User Reviews

While the film itself certainly has it's shortcomings, Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance embodies the film's title. While a lesser actor would have taken the role of Rusty as a caricature of gay and transgender stereotypes, Hoffman performs the role with deep sensitivity and respect for the trials of someone living a misunderstood life. Robert De Niro is also believable as a gritty police officer recovering from a stroke.

The most powerful thing about this film is that it doesn't gloss over stereotypes, but still makes the viewer feel compassion for both characters. Deniro's cop goes through a huge transformation from homophobe to someone who learns the value of people whom he may not fully understand, and does so with a delicate, nuanced touch.

I love this movie, even if only for the scene with Hoffman talking to the Log Cabin Republican about their own bias against more flamboyant gays. It's powerful and true, and one of the only films to address the issue, even if only briefly.

‘Flawless' is an offbeat story about Walter Koontz (Robert De Niro) an ex-cop who suffers a stroke and loses partial ability to speak. In an effort to regain some of his speech capabilities it is recommended to him that he take singing lessons. So he decides to ask his neighbor Rusty (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who is a female impersonator, to give him singing lessons. This is an unlikely pairing because Walter is a belligerent homophobe.

This film was written and directed by Joel Schumacher. His story, though peculiar, makes some powerful points. This is a story about hatred, bigotry and reconciliation. Walter learns through his disability who his friends really are, and who they are not. It seems that the people he hates treat him a lot better than the people he thought he loved. Ultimately, he is able to look past his prejudices to find the human elements that make him and Rusty not so different after all.

This was an excellent character study of both main characters, giving a lot of insight into the motivations and lives of each. Unfortunately, the story meanders too often to irrelevant characters and scenes that don't really contribute much (like the Gay Republicans). Schumacher would have been better to concentrate on the relationship between Walter and Rusty rather than digressing so frequently into Rusty's relationships with his friends.

De Niro was outstanding in this film. Not only was he excellent in the emotional portrayal of a man having to deal with a sudden debilitating stroke, but he was very realistic in his portrayal of the physical disability itself. The combination of his struggles to do the simplest of tasks and the obvious look of anguish and frustration on his face was poignant and affecting.

Hoffman brought a lot of emotional energy to his part, and his imitation of a drag queen was passable, though somewhat forced and unnatural. Wilson Jermaine Heredia, who played Cha-Cha, the winner of the Flawless contest, was a much more convincing queen.

I rated this film a 7/10. This is a good film that helps us understand that the remedy for the fear wrought of our differences is understanding, not hatred. In that respect it makes an important contribution. If cross dressing and blatantly gay themes put you off, perhaps you should defy your inclinations and see it.

I am sorry to say that I saw this movie for the first time today. You know they say hind sight is 20/20. I remember when the previews for the movie were out and I thought that looks like a really great movie. It was an incredible movie.

De Niro is exceptional as the homophobic former hero cop with a speech impediment due to a stroke. Hoffman is wonderful as the singing drag queen. The chemistry between the characters is true to life and heartfelt. When they come together, we see that their dissimilar lives are not so dissimilar at all. They are both overcoming some of the same trials and tribulations just over different things. They develop an amazing bond that will help them through the tough times.

A Flawlessly Beautiful Movie.

An unlikely bond is formed between a conservative, retired New York City cop who has suffered a stroke, and a drag queen, in `Flawless,' written and directed by Joel Schumacher. Walter Koontz (Robert De Niro) is paralyzed on his right side, his speech is impaired and he can barely walk; to overcome his speech difficulties, he is encouraged by his doctor to try singing lessons, which in some cases like his have proved effective. Toward that end, he hires Rusty Zimmerman (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a neighbor in his apartment building, who performs at a local club in town. Formerly at odds with one another, the two form an alliance for their mutual benefit; Walter needs help, and Rusty needs the money. De Niro, as always, turns in an outstanding performance here, so physically convincing and shading Walter's disability with such finesse, that you forget that this is an actor playing a role. Such is the magic De Niro can weave on the screen. Hoffman, too, is excellent as Rusty, the tortured soul who wouldn't wish his life on anyone, and who can readily identify with Walter's newly acquired sense of isolation and helplessness. He understands self-pity and tries to help Walter get past his own. There is nuance to his performance through which he conveys so well Rusty's subtle anxieties and the feeling of rancor that surrounds him, and with which he must live every day of his life. Also notable in a supporting role is Skipp Sudduth as Walter's friend, Tommy, who must deal with his own confusion in dealing with Walter's situation, and the people with whom he now finds him involved. Previous to the stroke, drag queens were definitely not a part of their immediate circle of friends. The supporting cast includes Barry Miller (Leonard), Christopher Bauer (Jacko), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Tia) and Karina Arrovave (Amber). Schumacher has deftly crafted a character study that examines diversity and proffers the rewards of a symbiotic existence. The message here is that no one is flawless; we're imperfect creatures living together in an imperfect world, and if we can only get beyond ourselves and our prejudices, we just may find that gold at the end of the rainbow. `Flawless' is not without it's own flaws, either; some of the scenes involving the other drag queens and some of the criminal elements involved are somewhat overplayed at times, but that's a minor complaint. This film is deeply felt without being sentimental, and sheds some light on the human condition. It holds up a mirror to all of us, and asks the flawless among us to step forward. I rate this one 7/10.

FLAWLESS / (1999) **1/2 (out of four)

By Blake French:

Somewhere in "Flawless" there is a very good movie, but it is shuttered by the awkwardness of a jumbled plot. There are two separate stories here, and although they are interrelated, either one by itself would be enough for a whole movie. Robert De Niro and Philip Seymour Hoffman make a chemistry-rich pair, both entertaining and amusing, and their screen presence is deserving of a lot of attention-it is tragic that not one but two different stories get in the way of their electric charisma together.

The first storyline details a homophobic former New York City security officer named Walt Koontz (Robert De Niro) who, at the beginning of the movie, has a stroke while rushing to a nearby crime scene. He is burdened with partial paralysis on the right side of his body and speech problems, which can be overcome with the help of his neighbor, Rusty Zimmerman (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a flamboyantly gay drag queen who often practices his musically vocal abilities with fellow friends in drag. Walt's physical therapist recommends singing lessons from Rusty.

The other story involves a criminal named Mr. Z and his attempts to find the incompetent people who stole a large sum of cash belonging to him. As Walt'z recovery continues, and the relationship between him and Rusty becomes more stable, various characters must react to the danger of Mr. Z and his clan of criminals.

What makes this movie so amusing is the interesting personality clash between the characters of Robert De Niro and Philip Seymour Hoffman. I just wish De Niro's character was more active; for much of the production he is nothing but a metronome who is unable to speak or even move much. Some of the elements involving the gay drag queens are hilarious and contribute to the movie's effective mood, and Philip Seymour Hoffman is so deliciously clever as Rusty that I would nominate his performance for an Oscar almost immediately. The dialogue is witty and intelligent ("I need some butch faggots over here."), taking advantage of the situations applicable and giving the movie a surprising emotionally gentle side.

Not much else of "Flawless" is gentle, though. The overwhelming majority of the movie is gritty, rough material intended for adult audiences only. The vulgarism and profanity seemingly never stop and the coarse atmosphere is prevalent. The film is shot in a grainy, high-contrast style, with excellent cinematography and mood development. None of this shocks us, however, since the film's director, Joel Schumacher, was behind such perverse movies like "A Time To Kill," "8MM," and "Tigerland."

"Flawless" has a lot of decent material but it just does not fit together because of the plot distractions. Too much plot has never really been an issue for Joel Schumacher; in "A Time to Kill" and "8MM" he found focus with a central character, here he finds likable traits in two main characters, but allows the plot to control their inspirational qualities. If Schumacher were to reexamine this script with a different perspective, perhaps cutting the Mr. Z plot entirely, maybe it would work more effectively. As it currently stands, "Flawless" is a movie in which the actors work hard to overcome a plot heavy script and they do reign victorious in a few battles, but eventually lose the war.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is good (if one-note) as a drag queen in New York City who makes nice with the neighbor he hates: security officer and now stroke-victim Robert De Niro. The antagonistic relationship between the two might've used a bit of smoothing over (occasionally it feels like they're winging it, and De Niro's speech impediment tends to vary), but with two terrific actors running the scenes, there are compensations. De Niro himself looks fantastic, and he doesn't try to command the picture or any of his scenes with Hoffman; he's such a team player that you automatically respond to him. A drug-czar subplot is old hat, and the dancehall girl-with-the-heart-of-gold stuff is an obvious cliché (it's all been done before). But the real problem with the movie is that times have changed and perceptions are different, and not all gays are drag queens and not all drag queens want to have sex-change operations (it's such a moldy myth that one wonders if writer-director Joel Schumacher is totally out of touch and actually believes the stereotype?). The continual foul language is a strain to listen to, but the growing camaraderie between the two leads proves to have some interesting give-and-take. **1/2 from ****

I will start by saying RIP Phillip Seymour Hoffman - his acting talents were magnificent and we truly lost a special person. Every one of his films is acted with passion and dedication and "Flawless" is no different. He is special in this and his portrayal of the fierce drag queen is tender and heartfelt whilst also being fierce and powerful. Robert De Niro is of course brilliant in his role and really did an incredible job playing a stroke survivor - that is no easy feat and he has put his all in to every movement and every word spoken. This film should be watched for the acting talent and energy of these two actors alone as well as the character study of two very interesting people who find themselves with unique challenges to face in life. The cinematography is not top notch (the film was made in '99 so it does have a rustic quality) but it's perfectly fine. The focus here is on the characters, colourful and frantically trying to find connections in a difficult world. They are flawed in some ways through sheer stubborness or quick tempers but they aren't all that different when it comes down to it - they are both flawed in similar ways and maybe that's why their friendship works. It doesn't feel forced - it grows naturally and their chemistry is on fire. I loved this film - it depicts the world of drag queens wonderfully and the difficulties members of the LGBT community faced in the 90's. For the time it was made I applaud it - it hasn't tried to sugar coat anything and it has thrust us in to a layered and colourful and magical environment.

Loved it loved it loved it .

It's on Netflix UK right now so watch it.

This film may prove to be a little overly long, but is easily saved by it's two stars, Robert de Niro and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Especially the latter is GREAT!

If this film is deemed any competition to "In & Out", it beats this film by MILES! Don't miss it! And the soundtrack, especially the tango is alluring and seductive.

What a bizarre film! I hope it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, because if you can resist turning it off before the last third, you will be rewarded with a really funny, maudlin resolution. The final credits play over a scene that intimates that this is actually a farce, and I hope that it was.

Flawless is a film that is about performances from two fantastic leading men and no so much about the story or the plot itself. The movie is about an ex homophobic cop who suffers a stroke while trying to save a girl , who happens to be a friend of his gay transvestite neighbour , during a run in with some drug dealers. His doctor tells him the best way to improve his speech is to start singing lessons. He plucks up courage to ask his neigbour to teach him to sing. This film is about how the relationship grows between these two very different people and how they both work together to overcome their very different problems. De Niro is back to his best after some very average movies and the acting from Phillip Seymour Hoffman is just outstanding. I have seen Hoffman in other films such as Boogie Nights and Magnolia and was impressed then but this is his best to date. I love this film and i think you will to. Dont miss it.

Ex security guard and arch homophobic Robert De Niro lives in a block next door to outrageous drag queen Philip Seymour Hoffman. After De Niro suffers a stroke during a raid by thugs looking for their lost money he sinks into depression, but is directed to Hoffman who can help him with speech therapy using singing. Simultaneously, the thugs and his friends keeping coming back, intimidating and beating Hoffman and his friends, still looking for their money.

The plot is perhaps a little neat and simplistic leading to a predictable climax, but that's not really the reason for watching this. Within the claustrophobic, darkened apartments in the block, the relationship between De Niro and Hoffman flourishes and with 2 fine performances on show, plenty of laughs to be found and a great cast of supporting actors in and out of dresses, there's a lot to enjoy here.

while the two lead actors were both great in their roles, this movie needed a serious editor. Some scenes of the drag faction arguing with gay republicans had nothing to do with the story, and the scenes jumped from scene to scene often for no reason. For instance, when DeNiro first is unconscious in the hospital, he recovers and walks out (which presumably was at least a few days after the stroke), yet the next scenes show the villians trashed an apartment where a murder had occurred -- a site that obviously would have been off limits as a crime scene.

You can enjoy the acting of the 2 leads in this movie, but the plot is a mess, and definitely brings the overall rating for this movie

D O W N

I found the problem with Flawless the same I find in most Hollywood's films: too much rules in the story. To make the film entertainable, Hollywood producers do not open hand of rules, this case being the subplot where gangsters try to recuperate money stolen from their drug dealing (among others). The film itself is an actor's film. I won't share the plot once more, but it deals with the approximation of two worlds: that of the retired cop (Robert the Niro) with impaired speaking to a drag queen (Phillip Seymor Hoffman) that know the basics of singing, who will help him with his voice. Around the two the film stands, and that's the sole meaning of its existence. The growth of both characters it's what most justify the film, that becomes a pleasurable within being in the hands of this two sacred monsters of cinema.

DeNiro did a great job as a stroke victim, Philip Seymour Hoffman did an outstanding job as the "Drag Queen next door". I'm happy to see Hoffman getting more substantial roles. He was great in "The Big Lebowski" as Brandt and was also very good as the environmental activist in "Next Stop Wonderland".

Anytime I see some kind of Drag-Queen comedy I can't help but think of the French film La Cage Aux Folles. Flawless in many ways is just as funny but is balanced with a darker plot.

Rent this movie, if for nothing else, to see Philip Seymour Hoffman shine. In his role as drag-queen Rusty Zimmerman, Hoffman is flawless. In the three movies I have seen with Hoffman in them, "The Talented Mr. Ripley", "Magnolia", and "Flawless", Hoffman has consistently lost himself in the character. He is able to do this to the point of the viewer not being able to recognize the actor - the greatest compliment an actor can receive. De Niro is De Niro, delivering a spot-on performance of a man struggling with change due to a stroke. The rest of the cast delivers an entertaining array of characters, which just adds to my disappointment with the film. Because, as good as the acting was, the directing - and to some extent the writing - was a let-down. Much of the violence seemed misplaced in what was a touching, humorous story. A few times I found myself pulled away from the story and wondering why Schumacher felt he needed to add someone being shot in the head. The ending was simply ridiculous - meant more for a Sylvester Stallone I-can't-believe-this thriller than for the emotionally-gripping story that Flawless should have been. This is a good movie. However, had the direction been more true to the main story, it could have been a great movie. And had it not been for superb acting, this could easily have been a bad movie. Keeping my eyes and ears open for the next "Fifth Element", I'm M.P. Silbernagel.

I saw this film on a plane and thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly the performance of Philip Seymour Hoffmann whom I found spectacular as a lonely, vulnerable, witty drag queen reaching out to recent stroke victim, homophobic DeNiro. The two of them were marvelous - and the end of the film had an outtake of Hoffmann and DeNiro practicing "The Name Game" that alone was worth the entire movie. There were certainly stereotypes among the minor characters but the plot was good and so was the acting. My acting teacher used to describe plays/films like "Virginia Wolff" as love stories. Using his criteria of two people coming together, sharing experiences and touching each other's hearts - Flawless certainly qualifies as an atypical love story.

The movie moved very well, not to slow but not too quick, and included all that need to be said in the 2 hours without going overboard and too dramatic. The dialoque in the movie was great with quotes like "Mr. My Left Foot" and "Here Comes American's Least Wanted". And plus the acting was great. Robert De Niro was great as usual and Philip Seymour Hoffman showed why he is one of the most underrated actors ever. I gave this movie a 7 because of what I mentioned above. The movie was pretty generic though, denying it a rating of something higher then a 7, and despite the fact I said it moved pretty well, there were a couple of slow spots that took place. So overall, it was entertaining, not completely flawless but will watch again, if asked about it I will make good remarks about it, but not quite good enough to recommend it to someone else as a must see.

This one definitely did not live up to its name! I did find a few flaws in Joel Schumacher's latest film `Flawless.' The movie's plot is about a homophobic police officer who suffers a stroke, and later turns to a neighboring cross-dresser for speech therapy. Unfortunately, Schumacher's way-too-lengthy direction and mundane screenplay made `Flawless' an almost `unjoelful ' event. And that is a tragedy because we know that all Joel's events are joyful don't we? Anyways, the flawless feature of the film was the superb acting of Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the crossdresser and Robert Deniro as the hompophobic cop. But that is somewhat expected from these flawless performers. Despite this, `Flawless' is still a flick that you should definitely not flaw into. ** Needs Improvement

Flawless is the best movie Schumacher has ever done, when i first heard the plot, and the the bad reviews this movie got, i thought it was going to be a bad movie... anyways i saw it just because I'm a big fan of Mr.DeNiro, and believe me folks, this is a really good movie... with flawless performances... Robert DeNiro as a cop who had a stroke and couldn't move half of his body... well done... and Philip Seymour Hoffman as a transvestite who gave DeNiro singing lessons so he could recover himself of the stroke... this was also a great performance... i mean he could get to Mr.DeNiro's acting level in this film... this boy has a big future... he has already co-stared movies with actors like of course Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino (Scent of a woman), Tom Cruise (Magnolia) etc... of course this is his best performance... and yet the academy did not even nominate them for the academy award nor the film nor DeNiro or Hoffman... anyways... this is a two hour worthy movie... with a good plot, good sense of humor and flawless performances... so don't get yourself lead by others reviews and see it... you'll enjoy it. my rating 9/10.

Quicky summary is that the script has too many tangents and awkward spots for this to be a classic film. But there are some great moments, some great lines and I can watch Phillip Seymour Hoffman in anything. Add another good performance by Robert DeNiro. Add all those qualities together and if even not a classic movie, it is a movie worth watching (more than once just for Hoffman IMHO).

This is the WORST DeNiro movie ever made!!!! I can't believe he even made it. I won't even waste my time going into detail. See for yourself. I hated it, and I'm a huge DeNiro fan. Until I saw this, I though it was impossible for him to make a bad movie. 1/10 (only because you can't give 0 stars).