The Birdcage
United Artists | Release Date: March 8, 1996 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Enchantingly witty. Read full review
90
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Performed with matchless aplomb and made with plush professionalism, pic serves up pure pleasure from beginning to end. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The film is so boisterously entertaining that it's easy for the unsuspecting viewer not to realize that there's a message here. Read full review
80
NewsweekDavid Ansen
Everyone will be tickled pink by this sleek Mike Nichols remake. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
An American remake with plenty of new pizazz. Read full review
80
The New YorkerTerrence Rafferty
Oddly, the funniest performer here is Gene Hackman, playing an aggressively straight, family-values-spouting politician. Hackman's deadpan inanity is sublimely comic. Read full review
80
Washington PostHal Hinson
One of the loopiest, most hysterical family-values movies ever made. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
This isn't the supreme masterpiece it might have been, but Nichols's direction is very polished and some of the lines and details are awfully funny. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
What makes Mike Nichols' version more than just a retread is good casting in the key roles, and a wicked screenplay by Elaine May. Read full review
75
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
Light as a feather. [8 March 1996, p.D1]
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Hilarious, frenetic, and touching, but stereotyped and superficial in its treatment of both homosexuals and conservatives. Read full review
70
Washington PostDesson Thomson
A spirited remake of the French drag farce, has everything in place, from eyeliner to one-liner. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleAlison Macor
A bit of a letdown in some ways, The Birdcage nonetheless features some scene-stealing performances. Read full review
63
San Francisco ExaminerBarbara Shulgasser
While Birdcage has many isolated funny moments, long bits of slowness interrupt the energy. Read full review
60
EmpireAngie Errigo
If it weren't so darned "sincere" this would be an unmitigated bird-brained delight, but it undoubtedly remains a genial crowd pleaser. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
A glossy miscalculation. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Not without its funny moments, much of Birdcage seems pro forma and predictable. What felt original in 1978 is no longer half so inspired. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not credited)
This drag comedy is aimed squarely at middle America, where these cuddly queens should play very well -- just so long as nobody remembers that gay people don't just sing show tunes and cook delightful meals; they also have sex. Read full review
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