Philadelphia (1993)

good back-story, and good acting

Absolutely the worst movie.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The more I watch movies that I've only seen once, or not for a long time, the more I'm of the opinion that (for the most part) you can't possibly get a good idea about a movie just by seeing it the one time.My opinion of Philadelphia has changed drastically since the first time I saw it several years ago.The first time I saw it, I liked neither the story, nor the screenplay, and the movie's only redeeming quality (other than the cast), was the theme song which won an Academy Award.Now, however, after seeing it two weeks ago, I'm amazed at what a really great movie this is.The issues it touches on are explosive, and controversial.I never really appreciated what a good job it does of bringing them out, the script having been written objectively, and with a great deal of class, and finesse.Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) is one of the best attorneys at the top Philadelphia law firm that employs him.His bosses, in fact, have so much faith in his abilities, that they are about to let him represent the most prestigious client ever to come their way...until one of them sees something on Andrew's forehead which gives away his contraction of AIDS.Suddenly Andrew is fired, after the staged misplacement of a document allows the partners to claim he's incompetent.The excuse is as flimsy as paper, and Andrew (unable to put this outrage behind him) is determined to sue.No lawyer he goes to, however, can see that he has a case, and after his ninth try, Andrew finally finds himself in the office of Joe Miller (Denzel Washington).In the past, Joe and Andrew had been rivals in court, and like other attorneys, Joe does not see that Andrew has a case.He is also putt off by Andrew's sexual orientation, and, more importantly, his illness which makes Joe worry about his newborn baby.But after encountering Andrew in a library, Joe decides to represent him.The two men form a reluctant friendship, as the case drags on, and Andrew's life begins to slip away.All the cast was excellent, Denzel Washington was great, and Tom Hanks, (I must say), really deserved the Oscar. No one could've played the character as well as he did.This is a surprising, outstanding movie, which may warrant a second or even third watching to be appreciated, but it's certainly worth it.Originally, Review #118Posted On: May 20, 2011

I saw this movie when it came out and thought it was ok, I mean Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks how could you miss? I saw it recently again (2017) and was deeply moved by it. Couldn't hold back the tears at the end even though I tried real hard. Faint memories of the film Brian's Song seemed to come back and of the film Born Free which I remember as moving as well.

The topic is quite interesting, but everything depends on how you approach...Summarize a topic as susceptible of different interpretations in terms of "good guys" and "bad guys", I think it is unwise. I'm not arguing for or against the decision of the jury, or if Andrew Beckett's company was responsible for unfair dismissal. I'm just saying that the movie is not objective from the beginning.Anyway, is quite watchable in general. I therefore remain with Jonathan Demme's direction, concretely the first 5 min. of the movie, in which makes a lovely portrait of Philadelphia.6/10

When a man with AIDS (Tom Hanks) is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer (Denzel Washington) as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.I absolutely love seeing Roger Corman on the stand... thanks, Jonathan Demme for letting Roger appear in your films. Maybe the average viewer doesn't appreciate the nod, but it's not lost on the rest of us.Strangely, as Tom Hanks' disease progresses, he looks increasingly like David Hyde Pierce. Coincidence? Hanks was rightly praised for this film, but it seems that the real strong performance came from Washington. We has a wide range of hatred, fear, grudging acceptance and more... it is a nice roller coaster.