La Cage aux Folles 3: The Wedding Reviews

The third time was not a charm, as the same actors came back for yet another go-around at drag comedy. It took no less than six screenwriters to conjure up this story, which is, at best, serviceable. Michel Serrault, the flashy member of the French cinema's best-loved gay couple, is still living with Ugo Tognazzi, the straighter of the duo. Their nightclub in St. Tropez has fallen on hard times, and Serrault is preparing to star in a new revue they hope will bring the customers flocking back. If they can raise enough money to pay for new costumes, he will be the "Queen of Bees," and when Serrault's uncle dies in Scotland and leaves his nephew a hefty inheritance, Tognazzi is thrilled. There is a catch, however; to collect, Serrault will have to marry and sire a child within 18 months. Benny Luke and Michel Galabru again reprise their roles, but this time director Edouard Molinaro hands over the duties to Georges Lautner. Though this is a pleasant enough picture, in which Serrault's hysterical characterization offers plenty of laughs, both this entry and LA CAGE AUX FOLLES II pale in comparison with the original. (Italian dubbed into English.)