GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

zkonedog Over the last few years, I have been churning my way through the films of Denzel Washington. I love the intensity and passion he brings to his roles, plus the fact that, "Manchurian Candidate" aside, he hasn't really been in any bad films. For whatever reason, I had not yet seen "Philadelphia", which is hailed by film critics and garnered Tom Hanks a Best Actor academy award in 1992. After viewing, I found it to be not as epic as some would have me believe, but still an interesting two hours nonetheless.The basic plot of the film is the story of two lawyers (Denzel and Hanks). Hanks' character contracts AIDS and enlists the help of "Washington" to help him file a discrimination lawsuit against the company that fired him (supposedly due to the disease). Along the way, the plot actually morphs to become more of a "panel discussion" on the treatment/perception of gay people in the United States.In dealing with such a sensitive topic, the film is able to lay out its message without sounding too crass or too offensive to either side. Basically, director Jonathan Demme knows that viewers will obviously have pre-determined attitudes about the issue before viewing the film, and thus doesn't try to sway any perceptions. Instead, through the legal, court-room setting, he just invites both sides to think about the issues at hand and consider possible scenarios. I liken it to a more recent Denzel Washington film entitled "The Great Debaters", which discussed the issue of the Jim Crow south through a high school debate team. Some pretty meaty issues were thrown around, but under the guise of "debate" the viewers don't really feel any compulsion to take a side, instead just being privy to the information. A similar factor is what I believe is the true brilliance of Demme's film...he treats the viewers like a jury and allows us to come to our own conclusion about the issues he is discussing.Thus, unless you have incredibly strong feelings one way or the other about the issue of gay rights (then the film is bound to upset in its generalization of the topic), I would recommend this film to pretty much anyone. While it may not live up to critical hype (likely due to the fact that critics are usually bonkers over artsy or heavy-themed films), it will give you some things to think about.

Danny Blankenship "Philadelphia" might be 1993's best film for one it's relative for the fact that it was based on a real life case in the city during the 1980's and it's theme of AIDS, discrimination, and homophobia, is downright appealing. And the performances and acting from both Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington makes the film a winner as their chemistry is unmatched. From the opening scenes of the city the song from Bruce Springsteen called "Streets of Philadelphia" really draws you into the movie.Based on a true story in the city of Philadelphia, Pa Andrew(in Tom Hank's best role)is a hot young lawyer at a big high dollar firm and after years of being with the firm he's suddenly let go. The law firm members claim because of on the job performance yet it's much more it's discrimination and it's because he has AIDS the horrible new disease on the block for gay men especially. So it's a visit to Joe(in a wonderful supporting turn from Denzel Washington)a tough and macho type money hungry ambulance chasing lawyer who takes his case of discrimination by bringing a lawsuit for personal and emotional damages against the high powered law firm. Overall this legal drama turns into a case of courage to overcome bigotry and corruption. The performance from Hanks is one to remember as he proves stand up and fight for rights and equality no matter who you might be.

FilmBuff1994 Philadelphia is a good movie with a reasonably well developed storyline and an outstanding cast. The highlight of the film and the thing that holds it all together is without a doubt the performances, Tom Hanks is a down on his luck homosexual, he is believable in every moment, a well deserved Oscar win. Denzel Washington also shines as his homophobic lawyer who is still willing to win his case, the bond that forms between them throughout the movie is terrific and the main reason I did not rate this lower. My main disappointment was that it was, to put it bluntly, cheesy, we are expected to care for these characters before we even know anything about them, and it was clear that the director was hoping to have us in tears. The delivery of the emotional scenes was too straight forward that you could not get teary eyed. This may not be a problem for some viewers, but I found it very dated, it's hard to get sucked in to a story about gay rights when that has improved so much today, as well as that it portrays AIDS as a deadly disease, which of course it was back then, but today it's not a big deal which makes it harder to feel genuine concern for Andrew. While it has many imperfections, the performances are terrific and if you're a fan of Hanks and Washington, which you certainly should be, then it's worth the watch. When a gay lawyer is unfairly fired from work, he hires a homophobic man to take the case. Best Performance: Tom Hanks

Mr-Fusion It's hard to ignore the idea that the primary thrust behind "Philadelphia" is an entreaty to have a serious talk about AIDS; which meant a lot more back in 1993 when the fear was more palpable. But you can't talk about that disease without also discussing homosexuality, so the movie hasn't lost its compelling edge. And the really nice thing about it is that it plays the material straight and doesn't overdo things (even during the more dramatic moments). This could easily drift into Oscar bait, but it never does (at least, to me). Sure, a lot of it's hard to stomach, but it's some powerful stuff, and characters aren't just cardboard cutouts just dropped in there for the convenient teachable moment. And it's funny how the Oscars work; it's evident that Tom Hanks gave an award-worthy performance (transformation and all), but I was genuinely surprised that Denzel Washington was completely looked over by the Academy. This is one of my favorite Denzel performances.And on the whole, a pretty great movie.8/10