Philadelphia
Academy Award × 2·National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
Two competing lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops, their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.
What critics thought
Philadelphia is a well-acted, emotionally forceful courtroom drama that critics largely respected as a cultural landmark — the first major Hollywood film to tackle AIDS — while remaining divided on whether its crowd-pleasing instincts undercut its ambitions. Hanks and Washington drew near-universal praise, but the film's tendency toward sentiment and convention left some critics wishing it had pushed harder against its own safety.
“it is quite a good film, on its own terms. And for moviegoers with an antipathy to AIDS but an enthusiasm for stars like Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, it may help to broaden understanding of the disease. It's a ground-breaker like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), the first major film about an interracial romance; it uses the chemistry of popular stars in a reliable genre to sidestep what looks like controversy.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“Jonathan Demme's long-awaited Philadelphia is so expertly acted, well-meaning and gutsy that you find yourself constantly pulling for it to be the definitive AIDS movie.”
Christopher Matthews·Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“It's less like a film by Demme than the best of Frank Capra. It is not just canny, corny and blatantly patriotic, but compassionate, compelling and emotionally devastating.”
Rita Kempley·The Washington Post
“The story is timely and powerful, and the performances of Hanks and Washington assure that the characters will not immediately vanish into obscurity.”
James Berardinelli·ReelViews
Genres
Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorJonathan Demme
StarringTom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, Antonio Banderas
ComposerHoward Shore
Philadelphia
Academy Award × 2·National Film Registry
Two competing lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops, their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.
What critics thought
Philadelphia is a well-acted, emotionally forceful courtroom drama that critics largely respected as a cultural landmark — the first major Hollywood film to tackle AIDS — while remaining divided on whether its crowd-pleasing instincts undercut its ambitions. Hanks and Washington drew near-universal praise, but the film's tendency toward sentiment and convention left some critics wishing it had pushed harder against its own safety.
“it is quite a good film, on its own terms. And for moviegoers with an antipathy to AIDS but an enthusiasm for stars like Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, it may help to broaden understanding of the disease. It's a ground-breaker like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), the first major film about an interracial romance; it uses the chemistry of popular stars in a reliable genre to sidestep what looks like controversy.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“Jonathan Demme's long-awaited Philadelphia is so expertly acted, well-meaning and gutsy that you find yourself constantly pulling for it to be the definitive AIDS movie.”
Christopher Matthews·Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“It's less like a film by Demme than the best of Frank Capra. It is not just canny, corny and blatantly patriotic, but compassionate, compelling and emotionally devastating.”
Rita Kempley·The Washington Post
“The story is timely and powerful, and the performances of Hanks and Washington assure that the characters will not immediately vanish into obscurity.”
James Berardinelli·ReelViews
Genres
Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorJonathan Demme
StarringTom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, Antonio Banderas
ComposerHoward Shore
Rent/Purchase