Philadelphia
1993
***½
Director: Jonathan Demme
Cast: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, Antonio Banderas, Joanne Woodward, Charles Napier, Robert Ridgely, Bradley Whitford, Ron Vawter, Anna Deavere Smith, Lisa Summerour, Roger Corman, Tracey Walter
Andrew Beckett, a talented lawyer, sues a prestigious Philadelphia law firm for wrongful termination. Andrew believes his former employer dismissed him because they learned that he is gay and infected with AIDS. Although its portrayal of gay life doesn't go beyond a kiss on the forehead, Jonathan Demme's drama was one of the first mainstream Hollywood productions to deal with AIDS or to feature an openly homosexual protagonist. The film may be groundbreaking and important, but it is also long and slow. In the second half, it turns into a dry court room drama. Nevertheless, the Oscar winning Tom Hanks is terrific in a physically cruelling lead performance. Bruce Springsteen's Streets of Philadelphia won an Academy Award for best original song.
