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La Cage aux Folles (French)

By Golu
This is such a fun, entertaining French comedy from the 70s. I first saw it maybe 15 years ago and only had a blurry memory of it, so I figured now was a great time to revisit the classic and its sequels for my blog. You definitely shouldn't judge this one by today's standards—you have to think about the era when it actually came out. Since it’s been remade a few times, it’s really interesting to come back to the original after all these years and see how silly and over-the-top it still is. The story is about Renato and Albin, a constantly bickering couple who run a flashy nightclub called La Cage aux Folles. Renato is the more level-headed one who manages the place, while Albin is the star drag performer who gets a bit hysterical but always plays to a full house. Their lives get flipped upside down when Renato’s son, Laurent—who came from a one-time fling years ago—announces he’s getting married. The big catch is that his girlfriend’s dad is a leader of a super conservative po...
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Le Placard (French) [The Closet]

By Golu
This movie is a hilarious take on how people's lives can take a turn just by saying a simple lie. It can save your job, bring back happiness in your life and make other things also better. Revolving around a humble accountant François, whose only crime is that he is very boring, the film deals with sexual issues without being over the top comedy. It is very subdued. François finds out that lay offs are going to happen in the office and he will be laid off soon. He has already been deserted by his wife and his teenage son and now scared that he will loose his job as well, he is sharing his dilemma with his neighbor who suggests that he should pretend to be gay to save his job because the company will not want to be sued for discrimination. François emergence from the closet has an effect on a number of people. Suddenly his co-workers find him amusing and talk to him. His company now wants him to march in gay pride in for their company's benefit. His son suddenly starts liking him better than his mom because he thinks his father is cool. One of his co-workers, the macho Felix, pretends to be friendly to François for fear that his overtly homophobic attitude will get him fired. In the process he actually discovers his own closet homosexuality and now he wants to leave his wife and leave with François. Only François's boss is not entirely convinced that François is gay. When things go out of hand to the extent that Felix is sent to mental asylum because he is madly deeply in love with François does François decide to tell everyone the truth. Everyone finally understands his point of view and now things really change for good for him. He finds love in his co-worker who helps him get over his ex-wife. French films always have that extra flair. It is a charming film which shows how over a period of time certain views on homosexuality have changed but they show all this in a very light tone. It also manages to bring in other threads involving Felix's homophobia, a thread that starts out being very funny but later becomes quite touching and delicate. The film never gets very serious and this is precisely why the interest in the film is kept alive. It also has some very funny scenes as to how small news can end up being big rumors and how François's co-workers thought process also changes over a period of time. The characters are all developed very well and as a viewer it is easy to identify with them. Overall an enjoyable little film that has a good comic tone as well as an interesting story. (6.5/10)
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