Rent Philadelphia (1993)

Dated and clunky, but Hanks shines - Philadelphia review by JB

Partly inspired by a real-life court case, Philadelphia is the story of Andrew Bennett, a gay man who loses his job at a prestigious law firm after they find out about him hiding his sexuality and his diagnosis of AIDS.

Tom Hanks won his first Oscar for his role here as Bennett, and is definitely the best thing about the film (with an honourable mention for the mumbling beauty of the Bruce Springsteen song of the same name that opens the movie). Hanks is a quiet, emaciated and sad, doomed angel in this movie.

Philadelphia was groundbreaking, albeit belatedly - this was Hollywood's first full depiction of AIDS that in 1993 was over a decade after the pandemic made the news. It also portrayed a same-sex romantic relationship (albeit a rather sexless and vague one between Hanks' character and Antonio Banderas) that wasn't seen as comical or sinister, unusual for a US studio movie at the time.

Unfortunately, the film hasn't aged well - for example, the Denzel Washington character, Hanks' lawyer in his case against his former employer, is depicted as a homophobe and the movie thinks that's ok. He doesn't go on a Hollywood redemptive journey of homophobe to LGBT ally… instead, he becomes just less intolerant to Hanks and his social circle, still cringing at the sight of men being affectionate to one another late on in the film in the party scene, without further comment. It's also rather worthy and bloated in its running time - there are too many opportunities for Hanks to "act", including a rather excruciatingly prolonged scene involving Hanks and Washington listening to opera, with Tom disappearing into some kind of reverie.

A Hollywood milestone probably only on paper - Philadelphia does showcase one of Tom Hanks' very best performances, but the LGBT credentials that could have made it a classic of its type are undermined by some rather suspect and clunky scriptwriting decisions.

A groundbreaking & angry film which showed the horrors of AIDS, with Hanks on amazing form - Philadelphia review by TB

In the late 80’s/early 90’s, AIDS/HIV was everywhere, permeating into our conscious. I am too young to remember anything about the reporting and the atmosphere, but I have seen plenty of films and documentaries that show in horrific detail how it not only affected the people who caught it, but also the people on the fringes, such as drug users and anyone associated with someone HIV positive. Also, as it was predominantly a virus which ravaged the LGBTQI community, it became known as the gay plague/gay cancer. This also had the effect of increasing the homophobia and abuse suffered by that community, which hadn’t exactly had an easy journey before that.

Ron Nyswaner, the writer and also gay activist, had looked in horror at the fact that almost no films were made about HIV/AIDS that showed how badly the gay community was affected. For most people, especially in the US, the airtime was given to extreme religious preachers to spread horrific and dangerous lies about the sufferers. So Nyswaner was determined to shine light on his community. Due to an extremely lucky turn of events, he was able to secure the hottest director in Hollywood (Jonathan Demme, who had just achieved a clean sweep of the Oscars for The Silence of the Lambs,) and Tom Hanks, who was one of the most well-known and beloved actors. Finally, he was able to bring on Bruce Springsteen to sing the theme song, which ended up winning an Oscar. 

The film, which was inspired by true events, is about Andrew Beckett, who was a hotshot lawyer newly promoted within a prestigious law firm. He is also suffering from AIDS, but due to the discrimination & fear he would lose his job, has kept this secret. When one of the directors finds out, he is fired under the pretence of being unfit for the job, despite the fact that he had just won a major case which was the reason for his promotion in the first place. Beckett then teams up with a celebrated TV lawyer, Joe Miller, to fight his case for wrongful dismissal & discrimination. As well as homophobia, racism & misogyny are also added into the mix as well, all interconnected and examined. 

I do need to be honest and say that, as much as I have given this film 4 stars, it does have significant failings, the main one being how unbelievably soapy it was, especially in some of how it was shot & the way the scenes played out. It also has, as much as it was a turning point & touchstone for how the gay community was represented in Hollywood, attracted some significant criticism. As much as it is made clear that Andrew & Miguel, his partner, are a gay couple, there is almost no reference or intimacy in any way shown. Apart from the fact that they are slightly closer than best friends, nothing else is featured. The other issue that made certain people from the community angry was the representation of the symptoms of AIDS. I remember vividly having a conversation with an older gay man many years ago and when I mentioned this film, he said angrily “Until the end scenes, it made AIDS look no worse than suffering from a bad stomach bug.”

But, the performances of this film are absolutely devastating. Hanks is incredible as Beckett, his burning injustice screaming out as he fights to stay alive long enough to be able to testify in court. Washington matches him toe to toe, as the man who whilst he has his own homophobia, also sees a kindred spirit and later a friend who he wants to help. Mary Steenburgen also makes a huge impact as the lawyer determined to destroy Beckett’s case but who slowly gets ripped apart by the horror of what she is a part of. 

I cannot for a second deny that this film had a massive impact on me. But I also feel it is such a missed opportunity, especially with the pedigree of talent involved. As much as it did move the dial at the time and started the change needed in the world, I can’t deny that I wanted it to be more. But still an excellent film