How to Fly Out of the Nest... Or... Birdcage...

I thought this movie was surprisingly fantastic. I didn't really know what to expect from a film staring Robin Williams AND Nathan Lane AAND Gene Hackman. I really was at a loss, trying to imagine what such a movie would hold. To be honest, I was kind of expecting to be let down. But I was not, let me tell you. The movie had me laughing the whole time. But, this being a movie I had to watch for class, The Birdcage is so much more than just an entertaining movie. The overlying theme of the entire film has been something that the United States has been dealing with since longer than most of the class member have been alive. Homosexual culture and acceptance. Personally, I had never thought that the issue of gay rights has been a problem for so long. I had only paid attention to what had happened in my lifetime. But it is very interesting to see another scope of argument portrayed through this picture.
Even though it takes plays nearly 20 years ago, The Birdcage bares a striking resemblance to todays America. That is, half of the country is pro gay, half is against. Or, as most of the characters say, half liberal, half conservative. Half get along with everyone, half get along with no one. And this is partly true and apparent in todays political world. The only reason we can't really get anything done in America today is because there is so much opposition against everything. Abortion is bad because it kills children. But no, it's good because it gives women a choice. Guns are good because they offer protection and security. But no, they're bad because... They kill children... Gay rights are good because all men are created equal. But, again, no. They're bad because they wither away tradition, which is something that this country was founded upon. Every argument that is presented in the U.S. seems to always have an equally supported antithesis, if you will. And we see this in the film.
Val loves his parents and supports their homosexuality to the fullest. Yet, he wants them to shun their orientation so they will be accepted by his fiancé's parents. Barbara, or Barbie or whatever, does the same. Even the senator, who is the founder of the "Coalition of Moral Order" accepts the help of Albert by dressing up as a drag queen to escape the press. It's almost as if no one really knows who they are or what they want in this film. (Especially those conservatives. What a bunch of idiots, am I right? You could pull any wool you wanted over their eyes.) This is again the same with todays society. So many people are so flip-floppity about what they support and what they don't. Today, people seem to change their minds more than their socks.