REEL CRITICS

* EDITOR’S NOTE: The Reel Critics column features movie critiques written

by community members serving on our panel.

New Schumacher flick is ‘Flawless’

Another title for the movie “Flawless” could have been “Fearless” --

that’s the best way to describe Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Boogie Nights,”

“Happiness”) in Joel Schumacher’s bawdy but tender story about a hero New

York ex-cop and a drag queen.

The film opens with an introduction to this shabby East Side

neighborhood, where everybody knows (and hears) everybody else. We see

Walt (Robert De Niro) in a graceful tango around the floor with his

regular dance hall partner. On the flip side, his neighbor (Hoffman) is

“Busty Rusty, The Hostess with the Mostest” at the nearby drag club.

Rusty sings and struts his stuff like a plus-size Bette Midler.

Walt is unexpectedly sidelined by a stroke. This very proud man, now

partially paralyzed, holes up in his apartment and contemplates suicide.

It is only through the efforts of his kind doctor that he begins physical

therapy and agrees to taking singing lessons to improve his impaired

speech. This brings him, reluctantly, to Rusty’s front door.

As neighbors, their only previous contact was shouting derogatory

epithets at each other from their windows. But now, driven by Walt’s need

to get a life and Rusty’s to get money for a sex change, they strike up

an uneasy alliance.

The surprise of this movie is how the believable and unsentimental

friendship between these two evolves, and that in spite of their

differences, each learns something about being a real human being --

gender preferences aside.

“Flawless” also carries a message that true courage is measured in how

you confront life and what it brings you every day.

Hoffman manages to steal the movie from Robert De Niro, and with the

latter’s terrific, low-key performance, this is no small feat. This Rusty

is no cliche -- in looks or actions.

True, his hands flutter at every syllable and he will visualize one of

his glamour queen idols to bolster his courage (Grace Kelly in “Rear

Window,” Michelle Pfeiffer in “Dangerous Minds”). He’s also a sad-eyed

realist who will get in your face, but with a wicked sense of humor --

whether it’s deflating Walt’s macho pretensions or those of a group of

conservative gay Republicans.

Even his “girlfriends” make no bones about Walt’s disability, calling him

“Mr. My Left Foot.” The only flaw to be found in this movie is the

mega-violent, unnecessary subplot involving money stolen from the local

drug czar. But writer/director Schumacher (of “Batman” fame) can’t seem

to resist throwing in a little slam-bang action -- perhaps to make the

movie more appealing to a wider audience?

In any case, Hoffmann deserves to be remembered at Oscar time for his

flawless performance.

* SUSANNE PEREZ, 45, lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant

for a financial services company.

‘Toy Story 2’ is for kids of every age

Heartfelt, joyful and uplifting, “Toy Story 2” is that rare movie that

has something to offer viewers of every age. Not merely a spinoff of the

original, this picture tells its own story with timeless themes of love,

friendship, loyalty and honor.

Certain to entertain the kids in the audience, there also is more than

enough to captivate the adults with jokes and satire that skewer all our

collective memories of being children in love with our toys.

Major flashbacks from the gentler times of the 1950s and ‘60s provide an

excellent shot of nostalgia for the grown-ups. But memories of those days

are entwined with the greed and opportunism of the 1990s to create

dramatic tension amid the good-natured fun.

Lively spoofs of cultural icons like “Star Wars” and Barbie dolls add to

the clever observations. And like “The Simpsons” TV show, the jokes

operate on several levels so the youngsters and parents both laugh, but

at different aspects of the same gags. Pixar’s sharp animation and

rollicking special effects provide several roller coaster rides.

Tim Allen reprises a great Buzz Lightyear, but new characters add to the

inventive mix of lovable toys and immoral humans. Joan Cusack voices a

wonderful female sidekick to Tom Hanks’ classic cowboy doll. The

sincerity of their universal coming-of-age experience will touch a nerve

with viewers of all ages.

We all outgrow our toys, but most of us will someday feel the loss of

innocence that comes with this advancement in our chronological age. This

is a true family film, one that surreptitiously reaches our deepest

feelings but uses laughter, good humor and keen insight to get us there.

It’s a great time at the movies.

* JOHN DEPKO, 48, is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for

the Orange County Public Defender’s Office.