Gene Hackman in ‘The Birdcage’ Is Still the Gold Standard for Satirizing Reactionary Politicians

Out of all the iconic, impactful and pointed performances parodying politicians in the history of satirical filmmaking, the best one could only come from a personal enemy of President Richard M. Nixon.

This morning, officials in Santa Fe, New Mexico announced that they found film legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa deceased in their home after responding to a welfare check. While officials investigate the cause of the tragedy, the entire entertainment industry continues to produce many heartfelt eulogies and expressions of deep grief over the couple’s passing. In the wake of the solemn news, Hackman’s fans have begun to pore through his immense, legendary filmography for his greatest performances and medium-shaking moments as they post their own picks for Hackman’s top performances throughout his storied career.

But while the question of the “best” Gene Hackman performance has about a dozen correct answers, the superlative of “best-ever parody of a reactionary, small-minded and moralizing Republican senator” has only one worthy candidate, and it’s high time that we put his white dress in the Smithsonian.

In the 1996 Mike Nichols-directed comedy The Birdcage, Hackman played Senator Kevin Keeley, a socially conservative traditionalist who must drive out to meet the family of his daughter’s fiancé while simultaneously embroiled in a salacious scandal that attracts the attention of every news outlet and tabloid in the country. Little does Senator Keeley know, however, that his daughter Barbara’s beau is the son of a successful and openly gay drag club owner, played by Robin Williams, who, along with his life partner Nathan Lane, must pretend to be respectable heterosexuals to save the would-be marriage.

As the literal straight man of The Birdcage, Hackman had the unenviable task maintaining a stern demeanor while two of the most outrageous and dynamic comedic actors of all time play their ruse on his character. On top of that, Hackman had to personify all the bigotry and stiffness that the film’s screenwriter Elaine May so vehemently opposed, but, because Hackman was such a pro, he played the role with such ethos and humanity that he turned Senator Keeley into so much more than just a stand-in for the homophobia of conservative lawmakers everywhere. Hackman’s Senator Keeley isn’t a cartoonishly evil caricature — he’s a loving father and determined leader whose struggle with his convictions serves as the backbone of one of the best social satires ever made.

But what really put Hackman’s performance in The Birdcage over the top was the metatextual element created by Hackman’s own, real-life politics — and how real-life conservative politicians sneered at them. Hackman, a Democrat, was on the infamous master list of President Nixon’s political opponents that came to light during the Senate Watergate Committee’s proceedings in 1973, and Hackman considered his inclusion on the corrupt conservative bigot’s shit-list to be a point of personal pride.

So, when Hackman’s Senator Keeley found himself caught in the middle of his own personal Watergate in 1996, just two years after Tricky Dick bit the dust, Hackman’s double-peace-signed salute to the press while sneaking out of his own window was a triumphant moment for anti-demagogues everywhere.