“I’m very comfortable with my masculinity.”
synopsis
Armand Goldman runs a Miami drag nightclub with his flamboyant partner Albert. When Armand’s son announces he’s engaged to the daughter of a conservative U.S. senator, the Goldmans must “straighten up” for a dinner meant to impress the future in-laws. The result is escalating disguise, suppressed identity, and social hypocrisy exposed in real time.
pairs well with ...
mini-review
This is razor-sharp farce with heart. The comedy is broad, yes, but it’s grounded in something real: the anxiety of being judged by people who don’t understand you. Nathan Lane nearly steals the film, but Gene Hackman’s earnest cluelessness adds unexpected dimension. What makes it endure is its confidence — it refuses to mock its central couple while skewering everyone else’s moral panic.
A dinner party where you know at least one guest is pretending to be someone they’re not.
Absurdist's Corner
Convincing a conservative senator that a drag club owner is a straight, traditional patriarch — in one afternoon.
fun facts
Adapted from the French film La Cage aux Folles.
Robin Williams improvised many lines.
Filmed largely in South Beach before it became ultra-commercialized.