🌈hewwo bitches🌈

This movie got made because Robin Williams said yes to it (and it's important that Gene Hackman did as well). Williams in the 90s was a mega-star of a type that's not present in the current media environment (maybe Tom Cruise, but I personally think that's echo from his salad days). Even his flops made money on the back end in the video rental market, which also doesn't exist anymore (streaming is different). Hackman was on the other side of his A-list career but still Hollywood nobility if not full royalty.

Playing gay was considered career suicide in the 90s. There had been a number of actors who put lie to that belief stretching back decades, but this was Williams and Hackman (yes, being on screen next to a gay character was enough to get you blacklisted) saying "screw that" and doing it anyway.

Being gay and out was career suicide in the 90s.

Nathan Lane had a really nice gig going for himself. The Lion King put him into the Disney rep company with people like Williams, Bette Midler, and Whoopie Goldberg (check their IMBD list from the 90s--they were making bank at Disney).

Lane didn't come out until several years later (nice summary: https://deadline.com/2024/06/nathan-lane-robin-williams-advice-coming-out-birdcage-1235975010/).

I don't want to imply that this was a Sorkinized moment where everything changed because of one thing, but this was a very important movie that caused real movement in the needle on queer acceptance.

Robin told him he wouldn't let that happen. He would protect him.

Oprah did exactly what Nathan was afraid of, and I've watched the clip, you can see the fear in his eyes. It wasn't time yet. It wasn't safe. He wasn't ready. And Robin, that beautiful man, improvised. Oprah had made her tone faggy, for lack of a more direct term, and Robin jumped on it, imitated and exaggerated, started riffing, made her laugh, and kept the attention on him and off Nathan long enough for her to need to move to a new question. Without Nathan ever saying a word.

The man was a saint. If I could choose a father. If I could choose someone to bring back.

and to speak to the original post, yeah the queer content of the film aged gorgeously.

what's hard and dated are the hetero bits and in particular their awful demon of a son Val. I have said it a thousand times but the film should have ended with Val being crushed by that stupid crucifix and Albert and Armand officially adopting Agador and finally letting him audition for their club 😤

I love them so much 😭😭😭

"Oh, so you like dancing?"