"Flawless" - Film

The 1999 film features De Niro as Walter Koontz, a homophobic New York police officer who suffers a stroke that leaves him partially paralyzed and with a severe speech impairment. His doctor recommends singing lessons to help him improve the clarity of his speech. Too ashamed by his impairment to seek out a professional voice coach, he turns for help to his neighbor (played by Phillip S. Hoffman), a flamboyant pre-operative transsexual. In the course of their interactions, they discover that although they are each deeply prejudiced against one another, they also have a great deal in common.