Philadelphia

Philadelphia
by Jonathan Demme

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DVD details

Actor: Buzz Kilman, Denzel Washington, Karen Finley, Roberta Maxwell, Tom Hanks
Director: Jonathan Demme
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Subtitled); Georgian (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 125 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1997-09-10
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures

DVD Reviews of Philadelphia

DVD Review: Tom's best acting yet..
Summary: 5 Stars

This is, by far, one of the best movies. The story is moving, and will have you in tears multiple times. Tom truelly shines, and is one of the few actors that you no longer see as a person, but as their character. Very emersed. This will also question your thoughts and beliefs, and possibly make you reconsider the next time youre about to make a snap judgement.

DVD Review: An `important' film that is highly `over-hyped'...
Summary: 3 Stars

`Philadelphia' tells the heroic tale of Andrew Beckett, a one time hot young lawyer who was unjustly fired from his job when his superiors discovered he was suffering from the AIDS virus. At times this film is extremely touching and ultimately it is inspiring, but it suffers from clich?s and an air of simplicity that robs it of any real emotional impact. I won't say that this is a bad film; it is just not a great one.

Andrew Beckett is young and smart and steadily climbing the corporate ladder in his law firm. He has a caring young boyfriend and very caring and understanding parents; yet something is terribly wrong. Andrew has contracted the deadly virus known as AIDS and as time progresses this virus begins to ware away at his health. He conceals this disease from his workmates, but when his illness becomes visible he is unable to hide it any longer and he finds himself being fired. Of course the law firm will not admit their reasons are based on his physical condition, but the reason given is so shaky that it leads Beckett to conclude the obvious. This is when Beckett approaches lawyer Joe Miller to represent him on trial. Joe turns down the case claiming that he doesn't think Beckett's lawsuit would hold up in court but it is more than obvious that Beckett's condition as well as his `alternative' lifestyle sit crossly with Miller and are the real reasons for his refusal to help. Joe does have a change of heart though and takes on Beckett as a client.

The initial concept for the film (loosely based on a true account) is intriguing and stock full of potential, but I feel as though it missed the boat somewhere. Many parts of the film seem clich?d to me, as if they were just presenting us with what we think we are supposed to see. I can't help but feel too that the film was a tad too simple, one-dimensional even. There really seemed to be no true character development (aside from Miller) and this just didn't sit right with me.

This leads me to Hanks.

I have a feeling I am in the minority here but I just didn't appreciate Tom Hanks' performance. I felt that it was clich?d and gimmicky and in the end it never really felt `real'. I never felt like I really knew `who' Andrew Beckett was. I knew his circumstance and I knew his plight, but I didn't know him. Hanks tries to explain Beckett to us during an excruciating opera scene where Hanks reaches levels of ridiculousness I just couldn't believe would be omitted in this film. The scene itself should have been stirring and emotionally reaching but Hanks just didn't get it and it comes off mediocre at best. As a whole I felt that his performance was weak when compared to his co-stars, especially Denzel, who completely owed his performance.

Denzel Washington really surprised me here. His performance is by far the best in the film, for he actually tells the audience a story. We know where this man came from, why he feels the way he does; we know what upsets him and what makes him uncomfortable and ultimately we see a progression of character, real growth that delivers to us the man he is when the credits begin to role. This is much more than can be said for Hanks' portrayal of Andrew Beckett. In my humble opinion Oscar got this all wrong, awarding Hanks for a playing a gimmick yet snubbing Washington for creating an honest character.

The supporting players are decent here, some better than others. Antonio Banderas has a tendency to over-act, sometimes it works (his Zorro is flawless) and other times it is too much, which is the case here.

Director Jonathan Demme had a lot to live up to with all the attention and praise he garnered for `The Silence of the Lambs', but he just couldn't really pull this one together. The film plays out well, it looks good, and there are moments that touch the audience, but there is not the intended impact; at least not for me. I know that a lot of people really enjoy this film, laud it even and I know that the critics sang its praises (or at least Hanks' praises) but I can't do either. The film is important in that it takes its serious subject very seriously and it proved to open the eyes of many to a growing problem, but in the end I'm just not `that' impressed. Washington is award worthy, that is for sure, but the film as a whole is lacking.

DVD Review: Fighting for what's right.
Summary: 5 Stars

Philadelphia starring Tom Hanks is a powerful movie from beginning to end. I have seen this film many times and I am still moved by the plot and incredible acting especially by Hanks. His performance was a turning point in his career, this film brought him back from his short hiatus. Denzel Washington also stars as Hank's lawyer and even though Washington's character can be superficial at times, he is able to show the many different aspects of a person not familiar with AIDS or homosexuality. If you want a deep and profound film about love, forgiveness, and the strength to stand up for injustice then Philadelphia is the film for you. Enjoy!

DVD Review: MIND GAME
Summary: 5 Stars

If you'd told me 15 years ago that Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington were about to become major forces in Hollywood, I'd have told you that it was well past closing time. To me, Hanks was a great guy who'd be forever saddled with class B material, while Washington was just the new handsome face on the block. This film changed everything for both of them. In the first place, for the umpteenth time, this is a story of prejudice. The relative paucity of reviews for an Academy Award winner such as this may still indicate some confusion amongst the voters. Secondly, the script material and the acting skill of our protagonists matured both of them exponentially amongst the viewing public. Can one really believe that "Forrest Gump" would have produced such fabulous results for Hanks were it not for this film? Or that Washington seems to be everywhere garnering quality roles? Finally,and less obviously, we again relearn that prejudice is not an inborn instinct; it is learned behavior that has been proven time and again in a child's sandbox. Lest we forget, visit one from time to time and take a moment to reflect.

DVD Review: One of the first films to take aids seriously
Summary: 5 Stars

I love Tom Hanks in anything of course, but this was a very good movie about how America was back in the 80's when the Hiv virus first appeared.

Description of Philadelphia

Philadelphia wasn't the first movie about AIDS (it followed such worthy independent films as Parting Glances and Longtime Companion), but it was the first Hollywood studio picture to take AIDS as its primary subject. In that sense, Philadelphia is a historically important film. As such, it's worth remembering that director Jonathan Demme (Melvin and Howard, Something Wild, The Silence of the Lambs) wasn't interested in preaching to the converted; he set out to make a film that would connect with a mainstream audience. And he succeeded. Philadelphia was not only a hit, it also won Oscars for Bruce Springsteen's haunting "The Streets of Philadelphia," and for Tom Hanks as the gay lawyer Andrew Beckett who is unjustly fired by his firm because he has AIDS. Denzel Washington is another lawyer (functioning as the mainstream-audience surrogate) who reluctantly takes Beckett's case and learns to overcome his misconceptions about the disease, about those who contract it, and about gay people in general. The combined warmth and humanism of Hanks and Demme were absolutely essential to making this picture a success. The cast also features Jason Robards, Antonio Banderas (as Beckett's lover), Joanne Woodward, and Robert Ridgely, and, of course, those Demme regulars Charles Napier, Tracey Walter, and Roger Corman. --Jim Emerson

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