La Cage Aux Folles

After son Laurent (Rémi Laurent) turns up and announces his impending nuptials, transvestite-nightclub owner Renato (Ugo Tognazzi) and his drag-queen star attraction, Albin (Michel Serrault), agree to keep their gay lifestyle under wraps for the benefit of the bride-to-be's ultraconservative parents. When the prospective in-laws come to dinner, Renato and Albin masquerade as a straight, married couple -- with farcical results.

Criterion: Renato (Ugo Tognazzi) and Albin (Michel Serrault)—a middle-aged gay couple who are the manager and star performer at a glitzy drag club in Saint-Tropez—agree to hide their sexual identities, along with their flamboyant personalities and home decor, when the ultraconservative parents of Renato’s son’s fiancée come for a visit. This elegant comic scenario kicks off a wild and warmhearted French farce about the importance of nonconformity and being true to oneself. A breakout art-house smash in America, Edouard Molinaro’s La Cage aux Folles inspired a major Broadway musical and the blockbuster remake The Birdcage. But with its hilarious performances and ahead-of-its-time social message, there’s nothing like the audacious, dazzling original movie.