In 1993, the topic of AIDS wasn’t groundbreaking, but for mainstream cinema it was a topic untouched. The film follows Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks, BIG), a lawyer at a top firm in Philadelphia. He’s gay and has AIDS, but has kept it a secret from the firm’s partners. One day, one of the partners notices a lesion on Andrew’s forehead and soon an important file goes missing from Andrew’s office and he is soon fired for incompetence.
Beckett searches Philadelphia for an attorney to take a suit of wrongful termination, but no one wants to go up against the legendary firm. Beckett goes to black personal injury lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington, GLORY) as his ninth choice. At first, Miller is like all the rest, but the lure of money, fame and an incident of discrimination he witnesses at the library spurs Miller to take the case.
Key to the film’s power is that Miller is a raging homophobe. I’ve seen this film compared to GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER? in regards to how it breaks new ground in exploring homosexuals like DINNER did with interracial relationships. However, DINNER had less obstacles in the way for its characters. PHILADELPHIA brings AIDS and real homophobia into the mix. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were liberal and not racist, but Washington’s character is aggressively homophobic. The stakes are higher here and the sense of justice is stronger.
Director Jonathan Demme (SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) often uses closes ups where the characters are nearly looking straight into the camera. This technique is jarring at times, but it also draws us into the story and the lives of the characters on an emotional level that doesn’t let us disregard what is happening. The film clearly has a message, but it never beats it down our throat. It’s subtle and uses really well written “action” to display its ideas.
Also key to the film’s success is amazing performances from Hanks and Washington. Hanks won his first Oscar for this performance and well deserved it. However, the “award bait” nature of Hanks’ role overshadowed Washington’s fine work in a tougher role. The film is as much Miller’s as it is Beckett’s story. Emotional, powerful and thought-provoking — PHILADELPHIA was a landmark film of its time and still rings true over a decade later.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
