Philadelphia

What’s the Story?

Attorney Andy Beckett (Tom Hanks) is rising up the ranks at his prestigious law firm. He balances court hearings, depositions, meetings with the partners, and calls from his mom. But he's also keeping two very big secrets: He's gay and he has AIDS. When Andy gets fired from his job a month after a lesion appears on his forehead, he sues his former employers. He hires black attorney Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) to represent him. Joe's prejudices against homosexuals begin to fade as he begins to see the bigger picture of discrimination. What ensues is a legal battle that puts the way America treats gay people with AIDS on trial, and finds us guilty.

Is It Any Good?

With blockbuster performances by Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington and with a timely and compelling plot, PHILADELPHIA asks the question of how we treat people who have sexually transmitted diseases, especially AIDS and especially when they're gay. The pacing and structure of the film are designed by director Jonathan Demme to treat the viewer as the jury. The arguments are taut and compelling. And Hanks' gaunt reserve and quiet despair as he loses his battle with the disease are mesmerizing.

Sure, the film is emotionally manipulative, but many great movies are. Yet Andy isn't allowed to be anything less than the patron saint of AIDS victims. What few dark secrets he has are brushed off with the supportive look of his family. Andy is masculine, loved by his family, his partner is accepted by everyone, and Andy is, of course, rich. One wonders how viewers would think of a gay AIDS patient who had been ostracized by his family, who was effeminate, who was poor, and maybe wasn't quite as perfect of a human being. Would he be any less deserving of respect and justice?