Philadelphia Dvd Drama Movie

Philadelphia is a 1993 American legal drama film written by Ron Nyswaner, directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Filmed and set in its namesake city, it tells the story of gay man Andrew Beckett (Hanks) who asks lawyer Joe Miller (Washington) to help him sue his employers, who fired him after discovering he has AIDS.

Philadelphia premiered in Los Angeles on December 14, 1993 and opened in limited release on December 22, before expanding into wide release on January 14, 1994. It grossed $206.7 million worldwide, becoming the 9th highest-grossing film of 1993. It was positively received by critics for its screenplay and the performances of Washington and Hanks. For his performance as Andrew Beckett, Hanks won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 66th Academy Awards, while the song "Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Nyswaner was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, but lost to Jane Campion for The Piano. It is notable for being one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to explicitly address HIV/AIDS and homophobia, in addition to being one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to portray gay people in a positive light.

Plot

Andrew Beckett is a senior associate at the largest corporate law firm in Philadelphia. He conceals his homosexuality and his status as an AIDS patient from the other members of the firm. A partner in the firm notices a lesion on Beckett's forehead. Although Beckett attributes the lesion to a racquetball injury, it indicates Kaposi's sarcoma, an AIDS-defining condition.

Beckett stays home from work for several days to try to find a way to hide his lesions. He finishes the paperwork for a case he has been assigned and brings it to his office, leaving instructions for his assistants to file the paperwork the following day, which marks the end of the statute of limitations for the case. The next day, he receives a call asking for the paperwork, as the paper copy cannot be found and there are no copies on the computer's hard drive. The paperwork is finally located in an alternative location and is filed with the court at the last moment. Beckett is called to a meeting the morning afterwards where the firm's partners dismiss him.

Beckett believes someone deliberately hid the paperwork to give the firm an excuse to fire him and that the termination is a result of his diagnosis with AIDS as well as his sexuality. He asks ten attorneys to take his case, the last of whom is African-American personal injury lawyer Joe Miller, whom Beckett previously opposed in a different case. Miller appears uncomfortable that a man with AIDS is in his office. After declining to take the case, Miller immediately visits his doctor to find out if he could have contracted the disease. The doctor explains that the routes of HIV infection do not include casual contact.

Unable to find a lawyer willing to represent him, Beckett is compelled to act as his own attorney. While researching another case at a law library, Miller sees Beckett at a nearby table. A librarian approaches Beckett and says that he has found a case of AIDS discrimination for him. As others in the library begin to stare uneasily, the librarian suggests Beckett go to a private room. Seeing the parallels in how he has faced discrimination due to his race, Miller approaches Beckett, reviews the material he has gathered, and agrees to take the case.

As the case goes to trial, the partners of the firm take the stand, each claiming that Beckett was incompetent and that he had deliberately tried to hide his condition. The defense repeatedly suggests that Beckett brought AIDS upon himself via gay sex and is therefore not a victim. It is revealed that the partner who noticed Beckett's lesion, Walter Kenton, previously worked with a woman who had contracted AIDS after a blood transfusion and so should have recognized the lesion as being a symptom of an AIDS-related illness. According to Kenton, the woman was an innocent victim, unlike Beckett, and he further testifies that he did not recognize Beckett's lesion. To prove that the lesions would have been visible, Miller asks Beckett to unbutton his shirt while on the witness stand, revealing that his lesions are indeed visible and recognizable as such. Throughout the trial, Miller's homophobia slowly disappears as he and Beckett bond from working together.

Beckett collapses and is hospitalized after Charles Wheeler, the partner he most admired, testifies against him. Another partner, Bob Seidman, confesses that he suspected Beckett had AIDS but never told anyone and didn't allow him to explain himself, which he deeply regrets. During Beckett's hospital stay, the jury votes in his favor, awarding him back pay, damages for pain and suffering, and punitive damages, totaling over $5 million. Miller visits the visibly failing Beckett in the hospital after the verdict and overcomes his fear enough to touch Beckett's face. After the family leaves the room, Beckett tells his lover Miguel Alvarez that he is "ready." At the Miller home later that night, Miller and his wife are awakened by a phone call from Alvarez, who tells them that Beckett has died. A memorial is held at Beckett's home, where many mourners, including Miller and his family, view home movies of Beckett as a happy child.

Cast

    Tom Hanks as Andrew "Andy" Beckett

    Denzel Washington as Joseph "Joe" Miller

    Jason Robards as Charles Wheeler

    Mary Steenburgen as Belinda Conine

    Antonio Banderas as Miguel Alvarez

    Joanne Woodward as Sarah Beckett

    Robert W. Castle as Bud Beckett

    Ann Dowd as Jill Beckett

    Adam LeFevre as Jill's husband

    John Bedford Lloyd as Matt Beckett

    Dan Olmstead as Randy Beckett

    Lisa Summerour as Lisa Miller

    Charles Napier as Judge Lucas Garnett

    Roberta Maxwell as Judge Tate

    Roger Corman as Mr. Roger Laird

    David Drake as Bruno

    Harry Northup as Juror No. 6

    Bill Rowe as Dr. Armbruster

    Chandra Wilson as Chandra

    Daniel von Bargen as Jury Foreman

    Karen Finley as Dr. Gillman

    Robert Ridgely as Walter Kenton

    Bradley Whitford as Jamey Collins

    Ron Vawter as Bob Seidman

    Anna Deavere Smith as Anthea Burton

    Obba Babatundé as Jerome Green

    Charles Glenn as Kenneth Killcoyne

    Tracey Walter as the Librarian

    Andre B. Blake as Young Man in Pharmacy (as André B. Blake)

    Daniel Chapman as Clinic Storyteller

    Peter Jacobs as Peter / Mona Lisa

    Paul Lazar as Dr. Klenstein

    Warren Miller as Mr. Finley

    Joey Perillo as Filko

    Lauren Roselli as Iris

    Lisa Talerico as Shelby

    Kathryn Witt as Melissa Benedict

    Julius Erving as himself

    Mayor of Philadelphia Ed Rendell as himself

    The Flirtations as themselves

    Q Lazzarus as Party Singer

    Quentin Crisp as Party Guest (uncredited)

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