Flawless (1999)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writer (WGA):

Joel Schumacher (written by)

Release Date:

24 November 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Nobody's Perfect. Everybody's Flawless

Plot:

An ultraconservative security guard (DeNiro) suffers a debilitating stroke and is assigned to a rehabilitative program that includes singing lessons--with the drag queen next door.

Plot Keywords:

Stroke | Drag | Singing Lesson | Homosexual | Security Guard

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Walt Koontz
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Rusty
Barry Miller	...	Leonard Wilcox
Chris Bauer	...	Jacko
Skipp Sudduth	...	Tommy
Wilson Jermaine Heredia	...	Cha-Cha
Nashom Benjamin	...	Amazing Grace
Scott Allen Cooper	...	Ivana
Rory Cochrane	...	Pogo
Daphne Rubin-Vega	...	Tia
Vincent Laresca	...	Raymond Camacho
Karina Arroyave	...	Amber
John Enos III	...	Sonny (as John Enos)
Jude Ciccolella	...	Detective Noonan
Mina Bern	...	Mrs. Spivak

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language and strong violence.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo | DTS

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | USA:R (certificate #36362) | Singapore:R(A) | Singapore:M18 | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Denmark:15 | France:U | Germany:12 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

211 Avenue A, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Tribeca Productions

Trivia:

Rusty's line, "It costs a lot to look this cheap," is also a personal quote attributed to Dolly Parton.

Goofs:

Factual errors: A hemiplegic patient has a paralysis of one side and paralysis of the face on the other side which is not the case in this movie.

Quotes:

Rusty Zimmerman: I'm his sister.
Walt Koontz: He's my sister.

Movie Connections:

References "Roots" (1977)

Soundtrack:

Stouthearted Men

fun, poignant, with great performances

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.