PHILADELPHIA
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1994 Michael John Legeros
Director: Jonathan Demme (THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, MARRIED TO THE MOB,
SOMETHING WILD)
Writer: Ron Nyswaner
Cast: Tom Hanks
Denzel Washington
Jason Robards
Mary Steenburgen
Joanne Woodward
and a host of Demme regulars including Charles Napier,
Tracy Walter, Kenneth Utt, and, yes, Roger Corman
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 122 Minutes
--
"I have AIDS."
- Tom Hanks to Denzel Washington, when asked what happened to his
face.
PHILADELPHIA is Hollywood's first mainstream AIDS film and how very mainstream it is. There are few surprises or enlightenments in this tasteful examination of the killer disease and its effect on both the hetero- and homosexual population.
Tom Hanks stars as Andrew Beckett, a favored young attorney at a prestigious Philly law firm. He's also gay and suffering from AIDS-- two facts that he has concealed from his employers. After Beckett begins displaying the first visible signs of the disease, he's fired. His boss (Robards) says it's for incompetence, but Beckett believes discrimination.
The ailing attorney seeks counsel, gets several rejections, and, finally, turns to Joe Miller (Washington)--a flashy, TV-advertising lawyer who is quite vocal about his disapproval of the gay lifestyle. Miller is willing to put aside his personal prejudices, however, and go to court to fight for his dying client's wrongful termination...
Though an exciting film by Jonathan Demme standards, PHILADELPHIA is a bit of a bust as AIDS awareness. Ron Nyswaner's story examines homophobia from every angle, but offers far less insight into either the disease or the lifestyle that contributes to it. Given that the title character is both gay and AIDS-afflicted, this discrepancy is rather glaring. And completely expected.
PHILADELPHIA doesn't break too much ground. The material is treated in a standard, sterile fashion that could hardly threaten any sensibilities. Translated into plot specifics, this means virtually no insight into Beckett's personal life and, essentially, no portrayal of homosexual intimacy.
Happily, in the hands of eclectic director Demme, even a gloss-over doesn't appear glossy. The director brings believability and, even, fun to a solemn story.
Demme is not a smooth filmmaker, by any counts, and PHILADELPHIA is not a glamorous movie. He populates Philly like he does all his films--with characters that look and live like real people. There no mansions or storybook homes in Demme's universe. Only authentic characters. And actors.
Just as he strives to portray reality in all of its diversity, Demme never lets his audience forget that they're watching a movie. As expected, the director peppers his product by rounding-up the usual suspects. The result is such seemingly non-sequitur casting as Charles Napier as the trial judge and Roger Corman as a key witness.
Move up to the majors and the top roles in PHILADELPHIA are played equally well.
Jason Robards is credible in a tough, but one-dimensional role as Beckett's boss. Mary Steenburgen shows up at the forty-minute mark with a fine performance as a sharp defense attorney. Washington, in turn, shows off his OWN courtroom cool while making a nice transformation from bigot to believer.
But PHILADELPHIA is Hanks' show and he's nearly perfect in every scene.
(That is, with the exception of the film's Intentional Oscar Moment--an ineffectual bit with Beckett driven to tears while explaining the beauty of Maria Callas to his attorney.)
Hanks also *looks* the part, courtesy of some very-real head-shaving and intentional weight-loss. His death-bed scenes are nothing short of scary.
One interesting/annoying aspect of PHILADELPHIA is the film's omnipotent point-of-view. Instead of a story told merely from both Beckett's and Miller's viewpoint, Demme lets the audience eavesdrop on EVERY character. Does the narrative REALLY need the inclusion of such things as the jury deliberations?
To the credit of both Demme and writer Nyswaner, PHILADELPHIA avoids most of the melodrama inherent in the subject matter. Familiar cliches, such as The Big Death Scene, have been graciously omitted.
Bottom: As the first mainstream AIDS film, PHILADELPHIA offers few surprises or enlightments into the killer disease. Well acted, written, and directed, this tasteful film is more of an examination of homophobia than the disease that inspires it.
Grade: B+
-- = Michael John Legeros = mjlegero@eos.ncsu.edu
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