Birdcage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane

Rating: 10 arthritic fingers up! (for open minded senior citizens).

Ok, Birdcage the movie hits it out of the park. Enchanting, funny, and very easy to follow, this movie had my Mom laughing out loud. The one caveat I would put upon the rating is that the movies characters are homosexuals and, although Mom and I don't care, some seniors may be more sensitive. It's just how they were raised, folks.

Birdcage opens with a drag show in a club owned by Armand (Robin Williams) in Florida. Armand and his companion, Albert, the star of the drag show (Nathan Lane), live in a grand home above the club. Tended to by gay housekeeper Agador (Hank Azaria), Albert is quite the drama queen in more sense than one.

Armand's son, Val, the product of a one night stand some 20 years ago, is getting married to the daughter (Calista Flockhart) of a very conservative politician played by Gene Hackman and asks that "Auntie Albert" not be present during the meeting between Armand and his fiance's family. This is where the fun begins.

There's many laugh out loud parts of the movie Birdcage. Our favorites were:

• "Sparticus" trying to walk in shoes. Hank Azaria is hilarious as a slapstick actor.
• Watching Albert, in his pink striped suit glory try to walk like John Wayne

The movie is totally enchanting and has some great one liners in it that are easy to follow. Although Nathan Lane is truly the star of the show, Hank Azaria's housekeeper character takes the cake as far as Mom and I were concerned.

This is a GREAT movie for a senior citizen or anyone, imho.

If you liked Birdcage, you'll love:

   

Moonstruck with Cher and Nicholas Cage

Rating: Four arthritic fingers up

I'll admit it - this review is mostly my take on Moonstruck as my Mom fell asleep right after it started, awoke briefly, decided it was boring and dozed right back off. I could have done the same if I hadn't been entertained by online writing while the movie was playing.

The premise of this movie is one of deception - and, everybody is cheating on everybody else during this particular phase of the moon - hence, Moonstruck.

Cher's character is engaged to an Italian mobster type man but sleeps, and falls in love with, his brother. Cher's mother (Olivia Dukakis) meets a younger college professor during dinner out one night and there she goes! Meanwhile, Cher's father is carrying on a display of affection with a tart.

Besides everyone doing everyone else, there was a scene when Cher's original boyfriend is at the bedside of his ill mother. I found that scene a bit uncomfortable given that I'm my elderly Mom's caregiver. I was glad she slept through it, although the mother does recover.

There's also a lot of Italian yelling and gesturing. I say skip this one. Instead, you might like: