In this film, a young man is about to marry a girl--a girl from an EXTREMELY moralistic family. In fact, her father is a big-wig with a French political party that prides itself on its righteousness and pro-traditional morality stance. This is a serious problem, as the man was raised in a home with two fathers--a biological one and the father's lover--who just happens to be a cross-dressing star of a cabaret! So, to try to get the father to give his blessing, everyone conspires to hide this--to pretend that the young man was raised in a very conservative home. At first, it means possibly having the boy's biological mother pose as the mother--even though she abandoned him when he was a child. Then, when she doesn't show, the father's lover (already a cross-dresser extraordinaire) decides to fill in for her and pretend to be the mother! Will this elaborate ruse work?! A few months ago, my oldest daughter and I saw the play for "La Cage Aux Folles" on Broadway. The show was marvelous and we had a wonderful time. Now, we both sat down to see the original French film on which the play was based. In retrospect, this was not the best way to have seen the movie, as it simply was better and made the movie look a lot worse by comparison. I think if I'd seen the movie first, I would have done a much more favorable review here on IMDb.
Plot-wise, the film and play are very similar. The biggest difference is not WHAT happens but how. So, despite the events being mostly the same, the film falls quite flat in comparison because the characters seem to lack heart. In other words, there isn't the same loving chemistry there was in the play. In the play, no matter what, you KNOW that the people all love each other down deep. In this film, however, they all seem a bit selfish. In addition, the film lacks some of the humor of the play--though I could live more with that than the coldness of the characters towards each other. Good--but it could have been a lot better.
By the way, for a French comedy with a gay theme that was better AND directed by the same man who wrote the screenplay for "La Cage Aux Folles", try "The Closet"--a delightful and poignant movie indeed.
Plot-wise, the film and play are very similar. The biggest difference is not WHAT happens but how. So, despite the events being mostly the same, the film falls quite flat in comparison because the characters seem to lack heart. In other words, there isn't the same loving chemistry there was in the play. In the play, no matter what, you KNOW that the people all love each other down deep. In this film, however, they all seem a bit selfish. In addition, the film lacks some of the humor of the play--though I could live more with that than the coldness of the characters towards each other. Good--but it could have been a lot better.
By the way, for a French comedy with a gay theme that was better AND directed by the same man who wrote the screenplay for "La Cage Aux Folles", try "The Closet"--a delightful and poignant movie indeed.