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Flawless.

A thoughtful look at concepts such as “normal” and “gender”, I found this movie touching and entertaining. This is a favorite topic of discussion for me. What is feminine? Masculine? Is it cultural or genetic? Do the clothes really make the “man”? One of Walt’s statements really caught me off guard. He wondered why Rusty would want to be an “ugly woman.” As if we could all choose our looks!

DeNiro was great in the role of Walt, the gritty ex-cop. He was crusty and uncommunicative even BEFORE he suffered a stroke…

I have watched a few other films with Phil in the cast lately and this was certainly different! The ambiguity of some of the characters’ genders kept me off balance. My 16-year-old son watched it with me and said he would “never admit to having seen it.” Sorry, kiddo…I guess I let the cat out of the bag.

The juxtaposition of the “normal” hetero cop, Walt and the “abnormal” transsexual, Rusty is a source of fascination. So what is normal anyway? Is it Walt, who pays a woman for sex and fools himself into thinking its love, not prostitution? And, does normal have ANYTHING to do with “well- adjusted”.

Rusty is anything BUT typical, however she is much more well adjusted than Walt, in my opinion. She has not been treated kindly, or hailed as a hero, as Walt has in his career. She gives the impression that she has done a lot of self-introspection in getting to where she is now in her life. She is kind and caring in spite of having such a rough road. She’s a “bitch with a heart of gold”. There was a tenderness to her that was very sweet.

One of the most riveting scenes for me was Rusty in a suit, shirt and tie returning home from her mother’s funeral. Seeing the mannerisms of a woman on a man in a suit was SO disorienting. It’s great.

Lots of women I know have never worn a girdle, never even owned one. As a chubby teenager I was familiar with them, and they are NO picnic. I give Phil 5 stars for just GETTING ONE ON! I was impressed that he stayed in character so consistently. This was definitely a movie worth watching.

-- Candice