The Gilded Cage

2013

1 hr. 30 min.

Comedy

List

88%

8 Reviews

Tomatometer

72%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Maria and Jose live for 30 years on the ground floor of a building and become an integral part of the other residents' lives. When they plan to return to Portugal, their neighbors do everything they can to make them stay.

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martin f

A heart-warming familial comedy that works on an emotional and funny level. The movie balances itself between some sitcom humor and deep reflection about family, culture, and commitment. The family is endearing. If for the viewers, the decision they have to make through the movie may seem simple, the story makes a good job to make you understand that it seems easy but not for someone like our protagonists who had to fight for their place in another country most of their life. The characters are colorful, like in typical French comedies, but they do evolve and can take surprising emotional decisions. It's the Portuguese culture seen through a French comedy but it's done with enjoyable respect for it. After the movie, you will look for a Super Bock beer and some Bacalhau a brás.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Serge L

This comedy is full of hilarious words and moments. For a charming film to be hilarious as well, it is rare. The plot stands well and is intelligent. We are never sure how it will end.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/02/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Some funny moments in this, but the film is filled with cliches about the Portuguese, who are all Bricklayers and their wives concierges ... The exploitation of immigrants by the French is well shown but we present this community as the "good" immigrants who let themselves be exploited ("that's what we like" says a character) and let their daughter get fucked by the son of the boss. Do not dream, this immigration is over!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very good-natured comedy of culture clashes pitting roots against new lives and family against loyalty to others. Helps if you understand how the Portuguese are perceived in France.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Best Portuguese Film i ever seen. The competition is not very strong ether lol, most Portuguese films suck. The film occurs in France, Portuguese family with Mother, Father and 2 kids, boy and girl. They are good workers, they just do everting there boss ask them too, not because they are told too but because they are good people and like to work hard. The Mother is a portress in a building and the Father is a construction worker. One day they receive a letter from the Fathers brother saying that he has died and they got a big heritage. But for them to receive the heritage they must leave France and live in Portugal. They start to wonder if they should stay or not. Without the mother knowing, her sister reads the letter and tell everyone. Her sister want them to stay because she is going to open a restaurant ( Cod theme LOL, very Portuguese ) The boss of the mother wants her to stay because she does everthing on the building and that helps the boss to save a lot of money. The boss of the father wants him to stay because he needs him to get a new really big project going. The Boss of the mother tell all other tenants and they start to do things around the building, and the mothers is like ' wtf is wrong with this people, why are they doing my work ?? ' The Boss of the father gives him a big pay raise and starts to take him to fancy restaurants, and the Father is like ' Wtf is all this for? ' Her daughter tell them that she is pregnant, and the baby father is the son of her father boss. And they decide to have a Dinner all together on her house. The Dinner is really really awkward, and they are like ' wtf is going on ' and then they found out that everyone know about the heritage. And they are like ' these people dont care about us, they just want us to stay for us to do our jobs' and they start to just suck at there jobs. After some time, they are like ' wtf are we doing this is not us, what are we going to do ? ' They give the heritage to her daughter, the daughter comes to Portugal and they have a Big nice meal with all the friends and family. Really liked this Film, because it shows what Our immigrants go trough and that we are good people and hard workers. Love you Stephanie Joan Logan.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I only wish it had more portuguese dialogues, because it would have been delightful to see the confused expressions on the foreigners actors when we, Portugueseses, speak loud and clear swear-words.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

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Ruben Alves

Director

Rita Blanco

Maria Ribeiro

Joaquim de Almeida

José Ribeiro

Roland Giraud

Francis Cailaux

Chantal Lauby

Solange Cailaux

Barbara Cabrita

Paula Ribeiro

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Ronnie Scheib

Variety

Alves ultimately unites his large cast in festive unity, with comic reversals redeeming the seemingly irredeemable in farcical fashion, and with large doses of ethnic warming.

Apr 2, 2014

Full Review

Kent Turner

Film-Forward.com

The acting style wavers from the sensitive to the most sitcomish ... What's ham in Portuguese, canastro?

Rated: 2/4

Mar 11, 2014

Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

A Portuguese working-class couple who give all they've got to their employers must rearrange their priorities when they come into a large inheritance.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 6, 2014

Full Review

Lee Zachariah

Concrete Playground

For all the odd cultural references, the film is charming and feelgood and pretty funny. If you've been burned by bad French comedies in recent times, this should certainly help mend those wounds.

Feb 28, 2014

Full Review

Fiona Williams

sbs.com.au

It's hard to fault the film's rousing shout out to hard-working migrant families, but the message gets muddled in the madness.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 16, 2013

Full Review

Jim Schembri

3AW

First-time writer/director Ruben Alves based this delightful, family-values lark on his life experiences and elicits some playful performances from his ensemble cast.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 13, 2013

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Synopsis

Maria and Jose live for 30 years on the ground floor of a building and become an integral part of the other residents' lives. When they plan to return to Portugal, their neighbors do everything they can to make them stay.

Director: Ruben Alves
Screenwriter: Ruben Alves, Jean-André Yerles, Hugo Gélin
Production Co: Zazi Films, TF1 Films Production, Pathé
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 3, 2016
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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