Val Goldman and Barbara Keeley are engaged to be married, and have decided to have their families meet. Val's father, Armand Goldman , owns The Birdcage, a South Beach drag club. His domestic partner is Albert , who appears regularly as Starina, the show's star drag queen. They are a nuclear family.
A nuclear family is a household in which a married couple or single parent live with their own or adopted children. Barbara's father, however, is ultraconservative Republican Ohio Senator Kevin Keeley. According to the concept of states, this is power. They are an extended family.An extended family is where kin in addition to parents and children live in the same household or have a close relationship.
Fearing their reaction if they learn the truth about Val's parents Barbara changes the family's last name from Goldman to Coleman to hide their Jewish background. This was sociological imagination. What we believe to be true or “natural” is strongly influenced by social forces. (McCreary, Lecture, 8/27/09). Meanwhile, the Keeleys are traveling to South Beach.
An example of a sociological is that the father is running for senator, and is clearly in the upper class.As the evening draws nearer, Agador, the Goldmans' flamboyant, gay housekeeper, has been made into a butler and chef for the evening, despite the fact that he cannot cook and never wears shoes. Being a gay housekeeper was Agador’s social role and identity in society. The Keeleys arrive at Armand's residence, but Katherine, who is to play Val's mother, is still not there she is stuck in traffic.
Everyone engages in awkward small talk but Armand is nervous, even more so because Katherine has not arrived.Kevin and Louise, meanwhile, are worried that Armand's nervousness is because he has heard about the Jackson scandal and is uncomfortable having the Keeleys in his house. Suddenly, Albert emerges dressed in head to toe drag as a middle aged mother. Armand and Val are horrified, fearing that Katherine's arrival would destroy the illusion. Despite the many challenges facing them, Armand, Val, and Barbara all act the part and interact with Albert as Mrs. Coleman.
According to Max Weber, ideas and values have as much impact on social change as economic factors.Val leaves a note for Katherine on the bar's front door, informing her not to come inside, but two paparazzi photographers, hoping for a scoop, remove the note once Val is gone Katherine subsequently arrives and introduces herself as Mrs. Goldman. Kevin demands to know why there are two Mrs.
Colemans, Val realizes that he cannot keep lying and pulls Albert's wig off, explaining to the Keeleys that while Katherine is his biological mother, Albert is his primary mother figure. Interestingly enough, Kevin seems more upset and confused by the Goldman's Jewish heritage, and makes half as many references to their homosexuality.Kevin seems more upset and confused by the Goldman's Jewish heritage, and makes half as many references to their homosexuality. According to Marx religious belief can provide justifications for those in power. The Goldmans, the Keeleys, Katherine and Agador sequester themselves in a bedroom and contemplate the best plan of action. Val and Barbara explain why they deceived Kevin and Louise, they are forgiven, but the Keeleys fear being tangled up in a media scandal if spotted in a gay nightclub.
In a moment of brilliance, Albert then choreographs the Keeleys' escape by dressing them up as drag queens and having them leave the club as the night's show ends with one of the club's act, The Goldman Girls and their performance and rendition of Sister Sledge's disco hit “We Are Family“. As Durkheim said this is an Anomie which is a feeling of anxiety and disorientation that exists when no clear standards exist to guide behavior in social life. The plan works perfectly and none of the media crews recognize Kevin, Louise or Barbara. Kevin, a supposed homophobe, isn't distressed to be wearing a dress.
The group leaves South Beach with Katherine, passing Kevin's driver on the way out, who does not recognize him, even when they speak. This movie is a great example of social groups, leadership, culture, norms, society, nature and nurture, and social lives. This movie represents how the American culture chooses our social class in society. Some sociologists believed that lifestyle choices are an important influence on our social class position (Giddens, 209). Our class position is the way we dress, where we eat, where we sleep, and how we relax (Giddens, 210).
