Rating 15
Length 1h48
Release 26.04.1996
Director Mike Nichols
About Gay lovers Armand and Albert disguise themselves as a heterosexual couple in order to meet and impress the conservative family of their son’s fiancee.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
Trailer:
The Good
Robin Williams in one of his understated performances makes for a rather charming and contrasting role. Not only in terms of his own body of work, but the performance really stands out against the delightful flamboyance of both Nathan Lane and Hank Azaria. Knowing that Williams could have equally nailed the part of Albert and would have been the audiences expectation, makes the role of Armand all the more impactful being in the hands of Williams.
On the most part, the comedy really lands. Particularly when it comes to the Conservative Family and this is one time in which the audience knowing something characters don’t.
The comedy really ramps up when everything starts to fall apart and utilises all of the tropes that come with a set up based on lies.
I adored the resolve. How they protect Gene Hackman’s senator from the media is charming. It’s also the only way I would buy the acceptance from the family. Which dies make me wish that the outro had been held back and we got to experience a sequel.
The Bad
I love Hank Azaria, I really do. The performance is funny and I love almost all of it. The except being the accent. It’s too ‘crafted’ like many of his other ethnic accents in the Simpsons. It just needed toning down slightly to make it more authentic.
The son, Val, and his fiancé are absolute dicks. What they ask of Armand and Albert is heartbreaking and, certainly for me, doesn’t work. They need to really have already met, and love, Barbara. The decision to fictionalise the Goldman’s lives also really should have come from Armand and Albert. There’s no way a Senator’s daughter who seems as intelligent as Barbra would ever think she could get away with such lies, particularly when the media have just uncovered a scandal.
By making this change, Val doesn’t come across as so entitled and cruel.
The Ugly
There’s no doubt, this film is a trailblazer for the LGBTQ community. However, the plot doesn’t come across as an LGBTQ positive film. The majority of the plot is about putting Armand into the closet and teaching Albert “how to be a man” and doesn’t scream positivity.
Then there’s the use of the word “fag” repeatedly. I’m aware that some words we now consider slurs are used by an intended community in a positive way, and that words have different means depending on the country of use. However, I’m pretty certain by 1996, the word “fag” was considered more slur than not. The use did make me wonder about the creation of this film, it’s predcessor and the play they’re both based upon and whether anyone involved was part of the community. It feels like gay representation by straight creatives to me. It just meant this wasn’t the uplifting film I thought it was going to be.
Side Note
This film made me think about the recent call for all gay characters being played by gay actors and why this is a very bad idea.
Nathan Lane is openly gay. Now.
Back in 1996? Not so much. Although he was almost outed on Oprah while promoting this film.
By enforcing the rule above, means you’re forcing people to out themselves when they’re not comfortable to. It also means you’re writing off a performance like the one Nathan Lane gives in this film.
Final Thoughts
This film, however flawed, walked so the LGBTQ genre could run and it’s a must watch for anyone who loved the amazing talent that is Robin Williams.
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