Watching this movie after seeing the French original is like reading wikipedia summary after reading 'Romeo and Juliet'. Robin Williams as Armand is the only actor who is playing his role somewhat close to satisfactory. He can't quite match the charm and manners of Ugo Tognazzi, though. But Nathan Lane as Albert is a disaster. You can clearly see that he is a man occasionally trying to play a gay person. It's all in the makeup and even that does not always help. When he is rehearsing a song you can't tell he's gay at all. But if you look at Michel Serrault's original performance, it's nothing short of outstanding. Every movement, every expression tells you that he's a woman in man's body. Basically, a witty script and superb actors' play make me watch the 1978 "La Cage Aux Folles" original over and over, while bland adaptation with weak acting of "The Birdcage" spoils the brilliant script. I have no clue what was the point in making this remake. Replace french lawmaker with a senator? Just go get the original. Then you can watch this remake and see if you agree with me. (BTW, if you liked Schwarzenegger's "True Lies", you might want to watch the French original, "La Totale". They have the same plot, and, surprisingly, they are both good, just shot differently!)