Flawless

The recipe for Joel Schumacher's post-Batman & Robin cry for redemption: Take one part As Good As It Gets, but make the anti-social bigot (Robert DeNiro) a retired cop who can't afford speech therapy after a debilitating stroke. Add one part irritating drag queen (Philip Seymour Hoffman) with a penchant for showtunes. Mix with two parts syrupy, medicinal social commentary. Reluctant bonding ensues. The oh-so-scripted road to friendship between these two men is simplistic and transparent, but not nearly as transparent as a clumsy drug dealer subplot, which just hangs over the story like the proverbial other shoe, waiting to drop a chase scene into the last reel because writer-director Schumacher couldn't think of any other way to wrap up his movie. Both DeNiro and Hoffman deserve better than this. Not recommended. (R. Blackwelder)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—May 19, 2015—Olive, 112 min., R, DVD: $24.95, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1999's Flawless features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release, but no bonus features. Bottom line: although it looks sharp on Blu-ray, this bare-bones high-def edition of an early Philip Seymour Hoffman film is still disappointing.]