Flawless

Flawless centers on Walt Koontz, a conservative former Marine and onetime local hero living in a New York apartment building. Walt takes pride in his fitness and his rigid views, and he has nothing but contempt for his flamboyant neighbor Rusty, a drag performer. When Walt rushes to help during a violent incident in the building, he suffers a stroke that leaves him partly paralyzed and unable to speak properly. Unwilling to leave his home, he reluctantly agrees to a rehabilitation program that includes singing lessons, and the only person available to teach him is Rusty. The two men, who could hardly tolerate each other before, are forced into a tense and gradually changing arrangement.

Joel Schumacher directed and wrote the film, producing it with Jane Rosenthal through Tribeca Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was his twelfth film as director, following 8MM the same year and preceding Tigerland. Robert De Niro plays Walt, with Philip Seymour Hoffman as Rusty; Barry Miller, Chris Bauer, Skipp Sudduth and Wilson Jermaine Heredia appear in supporting roles. Made for about 15 million dollars, the film took in roughly 4 million worldwide, a poor return. It holds a 6.4 rating on IMDb from around 21,000 votes and a 6.1 on TMDB from about 316 votes, while critics rated it 5.6 from 57 reviews, slightly below the audience scores.