Rent Philadelphia (1993)

3.8 of 5 from 254 ratings
2h 0min
Rent Philadelphia Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
Up-and-coming young lawyer Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) has just been fired by his prestigious law firm. They say he hasn't got what it takes. Andrew knows it's because he's got AIDS. Determined to defend his professional reputation, Andrew hires fierce, brilliant personal-injury attorney Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) to sue his former employers for wrongful dismissal. Joe is initially reluctant to take on the case. Although he as grown up knowing the pain of prejudice, he's never had to confront his own prejudices against homosexuality and AIDS...until now. One man is fighting for his reputation, his life and for justice.
The other is battling to overcome his own and society's ignorance and fear.
Actors:
, , , , , , Mark Sorensen Jr., Jeffrey Williamson, , , , , , , , , , Ford Wheeler, ,
Directors:
Producers:
Edward Saxon, Jonathan Demme
Writers:
Ron Nyswaner
Others:
Bruce Springsteen, Carl Fullerton, Alan D'Angerio, Neil Young
Studio:
Columbia Tristar
Genres:
Drama, Lesbian & Gay
Collections:
10 Films to Watch if You Like: Licorice Pizza, A History of Gay Cinema: According to Hollywood, Award Winners, Drama Films & TV, Films to Watch If You Like..., Getting to Know :Tom Hanks, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Bill Murray, Getting to Know: Denzel Washington, Oscar Nominations Competition 2024, Oscar's Two-Time Club, Oscars: Winners & Losers, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 2, Top 10 Best Picture Follow-Ups, Top 10 Golden Bear Winners, Top 10 World Cinema Remakes, Top Films
Awards:

1994 Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Actor

1994 Oscar Best Actor

1994 Oscar Best Music Original Song

BBFC:
Release Date:
26/05/1998
Run Time:
120 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 2.0, English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
Cantonese, Czech, English, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
Colour
BBFC:
Release Date:
30/09/2013
Run Time:
125 minutes
Languages:
Czech Dolby Digital 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0, French Dolby Digital 2.0, German Dolby Digital 2.0, Hungarian Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian Dolby Digital 2.0, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0, Polish Dolby Digital 5.0, Russian Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles:
Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
(0) All
Bonus:
  • "One Foot on a Banana Peel, the Other Foot in the Grave" Documentary
  • Courthouse Protest Footage and Interviews
  • Exclusive new documentary "People Like Us: Making Philadelphia"
  • Original Making-of Featurette
  • Deleted Scenes
BBFC:
Release Date:
26/11/2018
Run Time:
125 minutes
Languages:
Czech Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Atmos, English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0, French Dolby Digital 5.1, German Dolby Digital 5.1, Hungarian Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1, Polish Dolby Digital 5.1, Russian Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish DTS 5.1, Thai Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Mandarin, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
DVD Regions:
Region 0 (All)
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
(0) All

More like Philadelphia

Reviews (2) of Philadelphia

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

Spoiler Alert
27/09/2020

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.

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

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

Spoiler Alert
15/07/2023

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

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

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