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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.
DeNiro is Walter, a decorated hero of the NYPD, who suffers a stroke that affects him emotionally as well as physically. His doctor suggests singing lessons to help him improve his speech. Rather than be seen in public any more than necessary, Walter asks Rusty (Hoffman), another tenant in his apartment building who coordinates a drag queen stage show, to give him the lessons. The fun begins immediately, as these two have had a mutual dislike for each other from their earliest encounters.
Critics have said, among other things, that: (1) the dialogue between Rusty and Walter is cliche-ridden and (2) the film seems to say that all gay men in NYC are either drag queens or "log cabin Republicans." Rubbish! Walter's comments to Rusty at the beginning of their relationship are the usual things you would expect to hear from a homophobic male. Rusty's comebacks are as often as not laugh-out-loud funny, as well as very wise, and they definitely show his strength of character.
As for the alleged limited depiction of the NYC male homosexual population, it is really a matter of "birds of a feather flock together." The movie doesn't pretend to give an overall view of the gay/lesbian population in NY or anywhere else. Rusty and his friends spend a lot of time rehearsing their nightly stage show, giving the show, and gathering with their friends at favorite drag queen hang-outs--probably perfectly typical behavior for this specialized population group. And it is clear in the one confrontation between Rusty's gang and the "button down" gay Republicans that the latter group finds the drag queens' appearance and mannerisms unacceptable. Who's to say that others in the city's gay community didn't/don't feel the same way?
It is said that upon his first reading of the script, Hoffman recognized that Rusty wasn't really gay, but a transexual--a woman trapped in a man's body--a tough concept for either gay or straight people to grasp. Though "straight" himself, Hoffman benefitted from the character coaching of the real drag queen celebrities who took the roles of Rusty's best friends and his partners in producing the night club act. The result is an unforgettable performance in which Rusty proves to be the best person of all to help Walter learn to cope with a body he has come to despise. Rusty, who is making plans to have sex change surgery, knows more than almost anyone else could what it is to be trapped in a body that doesn't fit the person inside it.
The film is alternately deeply moving and uproariously funny as Walter and Rusty come to really understand and bond with one another. There are not many movies that have tackled the idea of a gay man and a straight man becoming true friends. This film handles one possible scenario for that topic in a way that is stylish, uplifting, and unforgettable.
If the story's premise is the tiniest bit contrived, so what? That has been so of a lot of excellent books and movies, and it hasn't hurt the story one bit. It is inherent to fiction that it be a bit contrived. This film leaves you hoping that some day there will be a more enlightened world in which life imitates the art in this film.
Cheers to Schumacher, DeNiro, Hoffman, the rest of the cast, and anyone else who helped this delighful story come into being on film. Forget the critics, be bold, and give this film a viewing. You'll be glad you did.
Well. You can imagine the looks DeNiro gives him, the comments, the eye-rolls, as Hoffman vamps or slumps around in a kimono or wig or feathered scarf. Really, really good stuff. You suspect DeNiro will emerge from this encounter as a more tolerant man, and you would be correct - but that's not the end of the tale.
There's another whole plot line about drug deals and stolen money that comes up against the gay community and the drag queens, prostitutes of all three sexes, the cops (both honest and dis) - and when the goons come to call, you fear that these people you've come to care about will come to a sad fate.
I won't say more. Just don't miss it.
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