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The Birdcage
Metascore
72 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    91
    Enchantingly witty.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    90
    Performed with matchless aplomb and made with plush professionalism, pic serves up pure pleasure from beginning to end.
  3. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    88
    The film is so boisterously entertaining that it's easy for the unsuspecting viewer not to realize that there's a message here.
  4. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Elvis Mitchell
    80
    An American remake with plenty of new pizazz.
  5. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: David Ansen
    80
    Everyone will be tickled pink by this sleek Mike Nichols remake.
  6. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hal Hinson
    80
    One of the loopiest, most hysterical family-values movies ever made.
  7. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Terrence Rafferty
    80
    Oddly, the funniest performer here is Gene Hackman, playing an aggressively straight, family-values-spouting politician. Hackman's deadpan inanity is sublimely comic.
  8. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    80
    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.
  9. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    What makes Mike Nichols' version more than just a retread is good casting in the key roles, and a wicked screenplay by Elaine May.
  10. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    75
    Hilarious, frenetic, and touching, but stereotyped and superficial in its treatment of both homosexuals and conservatives.
  11. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Susan Wloszczyna
    75
    Light as a feather. [8 March 1996, p.D1]
    All this critic's reviews
  12. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    70
    A spirited remake of the French drag farce, has everything in place, from eyeliner to one-liner.
  13. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Alison Macor
    67
    A bit of a letdown in some ways, The Birdcage nonetheless features some scene-stealing performances.
  14. San Francisco Examiner
    Reviewed by: Barbara Shulgasser
    63
    While Birdcage has many isolated funny moments, long bits of slowness interrupt the energy.
  15. Empire
    Reviewed by: Angie Errigo
    60
    If it weren't so darned "sincere" this would be an unmitigated bird-brained delight, but it undoubtedly remains a genial crowd pleaser.
  16. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Edward Guthmann
    50
    A glossy miscalculation.
  17. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    50
    Not without its funny moments, much of Birdcage seems pro forma and predictable. What felt original in 1978 is no longer half so inspired.
  18. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    40
    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.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.7 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. kowalski
    10
    A truly amazing comedy filled with delightful performances. Lane is particularly memorable, he lets his talent shine and he milks every moment. A can't-be-missed experience!… Full Review »
  2. AustinA.
    9
    A delicious treat.
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