Philadelphia (1993)

Philadelphia (1993)

 6/10

 

Starring

Tom Hanks

Denzel Washington

 

Directed by Jonathan Demme

 

I can only recall seeing this movie when I was much younger in the '90s, a time when I, too, was guilty of the discrimination shown in this film. In fact, much of my adult life carried the weight of prejudice against people who chose a different way of life than I did. One thing I am grateful for is the path toward enlightenment I’ve been on, thanks to friends I’ve made along the way. They’ve helped me grow into a more mature adult. I don’t think anyone can fully understand the lives others have chosen or the struggles they’ve faced, but movies like this one set me on the path toward becoming more open-minded.

Philadelphia is a groundbreaking movie, with a timely and powerful plot. It tackles the discrimination people faced because of having HIV/AIDS and/or being homosexual. This legal drama focuses on a wrongful termination case driven by these factors. If you weren’t born in the '80s (like me) or '90s, you might not fully grasp the intense homophobia that existed back then. However, the movie’s downside lies in its depiction of the legal battle, which could have been stronger.

The film stars Tom Hanks as Andrew Beckett, a lawyer at a reputable law firm. He was their best attorney, but the moment his colleagues suspected he had AIDS and was homosexual, they terminated him. Andy believed his illness was the real reason behind his dismissal, so he hired Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) to represent him. Initially, Miller refused to take the case due to his own prejudices, but he changed his mind after witnessing blatant discrimination firsthand.

When the case went to court, Miller faced the tough challenge of convincing the jury that Andy was wrongfully terminated. The firm had orchestrated a clever ruse before firing Andy: he was handling a major case, but on the day the deposition was due, the crucial files went missing—files Andy had already prepared. Conveniently, the files reappeared just in time, but the incident was used as grounds to fire him.

Philadelphia was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to confront this type of discrimination directly.

Tom Hanks won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and Bruce Springsteen’s song “Streets of Philadelphia” earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The movie was both a critical and commercial success. Hanks and Springsteen also won Golden Globes for Best Actor and Best Original Song, respectively.

Though times have changed, this movie remains a classic. The two leads delivered groundbreaking performances, cementing their places as great actors with this incredible film.