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Philadelphia

  • 19931993
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 5m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
238K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,808
170
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington in Philadelphia (1993)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:59
5 Videos
70 Photos
  • Drama

When a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.When a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.When a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.

IMDb RATING
7.7/10
238K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,808
170
  • Director
    • Jonathan Demme
  • Writer
    • Ron Nyswaner
  • Stars
    • Tom Hanks
    • Denzel Washington
    • Roberta Maxwell
Top credits
  • Director
    • Jonathan Demme
  • Writer
    • Ron Nyswaner
  • Stars
    • Tom Hanks
    • Denzel Washington
    • Roberta Maxwell
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 320User reviews
    • 68Critic reviews
    • 66Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 20 wins & 23 nominations total

    Videos5

    Philadelphia
    Trailer 2:59
    Philadelphia
    Philadelphia
    Trailer 2:54
    Philadelphia
    Philadelphia
    Trailer 0:31
    Philadelphia
    How Movies and TV Shaped Our Perception of HIV/AIDS
    Clip 4:54
    How Movies and TV Shaped Our Perception of HIV/AIDS
    'Philadelphia' | Anniversary Mashup
    Video 1:37
    'Philadelphia' | Anniversary Mashup

    Photos70

    Denzel Washington and Jonathan Demme in Philadelphia (1993)
    Antonio Banderas in Philadelphia (1993)
    Tom Hanks in Philadelphia (1993)
    Antonio Banderas and Tom Hanks in Philadelphia (1993)
    Jason Robards in Philadelphia (1993)
    Robert W. Castle, Meghan Tepas, and Joanne Woodward in Philadelphia (1993)
    Tom Hanks, Jason Robards, Charles Glenn, Robert Ridgely, and Ron Vawter in Philadelphia (1993)
    Denzel Washington in Philadelphia (1993)
    Antonio Banderas in Philadelphia (1993)
    Denzel Washington in Philadelphia (1993)
    Denzel Washington in Philadelphia (1993)
    Tom Hanks in Philadelphia (1993)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tom Hanks
    Tom Hanks
    • Andrew Beckettas Andrew Beckett
    Denzel Washington
    Denzel Washington
    • Joe Milleras Joe Miller
    Roberta Maxwell
    Roberta Maxwell
    • Judge Tateas Judge Tate
    Buzz Kilman
    • 'Crutches'as 'Crutches'
    Karen Finley
    • Dr. Gillmanas Dr. Gillman
    Daniel Chapman
    Daniel Chapman
    • Clinic Storytelleras Clinic Storyteller
    Mark Sorensen Jr.
    • Clinic Patientas Clinic Patient
    Jeffrey Williamson
    • Tyroneas Tyrone
    Charles Glenn
    • Kenneth Killcoyneas Kenneth Killcoyne
    Ron Vawter
    Ron Vawter
    • Bob Seidmanas Bob Seidman
    Anna Deavere Smith
    Anna Deavere Smith
    • Anthea Burtonas Anthea Burton
    Stephanie Roth Haberle
    Stephanie Roth Haberle
    • Rachel Smilowas Rachel Smilow
    • (as Stephanie Roth)
    Lisa Talerico
    • Shelbyas Shelby
    Joanne Woodward
    Joanne Woodward
    • Sarah Beckettas Sarah Beckett
    Jason Robards
    Jason Robards
    • Charles Wheeleras Charles Wheeler
    Robert Ridgely
    Robert Ridgely
    • Walter Kentonas Walter Kenton
    Chandra Wilson
    Chandra Wilson
    • Chandraas Chandra
    Ford Wheeler
    • Alanas Alan
    • Director
      • Jonathan Demme
    • Writer
      • Ron Nyswaner
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Fearing it would compromise his career, lawyer Andrew Beckett hides his homosexuality and HIV status at a powerful Philadelphia law firm. But his secret is exposed when a colleague spots the illness's telltale lesions. Fired shortly afterwards, Beckett resolves to sue for discrimination, teaming up with Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), the only lawyer willing to help. In court, they face one of his ex-employers top litigators, Belinda Conine. —SAMUEL AXON
    • aids
    • city name in title
    • reference to hiv
    • infection
    • closeted homosexual
    • 53 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • No one would take on his case... until one man was willing to take on the system.
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for some graphic language and thematic material
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Tom Hanks had to lose almost thirty pounds to appear appropriately gaunt for his courtroom scenes. Denzel Washington, on the other hand, was asked to gain a few pounds for his role. Washington, to the chagrin of Hanks, who practically starved himself for the role, would often eat chocolate bars in front of him.
    • Goofs
      The court stenographer doesn't seem to be actually typing, and the paper tape recording her keystrokes also doesn't ever advance.
    • Quotes

      [Andrew transcendentally describes his favorite opera,slowly walking around his apartment, closing his eyes, looking up]

      Andrew Beckett: Do you like opera?

      Joe Miller: I'm not that familiar with opera.

      Andrew Beckett: This is my favorite aria. This is Maria Callas. This is "Andrea Chenier", Umberto Giordano. This is Madeleine. She's saying how during the French Revolution, a mob set fire to her house, and her mother died... saving her. "Look, the place that cradled me is burning." Can you hear the heartache in her voice? Can you feel it, Joe? In come the strings, and it changes everything. The music fills with a hope, and that'll change again. Listen... listen..."I bring sorrow to those who love me." Oh, that single cello! "It was during this sorrow that love came to me." A voice filled with harmony. It says, "Live still, I am life. Heaven is in your eyes. Is everything around you just the blood and mud? I am divine. I am oblivion. I am the god... that comes down from the heavens, and makes of the Earth a heaven. I am love!... I am love."

    • Crazy credits
      "This motion picture was inspired in part by Geoffrey Bowers' AIDS discrimination lawsuit, the courage and love of the Angius family and the struggles of the many others who, along with their loved ones, have experienced discrimination because of AIDS."
    • Alternate versions
      The cable and network television versions of Philadelphia edit out portions of the pharmacy scene where a gay University of Pennsylvania law student attempts to pick up Joe Miller. These two versions end this scene with the law student responding "Do I?" to Joe Miller's question concerning whether Miller looked gay. In the theatrical, home video and premium channel versions, Joe Miller continues to berate the law student with bigot remarks regarding homosexuals.
    • Connections
      Edited into Die Geschichte des erotischen Films (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Streets Of Philadelphia
      Produced by Bruce Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin

      Written and Performed by Bruce Springsteen

      Courtesy of Columbia Records

    User reviews320

    Review
    Top review
    Philadelphia is about life, and making it matter.
    Philadelphia is a guttingly emotional and tragic story of how a lawyer fired for having AIDS attempts to vindicate himself in court. Tom Hanks gives perhaps the most powerful performance of his career as Andrew Beckett, the afflicted lawyer. He received the Academy Award in a waltz, and you could almost pick any of his major scenes as worthy of the award.

    This movie is probably the best drama regarding gay issues ever made. Remember, it was made in 1993, when AIDS was still a terminal disease, and it recalls the early days of an epidemic that may not square with the vision afforded today, but at the time, this was the reality of AIDS.

    The entire crew is A-List. Tak Fujimoto, who would also film Silence of the Lambs and Sixth Sense, directed cinematography. Jonathan Demme, also of Silence of the Lambs fame, directs with typical honesty and grit. Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young contributed hauntingly touching original songs. Even Antonio Banderas, whom I never miss an opportunity to vilify, is moving as Hanks' devoted and supportive partner. Denzel Washington was well cast as the homophobic lawyer who ultimately takes Hanks' case, and Mary Steenburgen is surprising in an uncharacteristic villain role.

    Ron Vawter, who played one of the lawyers in the firm from which Hanks was fired, and also appeared in Silence of the Lambs, was himself suffering from AIDS at the time of filming, and he eventually succumbed to it a few years later. His appearance in the film encapsulates the reality of the AIDS epidemic, in that it often touched our lives in unexpected places.

    Although I have literally thousands of movies in my collection, I don't own this one. Not because I don't love it. I do. It's because I can't watch it without being overcome by emotion. Anyone who can watch Hanks' in the Opera scene, or hear Springsteen's or Young's eerie and melancholy ballads and not weep is dead inside. But in the end, Philadelphia is about life, and making it matter.
    helpful•179
    24
    • budmassey
    • Feb 14, 2004

    FAQ3

    • What is Philadelphia about?
    • How does the movie end?
    • Is this film based on a true story?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 14, 1994 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • At Risk
    • Filming locations
      • Furness Building, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Production companies
      • TriStar Pictures
      • Clinica Estetico
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $26,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $77,446,440
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $143,433
      • Dec 26, 1993
    • Gross worldwide
      • $206,678,440
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 5 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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