Philadelphia

Rating:
Summary: Fear and Loathing
Review: In March 2002, Denzel Washington was awarded his first Best Actor Academy Award. It was a little late in coming. A myriad of roles in films like "Bone Collector" and "A Soldier's Story" were all Oscar performances. But perhaps his best was in "Philadelphia". 1993's "Philadelphia" is the brutal, uncompromising story of a hot young lawyer, fired by his firm for being gay and contracting a virus. The principal attorney charges that "Andy brought AIDS into our offices". A heart-rending, spell-binding expose of prejudice and bigotry in 20th Century America, "Philadelphia" is really a horror film, where the monster is you and I. We're guilty. We shun the homosexual and bar the AIDS victim. We extend little mercy to society's modern "lepers". Do you doubt it? Then pick up this marvelous DVD. In "Philadelphia", Tom Hanks won his first of 2 Academy Awards. Directed by ace Jonathan Demme, it features Antonio Banderas, Joanne Woodward, the late Jason Robards, and movie director Roger Corman. The award-winning soundtrack includes haunting Neil Young songs and music from Bruce Springsteen. The DVD has no chapter stops, no bios, no trailer, and no featurette. In fact, "Philadelphia" has no extras at all. That's OK. This 125 minute classic movie is all you need. Maybe more than you can take.

Rating:
Summary: Lawyers in love.
Review: Self-congratulatory movie about a Philadelphia lawyer with AIDS who's wrongly terminated from the prestigious, Good Ole Boy law firm of which he was about to be junior parter. Chronologically speaking, Jonathan Demme's *Philadelphia* is a rather suspicious follow-up to his previous film, *The Silence of the Lambs*. What most may not remember is the beating he took from the gay community for that film. THIS film, therefore, seems like an overdetermined apology. But I digress. Well, not really: the notion of the movie being an "apology" strikes me as the key to the Aren't-We-Enlightened, And-If-You're-Not-We're-Going-To-Bully-You-Till-You-ARE attitude throughout. ... [Our] surrogate for this story is the Denzel Washington character, an ambulance-chaser who overcomes his reluctance to take Tom Hanks' unlawful termination suit. The movie's mighty hard on poor Denzel: Demme, avatar of Enlightenment that he is, goes out of his way to make Denzel's lawyer as friendly as possible . . . and as bigoted toward gays as possible, and not just early on in the proceedings, either. (He has some sort of epiphany late in the movie, one that we're not a party to.) Evidently we're supposed to wholly identify with Denzel: family man, hard worker, good American, and homophobe. The filmmakers work on the audience just as hard as they work on the ambulance-chaser: we and he need Enlightenment. I think we're supposed to be overwhelmed by the irony of Denzel and his white pals trading homophobic jokes; I just felt bullied by this rather questionable, in fact distasteful, sermonizing. Not that the movie is wholly without merit: from a technical standpoint, at least, Demme does some interesting things with the camera, particularly during the scene when Tom Hanks, attached to an I.V., explicates an opera to his lawyer. It was also cool to see Demme's mentor Roger Corman in a bit part. In fact, the performances are indeed solid all round -- even Robard's senior partner, despite the fact that the character is really poorly conceived (a "razor-sharp" legal mind would never behave that way on the stand).

Rating:
Summary: Tom Hanks, You're no Jim Carrey
Review: and i'm greatful for that...one of the few comics who was able to make the successful transition to dramatic actor. denzel is excellent as hank's lawyer who comes to term's with his latent homophobia...my favorite scene in the movie is when hanks goes into diva mode describing a opera piece sung by maria callas. i have the song on a c.d. somewhere. hanks probably gave an even better performance when he gave his best actor oscar acceptance speech, thanking a high school teacher who was gay. so emotional.

Rating:
Summary: Great Performances Overcome One-Dimensional Script
Review: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, and director Johnathan Demme more than deserve the accolades received for this story of a gay, AID-stricken attorney who sues the lawfirm that unjustly fires him; in fact, Demme and his cast are so incredibly good that you won't realize how one-dimensional the script is until you've had time to recover yourself after the film's powerful conclusion.

The problem with the script, at least as I see it, is that PHILADELPHIA is written in such a way as to create maximum identification with and sympathy for Hanks, and in consequence it never goes any further than it absolutely must into the myriad of issues swirling around the AIDS epidemic; there is no real effort to look beyond the the deliberately glossy, upper-middle-class surface the film posits as reality. Well intentioned, no doubt, but the film never actually makes a viable statement of any kind.

Even so, Hanks, Washington, and the astonishingly gifted cast turn PHILADELPHIA into a powerfully emotional experience, and that alone is more than worth the price of admission. Strongly recommended--but if you're looking for more in an AIDS-related film than an exercise in catharsis, you may be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful film
Review: Great movie, great actors. This movie stars acadamy award winner Tom Hanks and NAACP award winner Denzel Washington. Tom Hanks plays a homosexual lawyer and Denzel Washington plays a lawyer who is unsure of his masculinity. This movie is a must see.

Rating:
Summary: Least favorite Hanks film
Review: I often think that helpful or not helpful votes are based not on whether or not they are helpful, but whether or not the person agrees with your take. I didn't like this movie, I didn't mean to hurt anyones feelings by not liking it. My low rating wasn't meant as an insult, but I suppose some took it that way. I guess the politically correct want us to like this movie because of its content, not whether we actually liked it or not. Ok, I like it, it's the greatest movie ever. Should have won an academy award for best picture. There, happy now?

Rating:
Summary: SO TOUCHING......BRINGS YOU TO TEARS
Review: A TREMENDOUS PERFORMANCE FROM TOM HANKS,MAKES THIS FILM A TREASURE.IT WILL OPEN YOUR EYES AND TEST YOUR HEART.
A HEARTWRENCHING STORY ABOUT A GAY MAN WITH AIDS,WHO GETS FIRED BY HIS COMPANY.GOING THROUGH THE TRIAL,HE GETS ILLER,BUT CARRIES ON FOR HIS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE.
MANY TEARFUL MOMENTS IN THIS FILM,I BELIEVE EVERYONE SHOULD SEE IT,NOT JUST FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES,BUT FOR A LESSON OF LIFE

Rating:
Summary: Hanks and Washington are Magnificant!
Review: Being the brother of an AIDS casualty, it is always painful to watch this movie, especially the final 30 minutes. Tom Hanks really came into his own with this movie and Forrest Gump. Denzil Washington proved himself early on in A Soldier's Story. The casting in this touching movie couldn't have been better. Antonio Banderas does a top-notch job as Hank's strong and long-suffering partner. The late Jason Robbards does his usual fantastic job as Hanks boss. This movie holds a special place in my heart, along with Gods and Monsters, in trying to show the world that difference doesn't mean defferance...

Rating:
Summary: How do you measure a year in the life?
Review: For any of you Rentheads out there, yes, the title of my Philadelphia review is from the musical Rent, more specifically the song "Seasons of Love." I saw the musical Rent before I saw Philadelphia and some of the same basic human emotions and reactions regarding AIDS, homosexuality and mortality that are in RENT apply equally well to Philadelphia. "Philadelphia" follows the journey of lawyer Andrew Beckett as he sues his firm for firing him on the grounds of discrimination. The catch: Beckett is gay and is in the final stages of AIDS.

We see Beckett as a capable lawyer, compassionate, determined to make a change in the world. He hides the telltale KS (Kaposi's Sarcoma) lesions on his face from his coworkers with makeup but he is noticeably thin and fatigued. Suffering from severe chronic diarrhea as a result of KS and AZT, he is taken to the hospital where we first meet his longtime companion Miguel (Antonio Banderas), a rather headstrong yet tender lover who is fiercely devoted to Andy. Later we meet Joe Miller, the lawyer that we first see Andy arguing a case against in the beginning of the film. Miller is a stereotypical "ambulance chaser" with the prerequisite cheesy TV ads. He is also an extreme homophobe and is fearful of HIV. Throughout the film Joe Miller learns to accept Andy for the goodhearted, decent person that he is and the fragility of all life. He does not agree with Andy's lifestyle but does not want to abandon him, knowing that in his condition Andy could never defend himself.

The months pass quickly, and Andy's deterioration is frighteningly rapid. His hair thins and turns grey, he requires blood transfusions, he is gaunt and grey and suffers from frequent respiratory infections. He knows that he will die soon and tries to face death with dignity, echoing the lyrics from the RENT song "Will I?": 'Will I lose my dignity Will someone care Will I wake tomorrow From this nightmare?' Andy's fears and his love for life are beautifully expressed during a monologue set to the aria "La Momma Morta" performed by Maria Callas. Miguel wants Andy to start writing a will and planning for his memorial, but instead Andy throws a "celebration of life" party for himself and his friends (mostly homosexuals with the exception of Joe Miller and his wife. Joe handles the occasion beautifully considering his intensive dislike of homosexuality).

Andy is attacked from within and without: AIDS ravages his body while lawyer Belinda Conine (Mary Steenburgen) tries to rip apart his credibility and personal life on the witness stand and in the court. Andy is made to confess his past mistakes that have ultimately and unknowingly cost him his career and his life: his past visits to a gay pornography theatre, at least one anonymous sexual encounter at said theatre (interestingly enough this occurred 10 years earlier when he was still with Miguel, yet Miguel was not infected, suggesting that this act was a momentary lapse in judgment rather than an habitual act). This admittance to Andy's having sex with a stranger and contracting AIDS is used against him, showing that he was a threat and could have infected Miguel and other partners with AIDS. Miguel watches, tortured, from the bench. Andy is increasingly ill and frail in the courtroom and eventually collapses. Inevitably Andy dies in hospital with Miguel at his side.

Antonio Banderas is absolutely amazing in his role as Miguel--the slow dance with Andy at the party, the arguments at home, the anguish and tenderness in his eyes as he kisses Andy's fingers, the only part of him not tubed, as Andy is dying. His eyes reflect so much love for Andy, fear of losing him, pain at seeing the agony he lives through every day with AIDS. He has been with him for a decade, and suddenly mundane moments take on new meaning as there will not be others to follow. He too must face Andy's mortality, and he appears outwardly gruff and argumentative. He must appear courageous for Andy's sake and his own or he would become lost in his grief.

In my opinion this is the definitive role of Tom Hanks' lifetime. Andy is an ordinary man: a devoted lover, a decent, honest person, and an outstanding lawyer. He tries to do what is right, what he believes in, to be proud of himself and his accomplishments. Tom Hanks brings a wisdom and tenderness to the role that makes him ultimately believable and not just a victim. Just a glance from Hanks, a word, a gesture, conveys more about Andy than pages of dialogue ever could. The loving glances between Miguel and Andy and Andy and his family, his look of hopelessness as he stands on the street after being refused by Joe Miller, his face as he is on trial, sick and alone and having to defend his actions from the past. He faces injustice and loss with courage. Tom Hanks becomes Andy, going through a physical and spiritual transformation that touches our souls.

This movie does an excellent job of covering both the treatment of homosexuality and the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. during the early 1990's. Because it is a mainstream film it shies away from certain elements, mainly more physical contact and scenes between Miguel and Andy, and focuses more on Joe Miller's gradual acceptance of AIDS and Andy's homosexuality. There are many scenes involving fear and hatred directed at homosexuals and offensive language and jokes. But "Philadelphia" has something meaningful to say about the power of love and support in times of need, about understanding and being tolerant of alternative lifestyles, and about accepting the inevitability of death with grace and courage. An excellent film, touching and thought-provoking.

Rating:
Summary: One of Tom Hanks' best performances...
Review: This is a very moving film about the effects of AIDS in people's lives and how they deal with it. Very powerful and touching. Tom Hanks is phenomenal and gives a very convincing performance in an emotionally charged film. Everyone needs to see this one.

*Some of the subject matter in this film may be offensive to some viewers. Parental discretion is advised.*