, and Nathan Lane gives Albert such fluttering comic panic that whole scenes belong to him the moment he enters.