Comfort Films 100: The Birdcage (1996)

It's our 100th episode!! To celebrate, we welcome back one of our earliest guests, the great Kate Duffy, to discuss a film that has been our number one requested comfort film over the course of the show. We talk about the incredible Nathan Lane and his unforgettable breakout role as Albert/Starina, how the film deals with irony around conservative family values, the restrained hysteria of Robin Williams's Armand and how it relates to male anxiety, the advancements (and sometimes, lack thereof) with LGBTQ+ rights, the director/writer dream team of Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Gene Hackman's surprising improv background, Dan Futterman's Val as the villain of the film, the masterful opening shot by the great cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, the major changes in the journalism economy since the mid-90s, and Kate's memories of watching the movie over and over with her dad. We also have a quick talk about our now-extensive back catalog and which episodes stand out to us most. Grab your "pirin" tablets, relax, and join us for the episode that takes us into triple digits!